Interviews

Interviews: Amon Amarth

Amon Amarth has been creating rhythmic and melodic death metal since 1992. Johan Hegg's direct lyrics showcase Scandinavian mythology and an emphasis on warrior themes, and echo the bleak but powerful musical output of creative and hardworking men who look and behave a hell of a lot as one would expect Vikings to. Amon Amarth's new album, "Versus the World" demonstrates their proficiency and their inventive and original application of the style. Katherine Davidson interviewed Hegg on the phone shortly before Amon Amarth began their North American tour with Deicide, Behemoth, Revenge, and Vehemence to support "Versus the World," hoping to gain some insight on what he enjoys, what makes him tick, and what exactly is up with "the whole Viking thing."

Katherine: How do you feel Amon Amarth's sound has evolved with "Versus the World" and how do you see it changing in the future?

Johan: I think the sound for this production is thicker and fuller, if you will. I think one of the main reasons for that is probably that we decided to master the album at Berno Studios instead of using Cutting Room in Stockholm as we did before.

K: The vocals seem deeper than those on previous albums. Was that a conscious decision?

J: Yeah, I wasn't too satisfied with the sound of the vocals on "The Crusher" and I was thinking of working towards darker vocals on the new release, and as we started working on the new material, the guys in the band started saying the same. That I should use darker vocals, so it was a joint decision that we should go that way. I don't know why "The Crusher" vocals turned out to be so high-pitched all the time. It was a very aggressive album I guess. That was just the way it turned out. I really wanted to go darker for this album and the musical and the lyrical material that we had sort of demanded darker vocals because of the darker themes and the more melancholic melodies and everything.

K: Does your music or lyrics have any connection to world events right now, or is it more fantasy and escape?

J: There are connections to the world, of course, especially to the world of us as a band.

K: I meant maybe the war? With all of the warrior imagery…

J: I know what you're aiming for, but not really- not much. It's there somehow, I mean of course it affects us, but it's not something intentional, like I wanted to say something about it. Quite frankly, I'm not really so much aware of what's going on anyway. [laughs] The main thing is dealing with the band and the band's history through a northern or Scandinavian mythology point of view, so to speak.

K: Can you explain the significance of the cover art?

J: Well, to be quite honest, the idea is Ted's, at least the general idea, and the answer should probably come from him. I guess the warrior is supposed to symbolize a lot of things. It symbolizes us as a band- where you stand with a shield, protecting yourself against a hostile world, and sort of fighting it. And it could symbolize anybody as a person, because it's a rough world out there and you have to protect yourself as well as fight it to survive. Know what I'm saying?

K: Yeah, that makes sense. What metal bands are you listening to these days?

J: At the moment?

K: Yeah.

J: One of the CDs that's been running in my CD player lately is WASP's new album, "Dying for the World." And also Vomitory's "Blood Rapture."

K: Cool. Do you listen to music that's not metal?

J: Not too much, actually. It doesn't happen that often. I listen to some folk music sometimes, like medieval stuff, because when you're in the right mood, like party mood, the music can get you going for some reason, I don't know why. But it's really cool, not that I listen to it really regularly, just once in awhile I guess.

K: Amon Amarth just announced a long list of tour dates, including an extended North American tour this spring. I was wondering if you like touring and how it compares to the studio?

J: I love touring. Well, being in the studio can be fun in many ways, but you get bored with it after awhile. It's the same thing every day- it's like a job. But when you're on tour it's like a 24-hour party basically, all the time. So, of course it's boring from time to time but at least the surroundings change from night to night. Always new experiences, and you meet new people, and party with new people, you're just out there having fun. Touring is really cool. It's sort of what this band is about, actually. You want to tour as much as possible.

K: "Versus the World" was #1 on the metal chart here at our college radio station. [88.7 WXJM Harrisonburg, VA]

J: That's really cool.

K: Yeah, we enjoy it. I was wondering what you think of the college radio exposure?

J: I'm not really familiar with the term because I'm Swedish and we don't really have those kinds of things, but we sort of have the same stuff, you know? One of the radio stations here in Stockholm is situated at the technical university here in Stockholm, and they broadcast metal and other stuff, so it's similar. I think it's awesome. I think it's really cool that you have that over there and I wish the opportunity to broadcast was as big here in Sweden as it is in the US because I think a lot of people into metal could do some good shows. The opportunities aren't as big here.

K: Well, thank you for speaking with me, and I love the new album. Do you have any last comments?

J: We're heading over there to tour in March- we'll be hitting March Metal Meltdown. We're also going on tour with Deicide and Behemoth through the US this spring. Everyone should be sure to check us out.

Links:

Official Site