With Oden on Our Side

Infobox Album |
Name = With Oden on Our Side
Type = studio
Artist = Amon Amarth


Released = September 22, 2006
Recorded = May – June, 2006 Fascination Street studios, Örebro, Sweden
Length = 42:17
Genre = Melodic death metal
Label = Metal Blade
Producer = Jens Bogren
Reviews =
*AbsolutePunk.net (92%) [http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=297150 link]
*Allmusic Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:79u1z8oa6yv8 link]
*Blabbermouth.net rating-10|8 [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=909 link]
*The Metal Observer rating-10|9.5 [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=10981 link]
Last album = "Fate of Norns"
(2004)
This album = "With Oden on Our Side"
(2006)
Next album = "Twilight of the Thundergod"
(2008)

"With Oden on Our Side" is the sixth full-length studio album by the Swedish Viking metal/melodic death metal band Amon Amarth, and their first album to enter the "Billboard" charts, the Top Heatseekers and the Top Independent Albums, peaking at number 15 and number 26 respectively.cite web
title = Billboard.com – Artist Chart History – Amon Amarth
url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=259523&model.vnuAlbumId=799817
accessdate = 2008-01-01]

It was recorded in May and June 2006 and was released in Europe on September 22, 2006 by Metal Blade Records. A limited edition digipak was also released with a second disc that includes live songs, demos, and unreleased recordings. "With Oden on Our Side" was also released on a limited red LP. The songs "Runes to My Memory" and "Cry of the Black Birds" were both made into music videos.

"With Oden on Our Side" takes on a heavier approach compared to their previous album "Fate of Norns"; according to vocalist Johan Hegg, in an interview with Dutch metal magazine "Aardschok", the album would go back to their roots such as their debut, "Once Sent from the Golden Hall". When asked about the meaning of the album's title, Hegg remarked: cquotetxt|Well, it kind of has several meanings to it. Oden is of course the highest god in Scandinavian mythology, and he's the god of warfare, wisdom, poetry and artistry. The reason we chose the title is that it suited the lyrical concepts of the album and signified the feeling we had during the writing and recording of the album. We literally felt as if we had the Gods on our side.| [http://www.pyromusic.net/index.php?p=interviews_interview&interview=Amon_Amarth&id=31 PyroMusic interview with Johan Hegg] |color=gray|size=360%

The album cover art has a strong relation to the Dark Age warring tribes. Behind Odin are three overlapped triangles (valknut). These refer to the Germanic Alamanni tribe's flag insignia, which originally had a turquoise-like background, with the triangles a crimson-red and outlined with black. Also, the font seen on the sides of the triangles features ancient Runic letters that were used by Germanic tribes.

Track listing

# "Valhall Awaits Me" – 4:43
# "Runes to My Memory" – 4:32
# "Asator" – 3:04
# "Hermod's Ride to Hel- Loke's Treachery Part 1" – 4:40
# "Gods of War Arise" – 6:02
# "With Oden on Our Side" – 4:34
# "Cry of the Black Birds" – 3:49
# "Under the Northern Star" – 4:17
# "Prediction of Warfare" – 6:36

Bonus Disc (Limited Digipak Edition)

# "Where Silent Gods Stand Guard" (Live at Wacken 2004) – 6:11
# "Death in Fire" (Live at Wacken 2004) – 4:55
# "With Oden on Our Side" (Demo Version) – 4:32
# "Hermods Ride to Hel: Lokes Treachery Pt 1" (Demo Version) – 4:49
# "Once Sent from the Golden Hall" (Sunlight Recording 1997) – 4:03
# "Return of the Gods" (Sunlight Recording 1997 - previously unreleased song) – 3:34
* Track 3 and 4 recorded at Amon Amarth's rehearsal studio, January 2006.
* Track 5 and 6 recorded at Sunlight Studio, March 1997.

Personnel

Band members

* Johan Hegg − Vocals
* Olavi Mikkonen − Guitar
* Johan Söderberg − Guitar
* Ted Lundström − Bass
* Fredrik Andersson − Drums

Other

* Produced, mixed and engineered by Jens Bogren.
* Additional recording by Anders "Shadow" Ström.
* Mastered by Thomas Eberger at Cutting Room, Stockholm.

References