Amon Amarth are taking cues from Iron Maiden on album 13

Amon Amarth Bloodstock 2024 — (Image credit: Steve Dempsey)

Amon Amarth’s July 2025 single, We Rule The Waves, had an old-school, New Wave Of British Heavy Metal vibe to it. Speaking to Hammer, frontman Johan Hegg says it’s a sign that the Swedes will be branching out on their next album, which they’re currently working on.

“It’s hard to say when you don’t have the entire song structures, but I think it might be a very diverse album. On the other hand, I always think that, and then you release the album and everybody says, ‘You can hear it’s Amon Amarth.’”

Amon Amarth - We Rule The Waves (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube

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Is We Rule The Waves a good indicator of what’s to come?

Johan: “That’s the kind of music that we grew up with, so it’s something that comes naturally to us, even if it’s maybe not been super-prominent in our music before. But the ideas that I’ve heard bouncing around are just rough ideas.

We always try to balance new, interesting takes on our music with trying to keep the format of the band. It’s like what Iron Maiden do: you will always hear that it’s an Iron Maiden song, but they always add some new, interesting things to their albums.”

You teamed up with Saxon on the last album. Any more dream collaborations?

“If we have the right idea, I’d love to have Grand Magus’s JB Christoffersson on the album – he’s one of the best metal singers out there. Also, Lzzy Hale. She has a really powerful voice.”

You’re touring the US and Europe in 2026. What can we expect from the production?

“We’re working on a more elaborate stage that gives us the possibility to keep things moving throughout the show. The idea is to do an extended set for the headline tour with a bigger, better production.”

Do you have a dream stage prop?

“We have been talking about a Thor’s hammer that shoots fire or flashes. We’ve tried it before and it was really difficult, because the hammer was heavy and you couldn’t smash it into the floor, because you would break the floor! Ha ha!” Matt Mills

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

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