Amon Amarth have stripped away at their Viking-themed death metal and released a moody, acoustic single called Upphaf.
The Nordic folk-inspired jam (which translates to “beginning” or “origin” in Old Norse) bridges the gap between the five-piece’s previous album, 2022’s The Great Heathen Army, and their as-yet-unannounced 13th record. Press materials call it a “quiet moment”, in contrast to the “fury” of their upcoming album.
The track comes with a cinematic music video directed by Pavel Trebukhin. Watch and listen below.
No details of Amon Amarth’s 13th album have been given yet, but, talking to Hammer earlier this year, singer Johan Hegg teased a “very diverse” set of songs.
“We always try to balance new, interesting takes on our music with trying to keep the format of the band,” he said. “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.”
The release of Upphaf precedes the start of the band’s European tour, during which they’ll be supported by fellow Swedes Orbit Culture and Soilwork. The shows kick off at the O2 Apollo in Manchester on October 9 and continue through the UK until October 11. They’ll then play across mainland Europe until November 15.
See the full list of dates below.
Hegg told Hammer that fans can expect a “more elaborate stage” setup than on previous tours.
“[It] gives us the possibility to keep things moving throughout the show,” he said. “The idea is to do an extended set for the headline tour with a bigger and better production. We are definitely working on making the stage production… I’m not sure I would say more interesting, but at least more eventful.”
Formed in Tumba, Sweden in 1992, Amon Amarth took their name from the Sindarin word for Mount Doom, a volcano in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings. Contemporaries to fellow Swedish melodic death metal bands such as In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates, their lyrics often focus on Viking warfare and Norse mythology.
They charted in Sweden for the first time with 2006’s With Oden On Our Side. The title track of 2008 follow-up effort Twilight Of The Thunder God is considered their signature song.
Amon Amarth 2026 European tour dates (with Orbit Culture and Soilwork):
- Oct 09: Manchester O2 Apollo, UK
- Oct 10: London Eventim Apollo, UK
- Oct 11: Wolverhampton Civic Hall, UK
- Oct 13: Paris Zenith, France
- Oct 14: Esch-sur-Alzette Rockhal, Luxembourg
- Oct 16: Stuttgart Schleyer-Halle, Germany
- Oct 17: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
- Oct 18: Antwerp Lotto Arena, Belgium
- Oct 20: Den Bosch Mainstage, Netherlands
- Oct 21: Hamburg Sporthalle, Germany
- Oct 23: Gothenburg Scandinavium, Sweden
- Oct 24: Stockholm Hovet, Sweden
- Oct 26: Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland
- Oct 27: Tallinn Unibet Arena, Estonia
- Oct 29: Gliwice PreZero Arena, Poland
- Oct 30: Leipzig Quarterback Immobilien Arena, Germany
- Oct 31: Oberhausen Rudolf Weber Arena, Germany
- Nov 02: Budapest Barba Negra, Hungary
- Nov 03: Vienna Gasometer, Austria
- Nov 04: Bamberg Brose Arena, Germany
- Nov 06: Prague O2 Universum, Czech Republic
- Nov 07: Berlin Velodrom, Germany
- Nov 08: Munich Zenith, Germany
- Nov 10: Milan Alcatraz, Italy
- Nov 11: Zurich The Hall, Switzerland
- Nov 13: Barcelona Sant Jordi Club, Spain
- Nov 14: Madrid Vistalegre, Spain
- Nov 15: Lisbon Sala Tejo, Portugal
