Surtur Rising is the eighth studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by the Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 melodic death metal

Melodic death metal

Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...

 band Amon Amarth

Amon Amarth

Amon Amarth is a Swedish viking metal band from Tumba, Sweden founded in 1992, and takes its name from the Sindarin translation of Mount Doom, a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The band comprises vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström...

. The album was released on March 29, 2011.

On June 27, 2011, the band released a music video, with footage taken a live performance in Philadelphia, PA and directed by David Brodsky, for the third track on the album, "Destroyer of the Universe".

Track listing

1. "War of the Gods" - 4:33
2. "Töck's Taunt: Loke's Treachery Part II" - 5:58
3. "Destroyer of the Universe" - 3:41
4. "Slaves of Fear" - 4:25
5. "Live Without Regrets" - 5:03
6. "The Last Stand of Frej" - 5:37
7. "For Victory or Death" - 4:30
8. "Wrath of the Norsemen" - 3:44
9. "A Beast Am I" - 5:14
10. "Doom Over Dead Man" - 5:55

All tracks written by Amon Amarth.

Limited edition bonus tracks

11. "Balls to the Wall" (Accept cover) - 5:22
12. "War Machine" (Kiss
    KISS (band)
    Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
    
     cover) - 3:35

iTunes edition bonus tracks

11. "Aerials
    Aerials (song)
    "Aerials" is a single by the Alternative band System of a Down. It was released in 2002 from the album Toxicity, which earned the band its second Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2003...
    
    " (System of a Down
    System of a Down
    System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
    
     cover) - 3:40

Digipak edition

• Includes a bonus Live DVD.

The last track "Doom Over Dead Man", is reported on the back of the album as being 7:32, but actually skipping to the track or ripping it produces a song that's 5:55. There's a 1:37 instrumental part hidden in the pregap between 9 and 10 that can only be heard by rewinding / playing straight through.

Reception

The critical reception to the album has been widely positive. Germany's Metal Hammer

Metal Hammer

Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...

 chose the album as the album of the month in March 2011. The album debuted at number 34 on the American Billboard 200 chart as well as number 19 on the Canadian album charts.

Personnel

• Johan Hegg − lead vocals
  Death growl
  A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
  
  
• Johan Söderberg − guitars
• Olavi Mikkonen − guitars
• Ted Lundström − bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Fredrik Andersson − drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....