Twilight of the Thunder God
Encyclopedia
Twilight of the Thunder God is the seventh studio album
by the Swedish
melodic death metal
band Amon Amarth
. Twilight of the Thunder God was released in September 2008.
A series of 8-page comics were made during the production of the album, eponymously entitled "Twilight of the Thunder God", released in magazines throughout Europe.
On 27 June 2008, the title of this album was announced, it being "Twilight of the Thunder God". Twilight of the Thunder God features several guest appearances featuring Entombed
vocalist Lars Göran Petrov
on "Guardians of Asgaard", Children of Bodom
and Stone
guitarist Roope Latvala
who contributes a solo
on the track "Twilight of the Thunder God", and Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica
as a guest appearance on "Live for the Kill".
Approximately a month later on 25 July 2008, the album artwork was revealed, featuring Thor
, the Norse God of Thunder, in battle with Jörmungandr
.
On 27 August 2008, Amon Amarth released the information that they had recently finished work on a video clip for the title track of the album. The video clip was shot in Jomsborg
, Poland
. The band notes that while they were there, a heavy storm came through the town, resulting in the roughest conditions the band has ever shot a music video in.
, and debuted at number 11 on the Swedish album charts. This makes the band's first album to chart on the top 200, and also the band's highest chart debut in their native country of Sweden, debuting 10 places higher than their previous release, With Oden on Our Side
.
Initial critical response to Twilight of the Thunder God was positive. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average
score of 80, based on 5 reviews.
The album was ranked number six on Metal Hammer
's Top 50 Albums of 2008.
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...
. Twilight of the Thunder God was released in September 2008.
Pre-release and production
In anticipation of this album, there was a series of studio diaries in the form of vlogs that discussed the recording process of this album in the studio. There were six vlogs recorded. The first focused on Fredrik Andersson recording the drums. The second vlog focused on Olavi Mikkonen recording the rhythm guitar position. The third blog focused on Ted Lundström recording bass guitar and band members preparing food. The fourth episode focused on Johan Hegg recording vocals. The fifth video was Johan Söderberg performing and recording guitar solos. The final vlog featured Olavi Mikkonen and Ted Lundström packing up the studio and a sneak peek of the album.A series of 8-page comics were made during the production of the album, eponymously entitled "Twilight of the Thunder God", released in magazines throughout Europe.
On 27 June 2008, the title of this album was announced, it being "Twilight of the Thunder God". Twilight of the Thunder God features several guest appearances featuring Entombed
Entombed (band)
Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from its American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had...
vocalist Lars Göran Petrov
Lars Göran Petrov
Lars Göran Petrov, better known simply as LG Petrov, is a Swedish singer of Macedonian background , born 17 February 1972. He is best known for his work with the band Entombed. In 1991 he was forced to quit Entombed, due to personal problems. He then did the vocals for Comecon's debut album...
on "Guardians of Asgaard", Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
and Stone
Stone (band)
Stone was a thrash metal band formed in Kerava, Finland in the mid-1980s. They released four albums and one live album during the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disbanding in 1991 to pursue different musical directions. Stone reunited to play a final set of concerts in 2000, but parted ways...
guitarist Roope Latvala
Roope Latvala
Roope Latvala is a Finnish guitarist who currently plays with the bands Children of Bodom and Sinergy. He was one of the founding members of Stone, which was one of the first notable bands in the history of Finnish heavy metal.-Biography:...
who contributes a solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
on the track "Twilight of the Thunder God", and Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
as a guest appearance on "Live for the Kill".
Approximately a month later on 25 July 2008, the album artwork was revealed, featuring Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
, the Norse God of Thunder, in battle with Jörmungandr
Jörmungandr
In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr , mostly known as Jormungand, orJörmungand , or Midgard Serpent , or World Serpent, is a sea serpent, and the middle child of the giantess Angrboða and the god Loki...
.
On 27 August 2008, Amon Amarth released the information that they had recently finished work on a video clip for the title track of the album. The video clip was shot in Jomsborg
Jomsborg
Jomsborg was a semi-legendary Viking stronghold at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea , that existed between the 960s and 1043. Its inhabitants are known as Jomsvikings. Jomsborg's exact location has not yet been established, though it is maintained that Jomsborg was somewhere on the islands of...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The band notes that while they were there, a heavy storm came through the town, resulting in the roughest conditions the band has ever shot a music video in.
Reception
The album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, and debuted at number 11 on the Swedish album charts. This makes the band's first album to chart on the top 200, and also the band's highest chart debut in their native country of Sweden, debuting 10 places higher than their previous release, With Oden on Our Side
With Oden on our Side
With Oden on Our Side is the sixth full-length studio album by the Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth, and their first album to enter the Billboard charts, the Top Heatseekers and the Independent Albums chart, peaking at number 15 and number 26 respectively.It was recorded in May and June 2006...
.
Initial critical response to Twilight of the Thunder God was positive. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 80, based on 5 reviews.
The album was ranked number six on 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...
's Top 50 Albums of 2008.
Track listing
- "Twilight of the Thunder God" (feat. Roope LatvalaRoope LatvalaRoope Latvala is a Finnish guitarist who currently plays with the bands Children of Bodom and Sinergy. He was one of the founding members of Stone, which was one of the first notable bands in the history of Finnish heavy metal.-Biography:...
) − 4:09 - "Free Will Sacrifice" − 4:09
- "Guardians of Asgaard" (feat. Lars Göran PetrovLars Göran PetrovLars Göran Petrov, better known simply as LG Petrov, is a Swedish singer of Macedonian background , born 17 February 1972. He is best known for his work with the band Entombed. In 1991 he was forced to quit Entombed, due to personal problems. He then did the vocals for Comecon's debut album...
) − 4:23 - "Where Is Your God?" − 3:11
- "Varyags of Miklagaard" − 4:18
- "Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags" − 4:30
- "No Fear for the Setting Sun" − 3:54
- "The Hero" − 4:02
- "Live for the Kill" (feat. ApocalypticaApocalypticaApocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
) − 4:10 - "Embrace of the Endless Ocean" − 6:44
Bonus CD/DVD track listing
- "Intro"
- "Valhall Awaits Me"
- "Runes to My Memory"
- "Cry of the Black Birds"
- "Asator"
- "Pursuit of Vikings"
- "Fate of Norns"
- "Without Fear"
- "With Oden on Our Side"
- "Where Silent Gods Stand Guard"
- "An Ancient Sign of Coming Storm"
- "Victorious March"
- "Death in Fire"
Band members
- Johan Hegg − vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Olavi Mikkonen − guitarsElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Johan Söderberg − guitars
- Ted Lundström − bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Fredrik Andersson − drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
Guest musicians
- Lars Göran PetrovLars Göran PetrovLars Göran Petrov, better known simply as LG Petrov, is a Swedish singer of Macedonian background , born 17 February 1972. He is best known for his work with the band Entombed. In 1991 he was forced to quit Entombed, due to personal problems. He then did the vocals for Comecon's debut album...
(EntombedEntombed (band)Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from its American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had...
) − vocals on "Guardians of Asgaard" - Roope LatvalaRoope LatvalaRoope Latvala is a Finnish guitarist who currently plays with the bands Children of Bodom and Sinergy. He was one of the founding members of Stone, which was one of the first notable bands in the history of Finnish heavy metal.-Biography:...
(Children of BodomChildren of BodomChildren of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
) − guitar solo on "Twilight of the Thunder God" - ApocalypticaApocalypticaApocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
− celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s on "Live for the Kill"
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden 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.... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
17 September 2008 | Metal Blade Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music... |
Compact Disc Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
19 September 2008 | Metal Blade | Compact Disc |
| The rest of Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
22 September 2008 | Metal Blade | Compact Disc |
| North America North America North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas... and elsewhere |
30 September 2008 | Metal Blade | Compact Disc, Enhanced CD Enhanced CD Enhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players.... |