Amon Amarth Once Sent from the Golden Hall (Bonus Edition)
by Matthew Hoffman
Staff Writer
Re-released in March as a two disc set Amon Amarth’s inaugural release from 1998 Once Sent from the Golden Hall (Bonus Edition) is out now from Metal Blade Records. Disc 1 is the re-mastered album which includes “Siegreicher Marsch” the German version of “Victorious March” as a bonus track. Disc two is the live recording of the show Amon Amarth played on Dec. 28, 2008 in Bochum, Germany. This second disc sees the band playing the album in its entirety straight through.
The quality is solid as you would expect from such an elite level band, but the surprising thing is that it was evident from the band’s infancy. The hard fast charging guitar riffs and wonderfully powerful drums of the Viking Metal Gods are here but the melodic guitar leads solos were not a big part of their acumen yet (making it a bit monotonous).
The band only had one axe wielder on their debut record and now has two, so their live performance includes the work of Johan Söderberg.
Compared to their modern stuff this is not as melodic but should appeal to fans of straight ahead thundering pagan metal. The vocals of Johan Hegg are vicious and also include a shrill screaming black metal vocal line.
The production quality is top shelf yet the original album does contain the layered muffled heavy mix style which was more popular in the late 90’s. This style makes the guitar leads that do exist on the record even less prominent.
Also, even though the Norse Mythology message is nonsense the music is undeniably powerful.
So, the bottom line here is this is a must have for long time Amon Amarth fans or anyone that truly understands their “dominance.” These boys have become one of the top riff writing bands in the metal history, and this was their maiden passage.
Label: Metal Blade
Band Members
Johan Hegg -Vocals
Olavi Mikkonen -Guitars
Johan Söderberg -Guitars (Live)
Ted Lundström -Bass
Fredrik Andersson -Drums
Track Listing
DISC 01 (Remastered)
1. Ride for Vengeance
2. The Dragons’ Flight across the Waves
3. Without Fear
4. Victorious March
5. Friends of the Suncross
6. Abandoned
7. Amon Amarth
8. Once Sent From the Golden Hall
9. Siegreicher Marsch (Victorious March – Bonus Track)
DISC 02 (Live)
1. Ride for Vengeance (Live)
2. The Dragons’ Flight Across The Waves (Live)
3. Without Fear (Live)
4. Victorious March (Live)
5. Friends of the Suncross (Live)
6. Abandoned (Live)
7. Amon Amarth (Live)
8. Once Sent From the Golden Hall (Live)
HRH Rating: 7.8/10