La ristampa da parte della Metal Blade dei primi quattro album degli Amon Amarth mi ha dato lo spunto per scrivere questa recensione. E questo perchè ho maturato l'impressione che il primo, leggendario LP degli amatissimi Uomini del Nord sia quasi semi-sconosciuto... voglio dire, quale metallaro oggi giorno non ha visto almeno un suo 'affine di pensiero' con indosso una maglia/maglietta ornata dal logo dei cinque svedesi e da qualche icona nordica? Pochi, sicuramente. Eppure 'Once Sent From The Golden Hall' (1998) rimane sconosciuto, o peggio, sottovalutato! E' ora di finirla con questa ingiustizia, mi son detto...
Premessa: non è un disco facile da digerire per coloro che si sono innamorati dei vichinghi ascoltando il loro ultimo capolavoro 'Twilight Of The Thunder God'. Su 'Once Sent From The Golden Hall' la produzione non è così pulita e massiccia come sul disco che li ha consacrati a mostri sacri del death melodico svedese, la voce del nerboruto Johan Hegg è più sporca e lacerante, così come le chitarre di Olavi Mikkonen e Anders Hansson (all'epoca secondo chitarrista degli Amon Amarth, prima che gli subentrasse l'eccellente Johan Soderberg) suonano più 'imprecise' e 'black' (riferendomi ovviamente all'impossibilità di cogliere tutte le sfumature dell'eccellente tecnica dei due maestri 'd'ascia'), il basso di Ted Lundstrom è a malapena udibile e il batterismo di Martin Lopez (predecessore di Fredrik Andersson passato poi agli Opeth) è più incentrato sulla violenza esecutiva, ma ugualmente tecnico e devastante. Il miracolo è che tutti questi elementi si fondono alla perfezione in quello che era il sound che gli Amon Amarth erano intenzionati a proporre all'inizio, ovvero una miscela perfettamente riuscita ed equilibrata fra il death metal svedese più intransigente (i più anzianotti fra voi avranno fatto paragoni fra Johan e L.G. Petrov degli Entombed più di una volta), il gelo furente del black e melodie che figurerebbero facilmente anche in un disco power.
Ad amalgamare il tutto e a renderlo irresistibile ci pensa la cultura (sì, avete capito bene, la cultura) nordica. Cultura che si manifesta con prepotenza nei testi belligeranti e profondamente anticristiani di Johan (guarda a caso il responsabile del passaggio degli Amon Amarth dal grindcore degli esordi al death metal melodico), nelle atmosfere epiche che evocano subito cavalcate furiose e battaglie disumane e, cosa più importante di tutte, nell'attaccamento passionale e quasi feroce che i cinque sentono per la propria terra, le proprie origini e il proprio passato, un attaccamento che sembrano voler sprigionare con ogni nota dei loro strumenti. Ed è una passione che si sente perchè è concreta, non ci sono ancora gli accenni alla mitologia e al pantheon nordico che verranno in seguito, i testi parlano della storia e della vita reale dei guerrieri vichinghi, dell'odio per un cristianesimo che ha prodotto solo rancore millennario in una Scandinavia che non aveva certo bisogno di lezioni di spiritualità, del sangue versato e delle ferite sofferte. I ruggiti laceranti di Johan che interpreta il padre furente e disperato per la morte del figlio ad opera degli 'uomini con un solo dio' in 'Ride For Vengeance' (la migliore canzone dei cinque a mio parere) scuotono l'anima, come fanno le ripetute urla di 'Without Fear', dove il guerriero morente si dichiara senza paura e pronto a morire, fiducioso che le Valchirie scenderanno per prendere la sua anima e portarla nel Valhalla. E come non menzionare poi la stupenda 'The Dragon's Flight Across The Wave', la schiacciante 'Victorious March', la feroce 'Abandoned', dove viene liberato tutto l'odio feroce e pagano della band per il cristianesimo ('Dalla furia degli uomini del Nord salvaci, O Signore'), e l'epica (ma in fondo quale canzone degli Amon Amarth non lo è?) 'Friends Of The Suncross'? 'Amon Amarth', con la sua atmosfera black e i rumori di battaglia campionati, è l'autocelebrazione del mito vichingo e la title-track la degna e trionfante chiusura.
'Once Sent From The Golden Hall' è uno di quei dischi fatti con il cuore, che non ti aspetti apra le porte dell'Olimpo (o sarebbe più appropriato Valhalla?) heavy metal da un giorno all'altro, ma crei, componi e sudi per il fatto che ci credi. Non so che cosa si aspettassero gli Amon Amarth quando pubblicarono questo disco, ma sono sicuro che fossere convinti di aver fatto il proprio dovere.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Ride for Vengeance (04:28)
As His Life's blood leaving
I hold my son, my only son
And tears fill my burning eyes
While his skin turns pale as snow
Butchered he lies here bleeding in my arms
Slewn by the men of the single god
Hatred burns in my chest
Rain falls from a raging heaven
The wind howls like wolves at the moon
I will seek my vengeance for my son
I swear I'll avenge my first born one
I ride fast through the woods
My friends are by my side
Dark Hatred burns in my eyes
"Slaves of hvitekrist today you die!"
"Maktiga gudar,
i gyllene slaen.
Hjalp mig i striden
mot sondraparna,
Den hoge skall
For huggen hamnas
och blod skall galdas
i blod"
Our cloaks fly in the wind
As we ride in the cold dark night
We're closing in our enemies
We rage in our hearts burning bright
The clouds scatter in the northern wind
A full moon rides the pitch black sky
"Now, hounds of Hvitekrist,
your time has come to die!"
"Kneel before my sword!
No mercy! Your time has come to die!
This is the ride for vengeance!"
03 Without Fear (04:50)
I see
Without fear my destiny
As the raging skies begins to fade
Pouring rain
Licks my wounds as my blood flows
From my torn flesh!
As I die
I hold my sword
My only friend
And pray that Oden
Will take me home
The battle rages
But I hear only raindrops falling
Like in slow motion to the ground
Death release me
Free me from my earthly pain
Oden I ask thee please
Take me home
Without fear I die!
As I look
To the sky the heaven is lit
And Valkyries in shining armour
Descend
I rest my head
On the ground
And close my eyes
And I know that Oden's
Sent for me
As I die
Without fear I die
I close my eyes
And die
Without fear
04 Victorious March (07:56)
Ten heavy feet
Walks the bloodsoiled ground
With rhythm these
Five warriors march
No matter how much
The bleeding wounds
From enemy swordcuts
Hurts to the bone
The revenge they sought
Was taken in blood
No mercy was showed
No mercy was showed
They ignore the pain
That hammerlike pounds
From falls, off slain
Horses, to the ground
No signs of weakness
No signs of weariness
Not even a glimce
Of remorse in their eyes
They slew men ruthless
Fed the wolves with flesh
And now they leave
This land side by side
Now they're headed home
Five swordsmen who fought repentlessly
Their story will be told
Of five brave men endlessly
All sorrow is left
For the woman to bare
The children cries
They live in fear
No man was spread
No houses or farm remains
No christian woman unraped
Their church consumed by flames
Their steel shines red
With enemy blood
It sings of victory
Granted by the Gods
And as they return
Bleeding but proud
The horizon burns
And the song is ringing loud
05 Friends of the Suncross (04:42)
Salt water licks my face
and wind fills the sail
We head for wars on distant shores
My friends are all with me
And so they'll always be
We'll never bend until the end
We cross the open waves
On course to far off lands
Thor guides our ships
With his strong hands
Across the waves our seasnakes fly
Carried like ravens in the sky
By heavens breath on wings of death
Blood will run red
As we sever bodies from their heads
We maim and kill by pure will
We hail our Gods
Sacrifice in blood
Our altar is the battlefields
Death is something we don't fear
Though it's always near
Ygg brings us home when time has come
We are five of us
Friends of the suncross
Strong and brave to the grave!
06 Abandoned (06:00)
They came riding down the slopes
Five fearless men prepared to fight
We heard with fear the rumbling earth
In the mid-day light
Surprised we saw all terrified
The brave northmen's run
The fearless five with power ride
Attacking us in the mid-day sun
Their charge was fast, no alarm was sound
They broke right through our lines
I felt the cut it threw me to the ground
And now I feel has come my time
I lie here in my blood
And see my family get killed
I feel abandoned by my god
I fear death's chill
I see Hel's gates
Towering high
And dark are they
I don't want to die
Oh no! I was wrong
Denied the true Gods
And now I'm doomed
I trusted foreign men
And their god's son
But now when I need them
They are gone
I see Hel's gates
Towering high
And dark are they
I die!
They ride across the planes
And punish those of false belief
All resistance is in vain
As they caress them with cold steel
They are the punishers
And they will never bend
They are power the five of them
From Asgard they are sent
The power they have in all they do
The Christians non will feel
No one can escape them no
Them will make them kneel
Their fight is through, they must return
No one here survived
And as the blood red sky begins to burn
To Valhall they will ride
07 Amon Amarth (08:06)
A storm rolls in from the sea
Covering the land with black thunder clouds
Rain whips the ground at their feet
As they come ashore in this foreign land
Thunder brakes the silence of five hundred men assembled on shore
Gazing through the misty rain
At the mountain not a mile away
So dark and silent it stands there
The mighty AMON AMARTH
Reaching for the cloudcloked sky
So grim and fearful in might
With the wind in their backs they start walking
Decisive men of the north
They strive through this darkened land
With only mount doom in their sight
The closer they get to the mountain
The clearer their eyes can see
A forest of one thousand spears awaiting
Awaiting the battle that will be
A cry of war emerges
Echoes over the field
Warriors run like wolves up the slopes
Boldly charging the enemy lines
With weapons so fearsome and sharp in their hands
And shields of oakwood and steel
They slit open stomachs and split skulls to the jaw
Intestines cover the field
The defenders are weak in this brutal war
The northmen have power and guts
A bloodshed like no one has seen here before
None can escape their cuts
Arrows with fire fly through the air
Torching houses and shields
The vikings can feel victory is near
As the enemy head-lessly flees
A gust of wind blows in from the north
Clearing the clouds away
As twilight falls and the stars come forth
And the seawolves return to the bay
Corpses lie scattered all over the field
For the ravens to eat as they please
The mountain is now left there behind
As they sail with the first morning breeze
08 Once Sent From the Golden Hall (04:11)
Rumbling thunder cracks the sky
And rain starts pouring down
Lightning strikes a cold bright light
Upon the blooddrenched ground
The sword play is hard
And many falls
Steel bites sharp in flesh
And upon a mountain
Towering tall
Stands the messengers of death
Five horsemen in armour bright
Waiting in the flashing light
Looking down upon the field
Where Vikings fight with axe and shield
On stallions black as night
With eyes burning red
They ride with thunder to the fight
Deliverance of certain death
A warcry loud as Heimdall's horn
Echoes across the land
Enemies who hear it freeze to the bone
Friends of doom proudly stands
They ride faster than the wind
With lightning speed they strike
Black ravens follow where they've been
To feed from those died
With power they vield their swords
As they ride down fleeing men
Sending them to Hel's dark court
To never come back again
The warriors ride once more
To the mountain from which they came
Once sent by the Gods to war
And they never return in shame
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