July 15, 2026
Amon Amarth - Uuphaf - Single Review
In this episode, John and Derek dig into Amon Amarth’s new acoustic surprise, “upphaf” and debate whether the band’s newer sound is a bold evolution or a step too far from their roots. Longtime fans might argue that Amon Amarth has shifted toward polished, fist-pumping festival anthems and too far away from tracks like “First Kill.” And thus the question comes back again: Are bands able to successfully evolve and change their styles and vibes without alienating their fan bases?
WATCH
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Amanomarth gave us a new single today.2 seconds
It's called and full disclosure. I don't know much from Amanarth. I've been aware of them9 seconds
for a long time, but they've got a new single. Derek turned me on to it today and we're going to chat about it real quick right now. [music]20 seconds
I'm going to be very unpopular with Aman22 seconds
[music]23 seconds
fans and I'm sorry, but not really. Uh, bottom line is this is their jump the30 seconds
shark sellout moment. You cannot do a folk acoustic track with a death metal vocals when you're a death metal band.40 seconds
It just does not work.43 seconds
Is this a Monomarth Is this a Monomear's patience?47 seconds
It is a Monomarth's patience. And all the Guns and Roses fans were like, "What's this? You go from welcome to the jungle to patience.56 seconds
I'm sorry, but really literally since 2020, Amanarth has put out so many songs1 minute, 4 seconds
like the the great heathen army was all it was was a bunch of fist pumping anthem songs to to make everybody at1 minute, 12 seconds
whack in open air chant along. And what has been lost and this is a pivot.1 minute, 17 seconds
They've completely pivoted away from who they were. uh polished production, chance, uh giving up on death metal1 minute, 26 seconds
completely, not doing any storytelling around, uh Nordic culture and Vikings.1 minute, 32 seconds
Um some I will say some, but it really has like they've abandoned everything that made them popular. Um right up1 minute, 41 seconds
through 2019's Berserker. um from everything from 2020 on has been like even their covers. They had cool Vikings1 minute, 49 seconds
with like arrows sticking out of them and blood covered axes to themselves in cosplay on the great heathen army and it1 minute, 58 seconds
just isn't working for the longtime fan and I've been a huge ammon fan. I've got flags of theirs and shirts of theirs and2 minutes, 7 seconds
hoodies of theirs and this just has gone too far to the mainstream. It's an absolute cash grab and it doesn't work.2 minutes, 16 seconds
Now again, uh, as I've said, and those who wish to feel free to chew me up for not not knowing a Monomarth, uh, really2 minutes, 24 seconds
at all. But so you shared this track with me today. I just gave it a first spin. And then you had me go back to2 minutes, 33 seconds
First Kill, which I think you said was from 2016.2 minutes, 36 seconds
So I listened to Yep. So, I listened to UPOP off first and then skipped back 10 years and2 minutes, 43 seconds
listened to First Kill. And objectively, what do I think of UPF? Because I don't know the band or certainly don't, you2 minutes, 50 seconds
know, I just don't know the band that well. When I listened to it, I thought, okay, all right, this is a vibe. This is uh I thought the contrast of the2 minutes, 59 seconds
guttural vocal style over the acoustic guitars. Uh, it's certainly a choice.3 minutes, 5 seconds
It's not the kind of thing that I'm really into, but okay. And then you had me spin first kill from again 10 years3 minutes, 11 seconds
ago. And I see what you're illustrating there, the difference between what they did a decade ago and what they're doing3 minutes, 20 seconds
now. Motivations. I, you know, hell, I'm in no position to speculate why, but uh it is a significant shift from one style3 minutes, 28 seconds
to something very, very different. Now you said 2020 everything since 2020 has kind of lost what they had 10 years ago.3 minutes, 38 seconds
Is that just I mean what do you know is there a reasoning behind the shift or or and they've had more commercial success?3 minutes, 45 seconds
Okay. So is this a matter because again I love to bring this up whether or not bands have the right to evolve. Is this3 minutes, 54 seconds
an evolution in style because they've changed who they are or you know who they've changed as people or are you4 minutes, 3 seconds
you seem pretty locked in on the notion that this is more commercially viable and therefore that's the path they're taking?4 minutes, 10 seconds
2013, Deceiver of the Gods came out. Um, and they had a lot of success with that record. And then from there, they did4 minutes, 19 seconds
John Spiking, which was also an incredible amount of success. And then Berserker in 2019.4 minutes, 26 seconds
At that point, they started being invited to headline a lot of and and play a lot of um festivals. I went and4 minutes, 34 seconds
saw them open for Slayer on Slayer's last tour and they were great. But I think what has happened here is they've4 minutes, 43 seconds
started uh changing their identity and they're writing music like Put Your Back uh into the ore. I forget I forget the4 minutes, 52 seconds
exact name of it. Um it's on the great heathen army. Let me get this right. Um okay. Yeah, with put your back into the ore.4 minutes, 59 seconds
you know, that was playing at the FIFA World Cup this year and and everybody in the stands is doing the Ore thing. And5 minutes, 6 seconds
so, they've had a ton of success with their music. But the problem is is that the tracks that they put out, The Great Heathen Army, some of the tracks around5 minutes, 14 seconds
it are all about filling stadiums and getting fist pumped. And the production's gotten really, really,5 minutes, 21 seconds
really pristine. Um, it's not as heavy as it used to be. It's more about a Viking shtick versus Viking culture and5 minutes, 30 seconds
Viking lore. And they've lost me as a fan. I I literally cannot get behind5 minutes, 37 seconds
this. And it should have it told me everything when I looked at the last album when they were all dressed up.5 minutes, 43 seconds
They were on the cover. Not Vikings, not cool Vikings that you put on t-shirts.5 minutes, 49 seconds
um not storytelling of Viking lore, but these anthems on the great heathen army and it just doesn't work. Like get in5 minutes, 58 seconds
the ring, it's all about the octagon and ultimate fighting. It it is that that was and it getting in it's it's about6 minutes, 6 seconds
the the ultimate fighting and they lost pugilism. Sure. They they lost me on that record.6 minutes, 11 seconds
I'm I'm if I could play the violin, I would I would play a funeral song for Aman. And for me, I am done. I'm not6 minutes, 19 seconds
going to see them on tour. Um, I will listen to the next record and hope that this acoustic, what's it called? Off.6 minutes, 29 seconds
Up. Yeah. I believe I'm pronouncing that right. Yeah.6 minutes, 32 seconds
Well, I'll I'll hope that that's just a a filler and that maybe they'll get back to their roots and maybe they'll put a cool Viking that's bleeding and killing6 minutes, 41 seconds
back on the cover or like Deceiver of the Gods. look at that album cover and tell me that's not an album cover you an album you want to pick up when you're in6 minutes, 49 seconds
the store you know is I just want to see sorry is UP off a leadin single to a new6 minutes, 56 seconds
album do you know I'm I'm looking it up now I think so they let up with a couple um a couple releases leading into the great7 minutes, 4 seconds
heathen army in 2022 um and I didn't like any of the the the uh heatun was one of them um didn't didn't love it and Um, yeah.7 minutes, 15 seconds
That that album I I listened to it once and I was like, I don't even want to bring it up, you know, like again. So, I I forgot about it. Said, "Okay, we'll7 minutes, 24 seconds
we'll we'll look at the next record and this is not looking good." Well, I just asked the internet and as we know, the internet is never wrong.7 minutes, 32 seconds
But according to the internet, uh, Amanarth does have their 13th studio album uh, expected to drop by the end of this year, 2026.7 minutes, 42 seconds
While the album doesn't have an official title or exact release date locked in yet, the band is actively teasing the next era. In fact, right along UPF,7 minutes, 51 seconds
their first ever acoustic track, they've live premiered a thunderous new song called We Rule the Waves. frontman Johan8 minutes
Heg, hope I'm getting that right, has mentioned that the upcoming record will feature some of their most diverse work yet, drawing a bit of classic melodic8 minutes, 8 seconds
inspiration from bands like Iron Maiden while keeping the heavy mythic Viking themes intact. So hopefully you will be8 minutes, 16 seconds
less disappointed with the rest of the offerings on this album whenever it does come out. Listen, I am a fan of Johan. I think he's got a unique voice. Um, I8 minutes, 25 seconds
think he's limited. Let's be honest. I mean, this track, his vocals to me don't fit over an acoustic track at all. I8 minutes, 32 seconds
would have liked to heard him sing something clean. What do I know? That said, um I Derek, let's hear your album.8 minutes, 42 seconds
Yeah, exactly. Well, you and I have some stuff recorded and we're not ever letting that out. Nope. Never going out.8 minutes, 49 seconds
Never going out. But that being said, it's it's just again, I'm a longtime fan. And I go back to Twilight of the8 minutes, 57 seconds
Thunder God in 2008. [clears throat] That's when I got introduced to them.9 minutes, 1 second
That's when they kind of took this step up from being just a death metal band to being a little bit more thrashy, more storytelling. And look, if they want to9 minutes, 9 seconds
evolve into a band that headlines festivals and gets everybody pumping their fists and and drinking beer, then9 minutes, 16 seconds
so be it. I'm just not along for the ride. It's disappointing to me because they had such a cool sound and a cool thing going on and it's not cool9 minutes, 25 seconds
anymore. It's a stickick. It's a It's cheesy.9 minutes, 28 seconds
Well, that's the thing and we always land at this point and that is that bands do have the right to evolve and change their sound as they release9 minutes, 36 seconds
albums, but they do so at the risk of alienating uh part of the fan base.9 minutes, 43 seconds
some, if not the majority or the minority or whatever, some of their fan base may disappear. And this seems to be the case for you.9 minutes, 51 seconds
Yeah. I'm out. I'm done. I I I used to, if they came to wherever I was, I went and that is no longer the case. And I10 minutes
have my platform, which is our small little cut of the world, and I'm going to say my piece here, and if they see it, great. And they'll probably say, "Well, [ __ ] him. See you. Goodbye.10 minutes, 11 seconds
Thanks. thanks for spending a lot of money with us in the past, but you know, it is what it is and life goes on.10 minutes, 17 seconds
When the album comes out later this year, ostensibly, we will give it a spin and in the ensuing months, uh, in my not10 minutes, 26 seconds
necessarily copious free time. I will try and learn some of their back catalog so I can speak a little bit more intelligently about the band. I would10 minutes, 33 seconds
start with Twilight of the Thunder Gods, move on to The Deceiver of the Gods, then John's10 minutes, 40 seconds
Viking and Berserker. Those are the High Watermark albums. Anything before that was, you know, more of a death metal10 minutes, 47 seconds
feel, and anything after that has been not your favorite. [music] Not my favorite. [laughter]10 minutes, 55 seconds
All right, done. We have a mission [music] between now and whenever that record comes out, then.11 minutes, 1 second
All right, sounds good. All right, sounds good. Appreciate you bringing it to me, man. Always good to talk about [ __ ] whether whether I love it or you love it or one of us doesn't. It's life.11 minutes, 12 seconds
Let's get Johan on. Let's chat with him about it. Okay. All right. Sounds good. Until the next one, brother.11 minutes, 19 seconds
[music]
