The Avenger (album)
The Avenger is the second studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Amon Amarth, released by Metal Blade Records and Sony Music on 2 September 1999. It was the first Amon Amarth album with guitarist Johan Söderberg and drummer Fredrik Andersson, Thus completing the line-up that remained up until 2015, following Andersson's departure from the band. It was also released as a digipak version, containing a bonus track "Thor Arise", a re-recording of the title track from their first demo, Thor Arise. The album was also released as an LP version. Later, Metal Blade Records re-released the album in 2005 on Picture LP, limited to 500 hand-counted copies. A deluxe edition was released in 2009 that featured the album remastered by Jens Bogren, and a bonus cd of the original album played live in its entirety in Bochum, Germany.
| The Avenger | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 September 1999 | |||
| Recorded | March 1999 | |||
| Studio | The Abyss | |||
| Genre | Melodic death metal | |||
| Length | 36:12 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade, Sony Music | |||
| Producer | Peter Tägtgren | |||
| Amon Amarth chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Quote and feud
Exact quote for the album, by the band:
Any references made to implicate that there are cover bands out there that really sucks [sic] found in this recording are purely intentional.
The quote was a result of a short-lived feud with heavy metal band HammerFall, and fears consumers and press alike viewed the album as unoriginal or a near-cover work of another band.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Johan Hegg
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bleed for Ancient Gods" | Olavi Mikkonen | 4:31 |
| 2. | "The Last with Pagan Blood" | Mikkonen | 5:39 |
| 3. | "North Sea Storm" | Mikkonen | 4:56 |
| 4. | "Avenger" | Mikkonen | 7:11 |
| 5. | "God, His Son and Holy Whore" |
| 4:00 |
| 6. | "Metalwrath" | Mikkonen | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Legend of a Banished Man" | Mikkonen | 6:05 |
| Total length: | 36:12 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Thor Arise" (re-recording from Thor Arise demo) | 5:07 |
| Total length: | 41:19 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bleed for Ancient Gods" (live in Bochum, Germany in 2008) | 4:29 |
| 2. | "The Last with Pagan Blood" (live in Bochum, Germany in 2008) | 5:00 |
| 3. | "North Sea Storm" (live in Bochum, Germany in 2008) | 5:12 |
| 4. | "Avenger" (live in Bochum, Germany in 2008) | 7:15 |
| 5. | "God, His Son and Holy Whore" (live in Bochum, Germany in 2008) | 4:09 |
| 6. | "Metalwrath" (live in Bochum, Germany in 2008) | 3:57 |
| 7. | "Legend of a Banished Man" (live in Bochum, Germany in 2008) | 6:03 |
| Total length: | 36:05 | |
Personnel
- Fredrik Andersson − drums
- Olavi Mikkonen − lead guitars
- Johan Hegg − vocals
- Johan Söderberg − rhythm guitars
- Ted Lundström − bass
- Engineered and mixed by Peter Tägtgren.
- Mastered at Cutting Room in Stockholm by Peter In De Betou, April 1999.
- Cover and layout by Thomas Everhard.