After tooling around a number of years and seeing a number of members come and go, the band reached their pinnacle with their first full length for Metal Blade, '97's "Once Sent From The Golden Hall," a blazing portrait of fury, finesse and timely melodies -- it had it all and was among the elite of the extreme for that year. Following with a somewhat dormant seven song release the next year, "The Avenger," they pushed forth their interest in Viking mythology and twisted tales from the North on a record that was good enough, but could have been better on many fronts.

With "The Crusher," Amon Amarth's bombast rhythms and canonized grooves come bursting through the seams as if held in restraint in the time leading up -- and not that they ever really left the inglorious tradition they so willfully inspired earlier on, this one capitalizes greatly on their formidable strengths.

What sets Amon Amarth apart from the host of other Death Metal acts, particularly those from up North? Damned if I know, it just sounds good. But only moments in, its easy to hear all parts functioning above and beyond minimal expectation -- the masters of the riff, this fast-paced whip rush skims you, the listener across the icy surface before embedding you into the frozen ground while the earth crumbles around you. As the moments of your pathetic life come withering by, your one wish is to witness "The Fall Through Ginnungagap." Well, maybe not really, but it sounded good.

Ever the convicted writers, the theme here again follows their traditional pattern of the mighty warrior and the darker side of death and perhaps a slight tie in with reality in certain instances -- see "Bastards of a Dying Breed," "A Fury Divine."

"The Crusher," self-produced and mixed by the one and only Peter Tagtren, is an exquisitely savage piece of work -- consistently ballistic and brutal while maliciously melodic at the right moments. Amon Amarth once again trudge onward down that golden path with their sights set on the mighty kingdom they'll soon rightfully possess. And the meek shall inherit nothing.