Amon Amarth (band)

Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth performing live at Tuska Open Air Metal Festival 2011 in Helsinki, Finland
Background information
Origin	Tumba, Sweden
Genres	Melodic death metal
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Metal Blade
Associated acts	Eternal Oath, This Ending, Roope Latvala
Website	www.amonamarth.com
Members	Olavi Mikkonen Johan Hegg Ted Lundström Johan Söderberg Jocke Wallgren
Past members	Anders Hansson Nico Kaukinen Martin Lopez Fredrik Andersson

Amon Amarth is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, formed in 1992. The band takes its name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom, a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien′s Middle-earth. Their lyrics mostly deal with Viking mythology and history, and so they have been associated with Viking metal. The band is composed of vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström and drummer Jocke Wallgren. Amon Amarth has released ten studio albums, one compilation album, one EP, one video album, and ten music videos. Its first studio album, Once Sent from the Golden Hall, debuted in 1998. Five more studio releases followed, before the band saw its breakthrough with the 2008 album Twilight of the Thunder God, which debuted at No. 10 on the Swedish album charts and No. 50 on the US Billboard 200. Three more albums, Surtur Rising, Deceiver of the Gods, and Jomsviking followed in 2011, 2013, and 2016, respectively.

The band emerged from the previous death metal band Scum, founded in 1988 by Paul "Themgoroth" Mäkitalo (Dark Funeral) on vocals, Olavi Mikkonen on guitar, Nico Mehra (aka Nico Kaukinen) on drums, Petri Tarvainen on bass and Vesa Meriläinen guitar.