Amon Amarth’s Ted Lundström Talks The Allfather Awakens

Photo Credit: Sylwia Makris & Christian Martin Weiss

Swedish melodic death metal titans Amon Amarth are set to unleash their latest epic, The Allfather Awakens, this week on October 2 via Metal Blade Records.

Continuing the band’s long-running fascination with Norse mythology, The Allfather Awakens once again draws inspiration from Oden, the Norse all-father and deity of war, wisdom, death, magic and poetry. Rather than following a single concept, the album brings together a collection of historically inspired tales of conflict, sacrifice and the human struggle for a greater good, all driven by the spectacular riffs and unmistakable melodic power that have defined Amon Amarth for more than three decades.

The Everblack Podcast caught up with Ted Lundström from Amon Amarth to chat about The Allfather Awakens, the band’s unique two-session recording process and how songwriting has evolved after more than 30 years. Ted also delves into the influence of Norse mythology, the stripped-back acoustic track ‘Upphaf’, the band’s recent tour with Deathklok and Castle Rat, their epic new Odin-inspired live production and stage pyrotechnics, as well as the possibility of Amon Amarth returning to Australia in 2027.

Watch/listen to the interview here:

Amon Amarth took a new songwriting approach for The Allfather Awakens, the band’s 13th album since 1998’s Once Sent from the Golden Hall. The album came to life across two recording sessions, months apart, at producer Jacob Hansen’s studio in Denmark. Amon Amarth began writing songs while touring, rather than waiting until they were off the road. The first session was Spring 2025; the final recording was completed in March 2026. The writing and recording process allowed the musicians to intensely focus on each track, resulting in an album where each song was treated as a single. “We worked on one song at a time and made each song as good as possible,” says guitarist Olavi Mikkonen. “Then we recorded one song at a time until each track was totally finished–drums, guitars, and vocals.

Only then did we start on the next one.” Guitar-wise, Amon Amarth opted for a slightly less modern approach sonically, moving away from 5150 amps and back to Marshalls.

Music is written before lyrics, and often sets the tone for the words. The song that inspired the album title, “The Allfather Awakes,” was the last written for the album. With Oden as the titular “Allfather,” there is no shortage of historical influences heard across new songs like “Eight Legs of Thunder,” “Kvasir’s Blood” and “Die With a War Cry,” with the brutally beautiful lyrical rallying cry: “Facing destruction / Annihilation / Master your thoughts and mind.” The Allfather Awakens cover art is a powerful portrait of Oden by Tom Thiel, who created seven of the quintet’s album covers.

The Allfather Awakens sees its release October 2 via Metal Blade Records.

Pre-Save / Pre-Order The Allfather Awakens Here
https://lnk.to/TheAllfatherAwakens