AMON AMARTH's JOHAN HEGG: 'We Never Really Write Music That We Don't Feel Is Gonna End Up On The Album'

In a new interview with Thomas Moser of Germany's Rock Antenne, AMON AMARTH vocalist Johan Hegg spoke about the band's upcoming album "The Allfather Awakens", which will arrive on October 2 via Metal Blade Records. Asked if he still gets nervous when it's time to release new music to the record-buying public, Johan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Both yes and no, I think, unfortunately, is the answer to that, because if it was up to me, the minute we close the door to the studio, I would like to release the songs to the audience. 'Cause I think waiting for it, it's almost painful, 'cause you have these things, you have this album that you feel so good about and you wanna share it with your fans. So you're very anxious to get it out there, and you're excited. But in a way also, yeah, obviously there's an element of nervousness because, obviously, I know what I feel about these songs, but will it go across to the audience? Will they feel the same way? Will they think it's as great as I do?"

Johan continued: "At least from my perspective, when you work on music or songs or an album, it's just us five [members of the band]. It's just five people. We write the music we wanna hear, but we have no idea what other people like. We're in our little box working. So what we do try to do is when we have songs recorded, we try to get friends and family to listen to them, to get some feedback. But, yeah, it's difficult… We want the people to love the music. That's a no-brainer. But at the end of the day, I think the way I see it, anyways, is that as long as I'm happy with it, I have to be pleased no matter how people react to it. Obviously you want everybody to love it, but you know that's not gonna be the case — not everybody's gonna love all the songs. So it's just the way it is. Music is subjective. It is all about feelings and where you are as a person and who you are as a person. So, people are gonna have opinions. It's just the way it is."

After Moser noted that it seems like AMON AMARTH never has a problem coming up with an abundance of quality material, Johan said: "That's just so far from the truth. When it comes to the musical aspect, I think it's better obviously to talk to [AMON AMARTH guitarists] Olavi [Mikkonen] and Johan Söderberg because those are the guys who write the music. But from a band perspective, we never really write music that we don't feel is gonna end up on the album. So if there are 10 songs on the album, we wrote 10 songs, not 12, not 15. We wrote 10 songs. Having said that, actually, we recorded 11 songs for this album. There was one song where we felt that it has potential; it just didn't come out as good as we wanted it to. So we took it and we put it aside for now. And it's a first. It's never happened before."

As with previous records, Oden, the Norse "all father" who is a deity of war, wisdom, death, magic, and poetry, is the through-line in AMON AMARTH's lyrics and artwork. Once again, Oden is the band's inspiration, but "The Allfather Awakens" is not a concept album, rather a collection of historically inspired epic tales of conflict and sacrifice for a greater good.

Danish producer Jacob Hansen helmed "The Allfather Awakens", the band's 13th album since 1998's "Once Sent From The Golden Hall". The LP came to life across two recording sessions, months apart, at 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.

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. "The Allfather Awakens" cover art is a powerful portrait of Oden by Tom Thiel, who created seven of the quintet's album covers.

From AMON AMARTH's 1992 formation in Tumba, Sweden, to the worldwide fame they've found in the ensuing years, their lyrical, live and recorded musical legacy speaks for itself. Over the past few years the band have performed globally and alongside legendary acts such as SLAYER, IRON MAIDEN, SLIPKNOT and PANTERA, in addition to monumental takeovers of Los Angeles's The Forum and Denver's historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, to name a few. Across seas, AMON AMARTH have headlined multiple major rock and metal fests including an epic performance at Germany's Wacken Open Air in 2024 for 85,000. Elsewhere on European soil, the Viking lords have twice headlined the U.K.'s storied Bloodstock Open Air festival, made four appearances at Download (2008 - 2019),and performed at Summer Breeze eight times (2003 - 2024),six of them as headliner.

Their rapidly increasing sales and touring numbers, plus pre-release buzz to AMON AMARTH's 2026 North American tour with DETHKLOK and CASTLE RAT, has managed to garner mainstream success without sacrificing either of their constantly evolving creativity or heaviness. Audience demographics run the gamut from pre-teens to 60-somethings, an inclusive metal experience for those who appreciate epic positivity and powerfully inspirational lyrics.

Their cultural influence cannot be overstated. To wit: The Row. The consensus is that the legendary "Viking row" by audience members first began during the 2009 AMON AMARTH set at Bloodstock. Fans get on the ground and, in unison, imitate rowing an invisible longship in a powerfully unifying experience. With the 2022 release of the single and video "Put Your Back Into The Oar", Hegg said, "we thought it was a good idea to write a song about The Row! This one is for you, the fans, wherever you are–and may Oden guide you as you row to your destiny in uncharted seas!"

Over the years the phenomenon has spread to other artists' concerts and global events including 2026 World Cup audiences — but thanks to video footage, it's safe to say AMON AMARTH audiences began the now-iconic trend.

"The Allfather Awakens" is yet another step up, introducing previously untried efforts, an impressive and conscious musical and lyrical feat after three decades of band-dom.

This autumn, "The Allfather Awakens" will take physical form on stage as the band unveils an entirely new production inspired by Oden's legendary Golden Hall, transforming their iconic concert experience into a living extension of the new album.