Amon Amarth /

Amon Amarth is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, Sweden founded in 1992, and takes its name from the Sindarin translation of Mount Doom, a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Their lyrics mostly deal with the Vikings, their mythology and their history. The band comprises vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström and drummer Fredrik Andersson. Amon Amarth has released eight studio albums, one EP, one DVD, and seven music videos. Formed in 1988 as Scum by Paul "Themgoroth" Mäkitalo (Dark Funeral) on vocals, Olavi Mikkonen on guitar, Nico Mehra on drums and Vesa Meriläinen guitar, the band originally played grindcore based on "jagged riffs, dark atmospheres, untethered vitriol and copious amounts of mead". Scum made no impression upon the burgeoning Stockholm metal scene, but then Johan Hegg came in: it was his "imposing stature [and] [Thor]-like growl" that were beginning to shape the image and the sound of the band which now started to incorporate Viking-related themes. After a 1991 demo (credited to Scum) the band changed their name to Amon Amarth in 1992 and recorded their first demo Thor Arise (1993).