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Deceiver of the Gods is full-length #9 from Sweden's Amon Amarth and, like its predecessors, it continues the band's obsession with all things Norse. Song titles like "As Loke Falls" and "Hel" leave little chance anyone will misunderstand what Amon Amarth like to sing about. Musically, this is Melodic Death Metal but it is more the kind that we Traditional Metal fans should eat up. I hear no keyboards, just fantastically melodic guitar riffs and bass lines. The vocals are a decipherable bellow and suit the music well. The style is less thrashy than Ex Deo while the vocals are more authentically Death than Rebellion, two bands whose recent works I would put Deceiver of the Gods somewhere between.

So there you have it; Death vocals singing about Norse mythology over Traditional Metal riffing. It certainly isn't groundbreaking but my foot was tapping and the air guitar was never far when Deceiver of the Gods was playing. Death Metal purists may or may not appreciate what Amon Amarth are doing, but Traditional fans looking to expand their horizons would do well to check this one out.