Looking back 27 years ago, Sweden’s Amon Amarth were setting sail as underground Melodic Death Metal favorites. Releasing their debut album Once Sent from the Golden Hall in 1998, Amon Amarth quickly became known on the Metal scene for their melodic yet aggressive sound and lyrics heavily rooted in Norse mythology. Putting out subsequent fantastic albums like 1999’s The Avenger and 2001’s The Crusher, steadily through touring, the band began to gain attention worldwide, and by 2008’s Twilight of the Thunder God, Amon Amarth were ascending from underground favorites into the mainstream.
A breakthrough, Twilight of the Thunder God charted at number 50 on the US Billboard 200, while the band moved from playing smaller clubs to supporting Slayer at much larger venues. From this point on, growing each year, by 2013, they were one of four bands on the main stage of the Mayhem Festival, while Deceiver of the Gods became their highest-charting album ever in the US, reaching number 19. Inspiring to see how these Heavy Metal Vikings conquered the scene; they have sustained success with one album after another, leading into 2022’s The Great Heathen Army.
Now, over three years ago, in July 2025, they released the new single “We Rule The Waves,” with future sights set on releasing a new studio album in 2026. Determined to bring something exciting to audiences, there will also be two massive international tours in 2026, first in the spring, where they will co-headline with Dethklok, and then in the fall, where they will headline a European run.
A lot to look forward to, many are still clamoring over the impact of 2022’s The Great Heathen Army, dubbing it a robust set of songs that really capture the spirit of Amon Amarth. With all of this in mind, the saga of this album was expanded upon when, roughly four months later, the first-ever Amon Amarth graphic novel entitled Amon Amarth: The Great Heathen Army — Invasion was announced.
A very enticing proposition for fans, at the same time, they also announced The Great Heathen Army board game. Quite cool, both projects are in partnership with Z2 Comics, while Amon Amarth themselves were deeply involved with everything. At last arriving in July 2025, you can find the graphic novel in a standalone hardcover edition or as part of several bundles.
Explaining them, there is the deluxe edition, which offers you an oversized hardcover copy of the graphic novel with a slipcase, a collector’s coin, and five Amon Amarth prints. There is also the platinum bundle, which gives you the oversized hardcover with slipcase (signed by Amon Amarth), the five prints, the collector’s coin, an excellent oversized battle map, and the board game. Each very inviting option, if you so wish, you can also purchase the board game separately from it all.
All worth looking into, the graphic novel itself is a companion piece to The Great Heathen Army album, with stories and themes inspired by the lyrics. A 120-page book, it was written by Dan Watters (who has worked on titles such as Lucifer) in association with Johan Hegg and Amon Amarth to ensure it is faithful to the band’s vision.
Broken into four chapters, each follows a continued narrative set in a 9th-century Viking invasion of England. A story of survival, strength, and the costs of war, it is illuminated by stunning illustrations from Ario Murti (who has also worked on such series as Grimm Fairy Tales).
A very well-written, flowing narrative, it really brings the concept of The Great Heathen Army music to life. At the same time, it also makes you feel like you are moving through the storyboard of an episode of the History Channel’s Vikings series. Speaking of which, the foreword for the graphic novel is Adam “Edge” Copeland (a Hall of Fame wrestler who had the honor of portraying Kjetill Flatnose in Seasons 5 and 6 of Vikings). Excited to be part of this book, Edge expresses passionate love for Viking’s history and Amon Amarth’s music.
A solidly put together project, Amon Amarth and everyone else involved should be proud of. Hopefully, it will inspire a new graphic novel for the pending 2026 album. Waiting to see what might be, Cryptic Rock gives Amon Amarth: The Great Heathen Army — Invasion 5 out of 5 stars.
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