Legendary Swedish viking metal band Amon Amarth has just released its tenth album via Metal Blade Records. The disc is called Jomsviking and it is the band’s first concept album.

Jomsviking is already being hailed as the band’s strongest effort in years. The first official single from the album is the opening track “First Kill” and it is our Massive Metal Monday selection for this week.

Archgoat hails from Finland and has been active on and off since 1989. However, due to a dispute with their original record company, they went on a hiatus from 1993 to 2006. The band’s debut album, Whore of Bethlehem, was finally released in 2006. To date, Archgoat has only managed to release three full-length albums, but each one has taken its place among the favorites of many black metal fans and critics alike.

Today’s Black Metal Friday selection is the title track from Archgoat’s second album, 2009’s The Light Devouring Darkness. Horns up for Finland’s finest.

Exumer is an old-school thrash metal unit from Wiesbaden in Germany. They were active from 1985-1991 during which time they released two highly influential albums. The band would break up and remain inactive until reforming for a one-off performance at the 2001 staging of The Wacken Open Air Festival in their native land.

In 2012, Exumer resurfaced with their first studio album in 25 years, the highly impressive return to form Fire & Damnation. Now, four years later, the band has delivered their excellent fourth album The Raging Tides. The record was released on January 29, 2016 via Metal Blade Records. If you’re a fan of classic thrash like early Slayer and Anthrax, be sure not to miss this record… it kicks some serious ass!

This week’s Massive Metal Monday spotlight song is from The Raging Tides and is called “Catatonic.” Check out the official video right here below. Crank it up and get your mosh on!

Convulse hails from the town of Nokia in Finland and originally went by the moniker of S.D.S. They are widely considered to be the forefathers of death metal in their native land. The band was initially active from 1988 to 1994, in which time they released two hugely influential albums. They would sit out 18 years before resurfacing in 2012 and have since released two more critically acclaimed albums in a more progressive death metal style. Their latest album was released March 18, 2016 and is titled Cycle of Revenge.

This week’s Massive Metal Monday track is the second song on Cycle of Revenge. This is “God Is You.” Crank it up and enjoy!

Those of you who saw my Massive Metal Monday column for this week may recognize that I’m on a bit of a Glen Benton kick this week. From 2003-2007, the Deicide frontman served double duty as the singer of fellow Florida band Vital Remains. The unholy union would yield two albums worth of some of the most brutal death metal ever recorded — 2003’s Dechristianize and 2007’s Icons of Evil.