Few genres can supply grandiose displays of power as well as metal. Beefy guitars, bellowed vocals, and stoic expressions add up to something that's as often about the performers imposing dominance on the listener as it is creating another world. For those in the market for exhibitions of masculine control, what better model to follow than the Vikings? Amon Amarth knows the score on this one, pumping out melodic death metal steeped in Norse mythology and history and records with titles like Once Sent From the Golden Hall, Twilight of the Thunder God, and late March's Surtur Rising. Towering, well-bearded vocalist Johan Hegg implicitly adds to the band's credibility by resembling Thor without his mighty hammer. Plus, Amon's often tagged as Viking metal, a high-ranking member in the league of badass subgenre names, so there are clearly several benefits to this aesthetic.