Runes to My Memory Melodic Death Groove — Jocke Wallgren (Amon Amarth) Drum Lick | MetalForge
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Learn the Runes to My Memory Melodic Death Groove drum lick by Jocke Wallgren of Amon Amarth. From Runes to My Memory (With Oden on Our Side (2006) — live staple of Wallgren's tenure). "Runes to My Memory" from Amon Amarth's 2006 album *With Oden on Our Side* is one of the band's most...
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1. Jocke Wallgren's Signature Licks — "Runes to My Memory" from Amon Amarth's 2006 album *With Oden on Our Side* is one of the band's most melodically rich tracks and a regular fixture in their live setlists — a song that requires the drummer to serve both the melodic sweep of the guitar work and the rhythmic power of the Viking metal aesthetic simultaneously. Jocke Wallgren, who joined Amon Amarth in 2016, has performed the song extensively across the band's global touring cycle, and his approach to its main groove — at approximately 148 BPM — demonstrates the groove-focused, anthemic style that characterises his contribution to the band's live sound. The song's main groove operates in a Gothenburg melodic death metal pocket that is distinct from the blast-beat intensity of pure death metal: the ride cymbal or hi-hat drives a steady eighth-note or sixteenth-note pulse that carries the song's melodic momentum, the snare hits with authority on beats two and four as a clear rhythmic anchor, and the kick pattern combines a driving downbeat figure with targeted double bass bursts that add density without overcomplicating the arrangement's melodic space. Wallgren's groove orientation is the defining characteristic of his performance: where a more technically oriented drummer might insert continuous double bass under the melodic riff passages, Wallgren selects his double bass placements to support the riff's rhythmic accent points specifically, creating a kick pattern that converses with the guitar's dynamics rather than competing with it. The pre-chorus sections introduce increasing double bass density that builds energy heading into the chorus, where Wallgren opens the pattern to a broader, anthem-supporting feel — the ride opens up, the snare carries more weight, and the overall arrangement gains the scale that matches Amon Amarth's typically large-stage presentation. The song also features bridge sections where the tempo and feel shift, demonstrating Wallgren's ability to transition between different rhythmic contexts within the same song without losing the overall momentum arc. His live performances of "Runes to My Memory" reveal a drummer who combines physical power with compositional awareness: he hits hard and consistently, but the choices about where to hit and where not to are deliberate and serve the song's narrative structure. For drummers, "Runes to My Memory" is an excellent entry point into melodic death metal groove playing: it develops the ride/hi-hat pulse technique that underpins the Gothenburg sound, the targeted double bass placement that serves melodic arrangements, the snare authority that anchors an anthemic arrangement, and the dynamic range to move from verse restraint to chorus power within a continuous performance.2. Jocke Wallgren Profile — Drive the main groove with a steady eighth-note ride or hi-hat pulse that carries the melodic forward momentum without cluttering the guitar's harmonic space Place double bass bursts at the riff's rhythmic accent points specifically — select rather than blanket the groove with continuous kick density Increase double bass density in pre-chorus sections as a deliberate build toward the more expansive chorus arrangement Open the ride and increase snare authority for the chorus to match the song's anthemic scale shift from verse restraint to full power Navigate feel shifts in bridge sections cleanly — the overall momentum arc continues through these transitions even when the immediate rhythmic feel changes
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