Name: Amon Amarth

Genre: Metal

Formed: 1988

At the Webster Theatre: 04/25/2009

Origin: Sweeden

Website: amaonamarth.com

Myspace Page: /amonamarth

Full Artist Profile

Roughly six years ago I had the distinct pleasure of being one of about 50 people to see Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth open a metal dream tour which also featured the mighty Immortal opening for legendary Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford. But what the vast majority of that near sellout crowd missed by showing up late or standing outside smoking was possibly the best set of the night. These Vikings walked on stage, completely looking the part, and then pummeled everyone in sight as if we were some Saxon village they were looking to sack, all the while never speaking so much as a word between songs. Six years and a handful of well received and highly acclaimed albums later a lot has changed for this band. They are headliners now in every sense of the word.

Their stop this time at The Webster Theater was as lead ship in an armada that included Goatwhore, Lazarus AD and Skeletonwitch. Gone are the days of no crowd interaction in an effort to intimidate people into buying their records. Now we find a band that is happy in their role and revels in the crowd, attempting to break decibel records while screaming their lyrics. But what has not changed in that six years is how damn good the music actually is and how well the band pulls it off live. Needless to say I had huge expectations going into this show and I was not disappointed in the least. Scattered among the set that spanned their entire career were such crowd favorites as ‘Death In Fire’, ‘With Oden On Our Sides’, and ‘Fate of Norns’ as the technical proficiency at which they attack their craft was on display in full force. Unlike some metal bands who get fat and lazy on their successes, Amon Amarth seem to have thrived off of it and the roughly 700 other people in attendance would agree. Any metal fan that missed this chance to see the musical equivalent to a raging Viking horde needs to hand in their membership card straight away.

This time around I was ‘that guy’ who unfortunately showed up late and missed both sets by Lazarus AD and Skeletonwitch (sorry guys, see you next time around). What I didn’t miss was the opening set of New Orleans’ additions to the black metal community – Goatwhore. To say that Goatwhore brings their ‘A’ game every night is an understatement. Combining the ethos of early black metal bands like Bathory and Venom with a thrash aesthetic, Goatwhore have carved a nice little niche for themselves in the metal world. What has maintained their success and allowed them to open for bands like Amon Amarth are their blistering live performances. This night was no different as the band tore through selections spanning their entire back catalog, even treating the crowd to a handful of new songs off their forthcoming album due out in June of 2009.

All in all, despite the oppressive heat inside and the no re-entry policy that kept us all sweating this was one of the better shows I’ve taken in over the last few years. I’m truly hoping that I don’t have to wait another six years to see Amon Amarth again. But if I do I’m sure it will be well worth it.