RAISE YOUR HORNS
Amon Amarth are a band deep within a unique section of Metal at the moment. That slightly more 'out there' element to the Metal scene has always felt ever present, whether you're watching Ronnie James Dio conquering all in the Holy Diver video or watching an Alice Cooper live show, this blend of Metal and fantasy has always been sowed deep in the core of this scene. The theatrics took a darker turn in the nineties and at the turn of the Millennium for the more popular side of Metal, but then came along bands like Amon Amarth who were hell-bent on grasping that more extreme edge whilst also bringing back the 'fun' factor.
We're sitting up in the seats at The Roundhouse tonight with an absolutely perfect view of a stage show which included a huge Viking helmet which the drummer sat in, Viking soldiers in battle scenes and a huge sea monster which appeared to envelope the whole back of the stage at the end of the set. A sea creature which had some sense knocked back in to him by Johan's Thor hammer. Now those last few sentences haven't been deliberately placed to put you off Amon Amarth if you're not overly familiar with them, but in fact all of these elements alongside the absolute carnage of their music creates the kind of live show you really don't want to miss the next time they're in town.
The band released their new record Jomsviking earlier this year so set-list wise they naturally looked to showcase a lot of these tracks. The album itself was received very favourably, (including with us!), and the new tracks went down very well across the crowd. It was encouraging to see some of the biggest sing-alongs actually coming from a bunch of those songs.
As a unit live the band are incredibly tight. They've always been an impressive force on tour, but genuinely with each set they still seem to be getting better and better (probably why since the UK tour they've been announced as one of the three headliners at Bloodstock next year!). The trio of Raise Your Horn, Guardians Of Asgaard and Twilight Of The Thunder God at the end of the set rumbled out like an absolute earthquake of sound. The crowd below them move like a rough sea, so spectacularly fitting for this Viking machine.