Amon Amarth
Malmö Arena, Malmö - 2019
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
And so it was time for the main beast of this triple Swedish death tour - Amon Amarth!
The last time we saw them was at Copenhell about half a year earlier, and that had been rather enjoyable, so we figured, well, why not?
“Malmö, how’s it hanging? Are you ready for a real viking party?!”
- Johan Hegg (vocals)
That this was Amon Amarth’s tour, there could be no doubt. Hypocrisy and Arch Enemy had had backdrops, and a bit of shared stage decoration to work with, but now it was time to pull out the big guns - figuratively and literally we would soon see!
To set things of though, the stage was hidden behind that large curtain that Amon Amarth carries with them nowadays, an item that has gained in general popularity among bands over the last few years - woe to those who’d get to see something being set up!
We did get some entertainment for our wait though, as the classic Iron Maiden track Run To The Hills was played before the actual intro came on - and it was fairly well received.
After this, it was time for the classical Amon Amarth intro, during which the room lights went down, and other lights were directed at the curtain. As soon as the intro was over, the band had already entered the stage, and went straight into Raven’s Flight, at which start the curtain fell, and several flamethrowers let loose warming fire columns that were directed at an angle over the heads of the audience - this is how you make an impact people, take note!
Amon Amarth came with a well rehearsed show that gave little space for improvisation. One reason for this was of course the extensive pyroshow they had with them, both on stage and off it. One false step would result in instant barbeque!
Another was the setlist, which consisted of a lot of material from the Berserker album, not surprisingly, and apart from that, mostly live classics that we’ve heard time and again. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good songs, and a delight to hear, but Amon Amarth has several other good songs that would likewise be a delight to hear, and I for one wouldn’t be sad if they shook the bag before our next encounter. (well, ok, our next encounter was scheduled for the very next day, but after that - you get my meaning)
And is it just me, or are the musicians getting a bit too comfortable in their roles? I mean, Hegg is still a powerhouse of a frontman, and even though we more or less know the tricks by heart at this time, he’s still present and engaging. My problem comes more with the rest of the band, or parts of it. It’s hard to speak out against Joakim ‘Jocke’ Wallgren, as he was naturally tied to his spot, but I thought that both Ted Lundström and Johan Södergren have done much better in the past. It wasn’t that they weren’t active, but it felt like they were just going through the moves, and they never moved across the edge of the stage, figuratively speaking.
Olavi Mikkonen was a different deal entirely. He’s consistently grown as a performer, and this night he was as present and on point as Hegg. He was often seen smiling, and absolutely seemed like he was having fun playing for us.
The seeming lack of interest coming from parts of the band wasn’t altogether unjustified however. The crowd had undoubtedly grown, but the arena was still far from filled, and even though there was more action going on, again it was far from satisfactory for a show of this caliber. The highlight of the evening was a good group of people sitting down in a rowing line for Prediction Of Warfare, and the jumping session instigated for Crack The Sky. As one full-blooded, and one half Dane present, it was also rather funny to hear Hegg nudging the crowd on to give it their fullest with the The Pursuit Of Vikings sing-along, in order to out shout the Danes he would meet the next day (spoiler alert: the Danes blew the Swedes out of the water!)
All in all, this was a good Amon Amarth concert. Not one to go down in the history books, but the band did a good job, and I feel that what was really lacking here, was a more committed crowd - and that went for all bands playing this evening.
Setlist:
Run To The Hills (Iron Maiden song)
Intro
Raven’s Flight
Runes To My Memory
Death In Fire
Deceiver Of The Gods
First Kill
Fafner’s Gold
Crack The Sky
The Way Of Vikings
Prediction Of Warfare
Shield Wall
Guardians Of Asgaard
Raise Your Horns
The Pursuit Of Vikings
Twilight Of The Thunder God
The last time we saw them was at Copenhell about half a year earlier, and that had been rather enjoyable, so we figured, well, why not?
“Malmö, how’s it hanging? Are you ready for a real viking party?!”
- Johan Hegg (vocals)
That this was Amon Amarth’s tour, there could be no doubt. Hypocrisy and Arch Enemy had had backdrops, and a bit of shared stage decoration to work with, but now it was time to pull out the big guns - figuratively and literally we would soon see!
To set things of though, the stage was hidden behind that large curtain that Amon Amarth carries with them nowadays, an item that has gained in general popularity among bands over the last few years - woe to those who’d get to see something being set up!
We did get some entertainment for our wait though, as the classic Iron Maiden track Run To The Hills was played before the actual intro came on - and it was fairly well received.
After this, it was time for the classical Amon Amarth intro, during which the room lights went down, and other lights were directed at the curtain. As soon as the intro was over, the band had already entered the stage, and went straight into Raven’s Flight, at which start the curtain fell, and several flamethrowers let loose warming fire columns that were directed at an angle over the heads of the audience - this is how you make an impact people, take note!
Amon Amarth came with a well rehearsed show that gave little space for improvisation. One reason for this was of course the extensive pyroshow they had with them, both on stage and off it. One false step would result in instant barbeque!
Another was the setlist, which consisted of a lot of material from the Berserker album, not surprisingly, and apart from that, mostly live classics that we’ve heard time and again. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good songs, and a delight to hear, but Amon Amarth has several other good songs that would likewise be a delight to hear, and I for one wouldn’t be sad if they shook the bag before our next encounter. (well, ok, our next encounter was scheduled for the very next day, but after that - you get my meaning)
And is it just me, or are the musicians getting a bit too comfortable in their roles? I mean, Hegg is still a powerhouse of a frontman, and even though we more or less know the tricks by heart at this time, he’s still present and engaging. My problem comes more with the rest of the band, or parts of it. It’s hard to speak out against Joakim ‘Jocke’ Wallgren, as he was naturally tied to his spot, but I thought that both Ted Lundström and Johan Södergren have done much better in the past. It wasn’t that they weren’t active, but it felt like they were just going through the moves, and they never moved across the edge of the stage, figuratively speaking.
Olavi Mikkonen was a different deal entirely. He’s consistently grown as a performer, and this night he was as present and on point as Hegg. He was often seen smiling, and absolutely seemed like he was having fun playing for us.
The seeming lack of interest coming from parts of the band wasn’t altogether unjustified however. The crowd had undoubtedly grown, but the arena was still far from filled, and even though there was more action going on, again it was far from satisfactory for a show of this caliber. The highlight of the evening was a good group of people sitting down in a rowing line for Prediction Of Warfare, and the jumping session instigated for Crack The Sky. As one full-blooded, and one half Dane present, it was also rather funny to hear Hegg nudging the crowd on to give it their fullest with the The Pursuit Of Vikings sing-along, in order to out shout the Danes he would meet the next day (spoiler alert: the Danes blew the Swedes out of the water!)
All in all, this was a good Amon Amarth concert. Not one to go down in the history books, but the band did a good job, and I feel that what was really lacking here, was a more committed crowd - and that went for all bands playing this evening.
Setlist:
Run To The Hills (Iron Maiden song)
Intro
Raven’s Flight
Runes To My Memory
Death In Fire
Deceiver Of The Gods
First Kill
Fafner’s Gold
Crack The Sky
The Way Of Vikings
Prediction Of Warfare
Shield Wall
Guardians Of Asgaard
Raise Your Horns
The Pursuit Of Vikings
Twilight Of The Thunder God
Amon Amarth
