Amon Amarth/Entombed AD/Exmortus – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA 4/16
By: Leslie Elder Rogers
I came out tonight ready to partake in something slightly different than my norm and that’s just what I got. As the first band, Exmortus, a metal band from California, came to the stage, I was questioning what my thoughts would be about them but they quickly gained my complete attention. They’ve been around since 2002 and sadly I’d heard their name but never heard their music until tonight. My ears were excited as they played and though I didn’t know the songs at all, I was very interested in the content of the lyrics and their ability to get the crowd pumped right from the start. The crowd loved them and cheered brutishly throughout their entire performance. Clearly this band has what it takes and tonight they gained a new fan in me.
Entombed AD was up next, their stage lighting was mediocre but of course that doesn’t interfere with sound or ability. They are a death metal band from Stockholm, Sweden that have been actively playing together since 2014 when they formed. I had high hopes going into their set since Exmortus impressed me so much, but I was not quite able to find the appreciation for their sound that I was hoping for. With that said, it is not to condemn their music or style because they are obviously talented. It just seemed that the energy level that enthralls the crowd was absent during a large amount of their set.
Amon Amarth was the headliner and they were taking the stage next. The swedish, viking metal band formed in 1992 has only been getting stronger as years pass by. Their fan base has grown immensely over the years and these fans are die-hard, wear your viking gear, throw up your horns, fans. As we stood in front of the stage awaiting their entrance, the viking hat prop consumed the stage. It stared at us, begging for our attention. There was vast detail in this prop. Red lights lit through the eye holes as the anticipation of the fans grew. Smoke slowly began to rise from the inner core of the hat as purple, blue, and red hues engulfed the stage. The crowd became silent as they simply listened to the melodious prelude to the band’s on stage arrival. Quiet impatience filled the room and was painfully evident…and finally, as the smoke cleared, Amon Amarth was visible in the dark shadows. The stage lit up and the guitars and drums immediately created a fierce sound. The band in it’s entirety was swinging their heads with hair flying all over. The crowd cheered and yelled with excited voices as the song started forcefully. Hegg was in front of us pounding his fists against the air, front to back, as if fighting the very oxygen he was breathing. It was an intense sight. The colors, the stage lighting…it was brilliantly put together and quite possibly one of the best I’ve seen to date. This band clearly understood how to make an impression right from the start.
Their entire set was strong and powerful and every bit as entertaining as the stage suggested that they would be. Through multiple backdrop changes to reflect the different albums that have propelled them into popularity, they created a path that lead us from past to present beginning with “The Pursuit of Vikings” from their 2004 album, Fate of the Norms and then right into their 2013 album, Deceiver of the Gods with the song “As Loke Falls”, clearly a crowd pleasing favorite. Hegg begged for the Georgia vikings to show him what they’re made of. The passion of the crowd grew deeper and wilder at that request. Their musical content was full of authority. The vocals were strategically precise and the fans were screaming in an orgasmic fashion to every riff being strummed by Söderberg and Mikkonen, and every lyric and every thrust of Hegg fists in the air. Hegg triggered the fans contribution and their willingness to particicapte was overwhelming as they sung every song, every lyric, without missing a beat…except to fine tune their throats with a swig of beer in between. Horns were raised all night long as we heard “The Way of the Vikings”, “Deceiver of the Gods”, and “Cry of the Black Birds”. One could stand back and say that Amon Amarth has an intriguing fan base that, if you didn’t know any better, were from the viking era themselves. They created an ambience in the room that invigorated the band a forced them to play kouder and harder as each song progressed. The Viking-like, shield wielding warriors came on stage fighting fiercely with their swords during one song but appeared multiple times throughout the night. With swords and arrows they pointed furtively into the crowd as they slowly turned side to side and crept downward onto the stage as if sneaking up on their enemy before their impending doom is met. Hegg reminisced on stage about the last time they visited Georgia and the crowd cheered ferociously. They chanted and recited each song with robust energy showing their untainted appreciation
As “Thousand Years of Opression” and “Destroyer of the Universe” played, the crowd was mesmerized. Hegg introduced the fans to the new durmmer, Jocke Wallgren, which gained much applause throughout the venue as he had already proven to the crowd tonight that he could kick ass on drums. Hegg dedicated “One Thousand Burning Arrows” to a recently fallen armed forces member who he felt derseved a “big round’ of applause”. Hegg begged for screams as he went into the “Father of the Wolf”, expressing that even though tomorrow is Sunday, who the fuck cares. The set concluded with “War of the Gods” and “Victorious March”…but that could not be the end, could it? As the crowd seemed to get somewhat somber and several faces began to leave the room, I had to begin the typical “stomp and clap” begging for an encore which I was certain we would not be denied. In this venue, with the hardwood floors and the extremely high ceiling, the sound echoed and people immediately jumped right in with me.
“Raise Your Horns” was the first song of the encore. It started with Hegg and the band having a drink on stage, raising the horns that had adorned their side all night, asking the entire crowd to raise their horns (or beer bottles, cups, as it may seem), to have a drink with them. Clearly the love and appreciation between the band and their fans is mutual. The encore included “Guardians of Asgaard” and finished with “Twilight of the Thunder God”. As we all watched the Viking/Knights on stage with their apparel and gear right until the end, we knew the band had given us their absolute best tonight.
From beginning to end, vocalist, Johan Hegg, bassist, Ted Lundström, and guitarists, Johan Söderberg and Olavi Mikkonen, and new drummer, Jocke Wallgren, proved that they are amazing on stage and are well deserving of this massive crowd they drew here tonight. They put so much attention into the detail of their set and the pure enjoyment of the audience is obviously their primary concern. Though I knew who this band was and was familiar with their music, tonight was the first time I’ve ever watched them perform live. It was clear to me that they are a force to be reckoned with. Hegg’s voice is a masterpiece all on its’ own. His strength and power and receptive demeanor kept the crowd active participating throughout the night. I can’t express enough how entertaining Amon Amarth makes their concert experience.
Band website @ http://www.amonamarth.com/
Facebook @ http://facebook.com/officialamonamarth
Twitter @ http://twitter.com/amonamarthband
Instagram @ http://instagram.com/amonamarth
YouTube @ http://youtube.com/amonamarthofficial
By: Leslie Elder Rogers
I came out tonight ready to partake in something slightly different than my norm and that’s just what I got. As the first band, Exmortus, a metal band from California, came to the stage, I was questioning what my thoughts would be about them but they quickly gained my complete attention. They’ve been around since 2002 and sadly I’d heard their name but never heard their music until tonight. My ears were excited as they played and though I didn’t know the songs at all, I was very interested in the content of the lyrics and their ability to get the crowd pumped right from the start. The crowd loved them and cheered brutishly throughout their entire performance. Clearly this band has what it takes and tonight they gained a new fan in me.
Entombed AD was up next, their stage lighting was mediocre but of course that doesn’t interfere with sound or ability. They are a death metal band from Stockholm, Sweden that have been actively playing together since 2014 when they formed. I had high hopes going into their set since Exmortus impressed me so much, but I was not quite able to find the appreciation for their sound that I was hoping for. With that said, it is not to condemn their music or style because they are obviously talented. It just seemed that the energy level that enthralls the crowd was absent during a large amount of their set.
Amon Amarth was the headliner and they were taking the stage next. The swedish, viking metal band formed in 1992 has only been getting stronger as years pass by. Their fan base has grown immensely over the years and these fans are die-hard, wear your viking gear, throw up your horns, fans. As we stood in front of the stage awaiting their entrance, the viking hat prop consumed the stage. It stared at us, begging for our attention. There was vast detail in this prop. Red lights lit through the eye holes as the anticipation of the fans grew. Smoke slowly began to rise from the inner core of the hat as purple, blue, and red hues engulfed the stage. The crowd became silent as they simply listened to the melodious prelude to the band’s on stage arrival. Quiet impatience filled the room and was painfully evident…and finally, as the smoke cleared, Amon Amarth was visible in the dark shadows. The stage lit up and the guitars and drums immediately created a fierce sound. The band in it’s entirety was swinging their heads with hair flying all over. The crowd cheered and yelled with excited voices as the song started forcefully. Hegg was in front of us pounding his fists against the air, front to back, as if fighting the very oxygen he was breathing. It was an intense sight. The colors, the stage lighting…it was brilliantly put together and quite possibly one of the best I’ve seen to date. This band clearly understood how to make an impression right from the start.
Their entire set was strong and powerful and every bit as entertaining as the stage suggested that they would be. Through multiple backdrop changes to reflect the different albums that have propelled them into popularity, they created a path that lead us from past to present beginning with “The Pursuit of Vikings” from their 2004 album, Fate of the Norms and then right into their 2013 album, Deceiver of the Gods with the song “As Loke Falls”, clearly a crowd pleasing favorite. Hegg begged for the Georgia vikings to show him what they’re made of. The passion of the crowd grew deeper and wilder at that request. Their musical content was full of authority. The vocals were strategically precise and the fans were screaming in an orgasmic fashion to every riff being strummed by Söderberg and Mikkonen, and every lyric and every thrust of Hegg fists in the air. Hegg triggered the fans contribution and their willingness to particicapte was overwhelming as they sung every song, every lyric, without missing a beat…except to fine tune their throats with a swig of beer in between. Horns were raised all night long as we heard “The Way of the Vikings”, “Deceiver of the Gods”, and “Cry of the Black Birds”. One could stand back and say that Amon Amarth has an intriguing fan base that, if you didn’t know any better, were from the viking era themselves. They created an ambience in the room that invigorated the band a forced them to play kouder and harder as each song progressed. The Viking-like, shield wielding warriors came on stage fighting fiercely with their swords during one song but appeared multiple times throughout the night. With swords and arrows they pointed furtively into the crowd as they slowly turned side to side and crept downward onto the stage as if sneaking up on their enemy before their impending doom is met. Hegg reminisced on stage about the last time they visited Georgia and the crowd cheered ferociously. They chanted and recited each song with robust energy showing their untainted appreciation
As “Thousand Years of Opression” and “Destroyer of the Universe” played, the crowd was mesmerized. Hegg introduced the fans to the new durmmer, Jocke Wallgren, which gained much applause throughout the venue as he had already proven to the crowd tonight that he could kick ass on drums. Hegg dedicated “One Thousand Burning Arrows” to a recently fallen armed forces member who he felt derseved a “big round’ of applause”. Hegg begged for screams as he went into the “Father of the Wolf”, expressing that even though tomorrow is Sunday, who the fuck cares. The set concluded with “War of the Gods” and “Victorious March”…but that could not be the end, could it? As the crowd seemed to get somewhat somber and several faces began to leave the room, I had to begin the typical “stomp and clap” begging for an encore which I was certain we would not be denied. In this venue, with the hardwood floors and the extremely high ceiling, the sound echoed and people immediately jumped right in with me.
“Raise Your Horns” was the first song of the encore. It started with Hegg and the band having a drink on stage, raising the horns that had adorned their side all night, asking the entire crowd to raise their horns (or beer bottles, cups, as it may seem), to have a drink with them. Clearly the love and appreciation between the band and their fans is mutual. The encore included “Guardians of Asgaard” and finished with “Twilight of the Thunder God”. As we all watched the Viking/Knights on stage with their apparel and gear right until the end, we knew the band had given us their absolute best tonight.
From beginning to end, vocalist, Johan Hegg, bassist, Ted Lundström, and guitarists, Johan Söderberg and Olavi Mikkonen, and new drummer, Jocke Wallgren, proved that they are amazing on stage and are well deserving of this massive crowd they drew here tonight. They put so much attention into the detail of their set and the pure enjoyment of the audience is obviously their primary concern. Though I knew who this band was and was familiar with their music, tonight was the first time I’ve ever watched them perform live. It was clear to me that they are a force to be reckoned with. Hegg’s voice is a masterpiece all on its’ own. His strength and power and receptive demeanor kept the crowd active participating throughout the night. I can’t express enough how entertaining Amon Amarth makes their concert experience.
Band website @ http://www.amonamarth.com/
Facebook @ http://facebook.com/officialamonamarth
Twitter @ http://twitter.com/amonamarthband
Instagram @ http://instagram.com/amonamarth
YouTube @ http://youtube.com/amonamarthofficial
