The metal community in the Central Florida area is an amazing sight to see. They come out in droves to support the bands they love no matter how big or how small the venue. And the community is a circle where its friends upon friends who all know one another. It’s one of the reasons I love photographing and reviewing metal shows. Besides the energy and excitement the artists bring to the stage, it’s the opportunity to share those experiences with my friends. When the announcement was released that the Swedish death metal Vikings Amon Amarth would be on tour and coming to Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, I was elated! The last time I got to see them was at Chicago Open Air in 2017 and they were amazing. They were doing a U.S. tour for their new album The Great Heathen Army and I had no doubt this would be a must-see show.
When I arrived at the Hard Rock Live it was truly a packed house. Fans wearing their Amon Amarth t-shirts were in full swing, others wearing metal band shirts, and I even saw a couple dressed up as Vikings. And it was an early start time than normal shows with four artists on the bill that night. The venue was packed on the floor and in the balcony seats way before the show even started. The merchandise lines were running long. And you could feel the excitement and energy coming from the fans. It was going to be a great night.
The first band to the stage was Cattle Decapitation from San Diego, CA. The band started in 1996 and has released seven studio albums with their last one Death Atlas released in 2019. Their music has been known for songs on the mistreatment of animals, animal rights, and human impact on the environment. The band consists of Travis Ryan (vocals), Josh Elmore (lead guitar), Dave McGraw (drums), Belisario Dimuzio (rhythm guitar), and Olivier Pinard (bass).
If I had to describe them in a word it would be “intensity”. From Travis’ growling vocals to his screeching to Dave’s rapid-fire drumming to Josh’s guitar riffs the band’s energy is non-stop from the first note of a song to the last. It’s extremely impressive to see them maintain that intensity from start to finish as they command the stage whipping the fans into a frenzy. The mosh pits were moving fast, horns were up in the air, and the headbanging was non-stop. Though it was a short six-song setlist including “The Geocide” and “We Eat Our Young”, Cattle Decapitation kicked off the show exactly the way the fans needed. A great way to kick off the show. Check out their music and merch over at http://cattledecapitation.com/.
Next up was a local loved death metal band, Obituary. The band formed back in 1984 out of Tampa, FL. They grew to great success and decided in 1997 to hang it up. In 2003, they decided to reunite and have been active till the present day. Sadly, in 2015, their long-time bassist Frank Watkins passed away from cancer. The band released ten studio albums and will be releasing their eleventh album Dying of Everything on January 13, 2023. The band is John Tardy (vocals), Donald Tardy (drums), Trevor Peres (rhythm guitar), Terry Butler (bass), and Ken Andrews (lead guitar).
Obituary’s metal is the one that is in your face, blood-pumping, throw it all down in the pit. If you’re not moshing to Obituary, you may be dead. I immediately connected with their sound and their energy on stage. John’s vocals were perfect that evening and Ken was shredding his riffs with such alacrity and grace. Donald was ripping those drumheads to pieces and Trevor and Terry were having a blast on stage. Obituary even performed “The Wrong Time” the first single off Dying of Everything to give people a taste of some new music. The fans loved it. I loved the opening instrumental titled “Redneck Stomp” which definitely had the crowd pumped up. Great set from Obituary that night and I highly recommend seeing them whenever they come to your city. You can check out their music and merch at https://obituary.cc/.
Next up was the band from Liverpool, England known as Carcass. The band was formed in 1985 and released five studio albums before disbanding in 1996. The band reformed in 2007 before releasing their first album in 17 years titled Surgical Steel. The band’s most recent album Torn Arteries was released 2021. Carcass consists of Jeff Walker (vocals, bass), Bill Steer (guitar), Daniel Wilding (drums), and James “Nip” Blackford (guitar).
Carcass put on a great set that night with fast-paced metal. Jeff was having a great time on the stage singing to the crowd and engaging with them frequently. I really enjoyed him getting stylish with his bass playing, holding it up in the air as he played and sang. Bill and James harmonized well through their songs and Daniel’s drumming sounded fantastic. They performed an eleven track setlist including songs “Buried Dreams”, “This Mortal Coil”, and “Heartwork”. Sadly, Carcass did not allow any of the media to photograph their set that night. You can find their links to music and merch over at https://linktr.ee/carcass.
Finally, it was time for our headliners, the masters of melodic death metal, Amon Amarth! The band from Tumba, Sweden formed back in 1992 with their lyrics focusing on Viking mythology and take their name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom from J.R.R. Tolkein’s Middle Earth stories. Their debut album One Sent from the Golden Hall released in 1998. One of their most notable albums Twilight of the Thunder God from 2008 debuted at #10 on the Swedish music charts and made it to #50 on the Billboard 200. Amon Amarth likes to stay active with currently twelve studio albums and the most recent being The Great Heathen Army released on August 5, 2022. Amon Amarth is Johan Hegg (vocals), Olavi Mikkonen (lead guitar), Johan Söderberg (rhythm guitar), Ted Lundström (bass), and Jocke Wallgren (drums).
Three things about Amon Amarth that make their live performances stand out. First, their music is phenomenal. Their style of death metal or doom metal or melodic death metal, however you want to define it, is absolutely top-notch. Their songs are heavy, they’re energetic and want to get you moshing, horn-throwing, or headbanging. I always find them as perfect long-distance driving music. That evening their setlist was just incredibly well selected. From “Guardians of Asgaard” to “The Great Heathen Army” to “Shield Wall” the song selection kept fans rocking all night.
Second, their stage setup is always amazing. Normally, they tour with their massive Viking ship where they perform on it as it sits in the middle of the stage with the dragon headpiece on the front with red eyes and smoke coming out of the nose. This time, they had a massive Viking helmet as Jocke’s drumriser and it was fucking awesome! The eyes were video screens that changed during each song and it was a fine piece of craftsmanship. Besides that, there were two inflatable Viking statues that were massive, an inflatable snake that circled the whole stage, and the fog machine and lights completely added to the atmosphere. But, when you get someone come out to represent Loki during “Deceiver of the Gods” and two people dressed as Vikings literally swordfighting and shield bashing each other on stage during “The Way of the Vikings” you can’t help but get amped up for their shows.
Finally, Amon Amarth as performers are just incredible. Olavi and Johan perform with such passion on stage and at one point were literally facing each either guitar dueling. And with the bright lights on stage it was a beautiful sight. Ted joined them as the three played together before the crowd. Ted drops some great bass notes as they are heavy to give their music that death metal flare. Jocke is an excellent drummer as well. His notes thundered throughout the arena all night long. But their vocalist Johan (yes there are two Johans) is perfection for this band. His deep guttural voice and massive thunderous screams will run chills down your spine. And seeing him in his Viking garb with bracers on his forearms, horn at his side, and his long beard, gives no doubt in your mind he is a Viking.
One additional piece is I love how they engage with the crowd. Besides the normal pointing out a person, singing directly to a person or playing to a person, Amon Amarth goes out of their way to acknowledge the fans. Multiple times throughout the night Johan called out to the crowd asking if they were Vikings and then saying they are part of the family. He amped them up so many times. But, when they played “Put Your Back Into the Oar” and told the crowd to sit down and row, that crowd sat down and rowed! I didn’t get to see it from my side, but caught a video afterwards, the Orlando crowd provided one of the largest row pits I had ever seen. Johan looked amazed as did the rest of the band. Johan even stated it was the best row pit they ever saw on the tour. The best part was their tribute to the crowd all members drinking a beer from horns and the one Johan had was huge before they performed “Raise Your Horns”.
You can find their merch and music at https://www.amonamarth.com/. Their setlist from that night was:
- Guardians of Asgaard
- Raven’s Flight
- Deceiver of the Gods
- Oden Owns You All
- The Pursuit of Vikings
- The Great Heathen Army
- Find a Way or Make One
- Destroyer of the Universe
- Put Your Back Into the Oar
- Cry of the Black Birds
- The Way of Vikings
- First Kill
- Shield Wall
- Raise Your Horns
Encore:
- Twilight of the Thunder God
Overall, this was a fantastic night of metal music from all the bands. Amon Amarth truly outdid themselves with this tour and I absolutely will catch them the next time they return to Orlando.
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