Content warning: Graphic References / Adult Content
On Friday May 24th the Norwegian death metal band Amon Amarth brought their unique brand of Viking metal to Las Vegas for the final date of their Metal Crushes All Tour. Among Amarth brought with them a skull-rattling line up of some true death metal badasses. In direct support of Amon Amarth was the legendary Cannibal Corpse, and hitting the stage before them were the heavy metal veterans Obituary. Opening the show were the up and coming Frozen Soul. This Texas metal band is a brutal combination of heavy down tempo, old school trash metal, and filthy epic guitar solos. Vocalist Chad Green brings out a relentless barrage of low, throaty vocals, while the rest of the band drives home the power behind the words. Like a colossal slow moving glacier, crushing everything in its path, and reshaping the landscape over which it glides, Frozen Soul lived up to their name by dominating the stage with their presence. This band was founded by individuals who love epic fantasy, and lore. It is evident in their lyrics and I think they made for a great opener for a band like Amon Amarth. Frozen Soul played some of their most popular songs like “Arsenal of War” and “Crypt of Ice”. I cannot deny that they got this crowd nice and ready for the next band to hit the stage.
Obituary is one of those bands that everyone in the metal scene has (or at least should have) at least heard of. This band has a legacy of brutality dating all the way back to their very first album which was released in 1989. Obituary came out and opened their set with the instrumental jammer “Redneck Stomp”. This slow but heavy banger set the stage for what was to come. After this they jumped into their song “Barely Alive” which is off their latest album Dying of Everything that was released in 2023z this track has all of the energy of 80’s and 90’s thrash metal with modern themes. I love that over the years these death metal pioneers have done so much to not only shape the way metal as a whole has progressed but they have remained true to their sound. They played an action packed 7-song set that got every one in that crowd moving. One thing I love about seeing bands like Obituary is the reminder that metal is one of the only scenes in the music industry that doesn’t have to struggle to maintain relevance. This style of thrashy old school metal is still just as relevant and appealing to the metal community as it was when it was created. Obituary closed out their set with the title track off their newest album, and left this crowd literally asking for more.
Up next was a band I’ve been wanting to see live for years. Cannibal Corpse has just as great of a legacy as Obituary, and just as long. I think Cannibal Corpse garnered more attention in the metal community over the years for their lyrics which tend to inspire shock and awe even among seasoned metal heads. If you know metal heads, we love this kind of shit. The filthier and more depraved the lyrics, the harder we go! I would like to take a moment to speak on the dichotomy between the metal “image” and the metalhead. While the music we love is wild, the lyrics we love and crazy and borderline psychotic, and everything about us screams “evil”…we are far from it. Vocalist George Corpsegrinder is one of the kindest individuals in the metal scene. He is a family man that put his children before everything else. He is one of the people I aspire to be like in my own personal life. Metalheads are the definition of “don’t judge a book by its cover “. Anyway, onto the show!
Cannibal Corpse opened up their set with “Scourge of Iron”, a song that comes out of the gate fucking swinging and slows down to a brutally heavy head bangers wet dream. Corpsegrinder came out in his famous “Respect the Neck” shirt ( a reference to his abnormally thick neck gained from powerlifting as a kid and an intense three decade head banging career). They got the mosh pit going absolutely nuts and I think they had the most crow surfers of the night by far. They played a bangin set of 9 songs. Including “Hammer Smashed Face” and the ever present “I Cum Blood”….I mean…is it really a Cannibal Corpse show without a song about “shooting blood from your cock”!? Of course it’s not! The crowd went absolutely nuts for CC and moshed every single moment they were on stage.
Finally, the night had reached its climax. A curtain was raised and there were two Ansuz runes (the rune the represents Odin) projected upon it. Before the curtain drops I’d like to take a moment to talk about Amon Amarth. This band has is yet another pioneer within the death metal field, but not in the way the previous bands are. This band is responsible for spearheading an entire genre of music. While the earliest form of Viking Metal can be accredited to the band Bathory, I honestly believe that Amon Amarth can absolutely take credit for bringing the genre out of obscurity and into the forefront of death metal sub genres. The amount of attention this band has garnered over the years has been impressive to say the least. One thing I truly love about this band is that they give people who practice Norse Paganism (like myself) a phenomenal and unique way to connect with their spiritual beliefs. All of their songs are based on norse pagan mythology and Viking sagas. When I listen to their music I am swept away to a distant land, far from memory, where my ancestors live and fight alongside the god’s themselves. They are so unique, I could go on for days but it would be best if you just listened to them yourself.
The first notes of “The Pursuit of Vikings” rang out and the curtain was dropped to reveal the band placed in front of an amazing stage set up. The drum riser was a Viking helm, with two massive horns and two LED screens in the eyes that changed colors and played visuals that matched the songs. The helm was flanked by two massive statues of Viking warriors. A small set of stairs ran up either side of the drum riser and ended at raised platforms in front of each large statue.
Johan Hegg was nothing short of a a powerhouse. This man is quite literally a beast standing at about 6’ 6”. He ran around that stage while performing, his vocals never once wavering in any way. At times it felt like he didn’t even have to put any effort into his vocals, it was a simple as speaking for him. The rest of the band was just as impressive. These songs carry heavy bouts of tremolo picking followed by intricate riffs that alternate between single string and chord progressions. As a guitar player, I can only imagine how strong their forearms must be.
The one thing that truly had me in awe during their set was that almost every song came with props, or a performance of some kind. Loki made an appearance during “Deceiver of the Gods” and “As Loke Falls”. Hegg at one point even kicks the trickster in the chest sending him sprawling across the stage. Before “Raise your Horns” each member of the band was provided with a large drinking horn (Hegg drinking goes being five times the size of the others) where they performed and on stage toast and then downed the contents of each horn. While other dates did have Pyrotechnics this venue did not allow them so the band had to make do with Co2 cannons which still made for some awesome visuals. There were Vikings who came out onstage to perform a battle scene, when “Put Your back into the Oar” played the entire crowd got on the floor and rowed together as one. I could go on for days and days about the production they put into this show…but that would ruin the show for you wouldn’t it?
Amon Amarth is an integral part of the metal scene. They not only make phenomenal music that will rattle your bones, but they bring an obscure culture and set of spiritual beliefs to light. I think having music that represents my ancestry and my spiritual beliefs is a pretty cool thing. Not only that but to see others enjoying that culture and showing genuine interest in it is just awesome. Their tour across the U.S. has ended but they are on their way to Europe to continue their Metal Crushes All tour. They will be back to the U.S. at some point, but hopefully we get another skull shattering album before they do! If you ever get a chance to catch Amon Amarth on one of their tours, please do! You definitely will not regret it.
