Sold out shows are the best shows. My friend and I arrived at the venue, getting familiar with the layout. After settling in some seats waiting for the show to start, we took in the scenery listening to the sound guy play Slayer over the PA.
The lights finally went down, Skeletonwitch came on, and all hell broke loose. Anyone wasn't moshing was headbanging. Personally, I'm not a fan of his vocals but their live performance was tight and precise. Their setlist included a mix of old and new (Serpents Unleashed is out now) songs. I wasn't too familiar with their material but I'll definitely be giving them another listen.
The Horrifying Force (The Desire to Kill)
Serpents Unleashed
I Am of Death (Hell Has Arrived)
Sacrifice for the Slaughtergod
Beyond the Permafrost
From a Cloudless Sky
Crushed Beyond Dust
Beneath Dead Leaves
Within My Blood
Enslaved, a progressive black metal band from Norway, were up next to play. In the interest of complete transparency, I'd never heard of them before this show. Their brand of metal was a little slower than Skeletonwitch. The keyboard player (which didn't sound outta place for this genre, surprisingly) provided clean vocals while the lead vocalist kept the crowd's attention. Normally, I'm not a fan of black metal but they put on an entertaining show.
Death in the Eyes of Dawn
Ruun
Ethica Odini
RIITIIR
Allfaðr Oðinn
Isa
When the backdrop for Amon Amarth was revealed, the crowd cheered louder than ever. The Viking metal band from Sweden came out in full force, opening with their latest single, Father of The Wolf. While most bands release an album and maybe play two songs off of it, Amon Amarth played six new songs and a mix of their previous albums. The stage production was great, with the aforementioned backdrop being lit up with different colors thanks to their lighting guy who did a great job matching the tones of the songs, so to speak. Sadly, there was no viking ship like they had out on Mayhem Fest though. Don't miss this tour if it's coming to your city!
Father of the Wolf
Deceiver of the Gods
Death in Fire
Free Will Sacrifice
As Loke Falls
Coming of the Tide
Runes to My Memory
Varyags of Miklagaard
The Last Stand of Frej
Guardians of Asgaard
Shape Shifter
Warriors of the North
Destroyer of the Universe
Cry of the Black Birds
War of the Gods
Encore:
Twilight of the Thunder God
The Pursuit of Vikings
