Amon Amarth in Huntington, NY – February 5, 2014

Amon Amarth is currently touring in support of their new album, Deceiver of the Gods, with Enslaved and Skeletonwitch joining them as support acts.

Even though this is the New England Music Blog, occasionally in life you’ll find yourself traveling to see a show elsewhere. Maybe you’re working the night the show is in town, or it sold out before you got tickets, or maybe the band skipped your city all together! Luckily, Long Island has its first decent venue in years and isn’t too far away to make the trip for the right band. Is Amon Amarth the right band? I certainly hope so.

Skeletonwitch

 

Skeletonwitch is a band to see live, they’re a great time and always deliver. The terrible weather on Long Island kept a lot of people from showing up to this show but Skeletonwitch warmed the crowd up right away. They’re touring for their fifth studio album, Serpents Unleashed, which dropped last October.

Enslaved

 

For some reason or another, I’ve always managed to miss Enslaved when they’re in the area–I thought I was cursed! The room was buzzing when they came out–even though the venue was still somewhat empty there was a real cult energy coming from the crowd. Seeing them finally was so exhilarating and rewarding. I found myself drawn into the fascinating, hypnotic quality to their music and loving every minute of it.

Amon Amarth

This was my 10th time seeing Amon Amarth! The thing I love most about Amon Amarth shows, and what keeps me coming back, is that this a band that thrives on stage. They just nail it every time. The first time I saw them, back in 2007, I just “sorta” liked them, was getting into them, was curious about them. The live show blew my mind so hard that they quickly became my favorite and I never looked back.

They’ve been around since 1992 and when you see them live it makes sense why they’ve been around so long–you can sense plainly that they enjoy themselves on stage. Their music is heavy but it isn’t too serious and it makes their shows total parties. The band jokes around with each other on stage, vocalist Johan Hegg cracks jokes between songs, and it’s clear to everyone that they’re appreciative of every moment.

Setlist
Father of the Wolf
Deceiver of the Gods
Death in Fire
Live for the Kill
As Loke Falls
We Shall Destroy
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
—–
Twilight of the Thunder God
The Pursuit of Vikings

The type of performance that Amon Amarth delivers is one that creates an easy exchange of energy between the band and the crowd. Both feed off each other in a way that only happens at the most amazing shows, and all ten Amon Amarth shows I’ve been to have been this way. Every metalhead owes it to his or herself to have this experience!