LINKS:

Children of Bodom photo gallery

Amon Amarth photo gallery

Seeing Amon Amarth during a co-headlining tour was something I’ve had been waiting for since last year, when they were only allowed to play a mere 5-6 song set list during their tour supporting The Haunted. I remember how disappointed I was because of this, but a ray of hope came down when Johan said they’d be back with a vengeance. And so they were.

Let me tell you how pleasantly surprised I was to see Nokia Theater sold out on a night like this. Yes, Bodom are pretty big, but let’s remember that this is America and not Germany, and seeing around 3000 people coming to see two underground metal bands is pretty damn cool. There is hope for metal after all.

Amon Amarth did an amazing job, starting full-force with “Valhalla Awaits Me,” the starting track from their newest album, With Odin On Our Side, and didn’t look back afterwards. They are one of the most consistent bands I’ve ever seen live. You know exactly what to expect from their gigs…grandeur, strength and majestic pagan riffs that make you feel you’re on a Viking ship set sail to plunder. Time went flying by, but they did cover many of their best songs, such as “The Pursuit of Vikings” and “Death In Fire”, etc. “Runes to My Memory” was also killer. (In fact, by now everyone should own a copy of their new masterpiece.)

What else to say? Johan was his usual self, full of passion and grip. The gigantic beard is still there. His head is still spinning around throughout the whole show. What an amazing band! Metal doesn’t get more Viking than Amon Amarth.

Children of Bodom is a band that definitely doesn’t need an introduction, with Alexi’s guitar genius being known worldwide and earning them a great reputation. It felt so great seeing so many kids under 20 coming to see these guys, and what a spectacle they put on for them! They went through pretty much every album, highlights being “Sixpounder”, “Needled 24/7”, and “Angels Don’t Kill”. A special gift for their US fans was a couple of songs they never played here, like “Mask Of Sanity” or “Children Of Decadence”. Killer! The crowd was really going berserk during their show, way too many people crowd surfing, and at points a giant pit would form and then disappear.

Alexi is really amazing live. It's hard to think of too many front men that have this guy’s charisma. I never get tired of seeing him perform. He’s an inspiration for so many generations to come.
I would like to say something however…Alexi mentioned that they were really tired, after over one year of constant touring, and I kind of felt a little bit of a difference in the guitar solos. Last year at Irving Plaza they were really explosive and the lightshow was way more overwhelming, while Nokia’s was a little disappointing, especially during Amon Amarth’s set, (which by the way, I really hope they’ll headline next year.)

Nevertheless, this is definitely a tour worth seeing. These bands really deserve all the support they can get.