Words by Brennan Richie
The anticipation surrounding the day of this show was so intense that it felt like electricity in the air. Neither of us had ever heard the opening band, Castle Rat, and I was curious what they would be offering from the stage for the consumption of their many fans who showed up early to see them do whatever it is that they do, live.
Alas, inner city traffic demanded the toll of our precious time, and as a result, we both have still never heard them perform. We arrived at the venue, Boeing Center at Tech Port, just in time to see that the merch lines forming after Castle Rat had finished their set were as long as Jörmuungande, while at the same time, the remaining concert goers inside were already patiently waiting in groves at the stage, ready to witness all that is Amon Amarth. The crowd in the auditorium was as large and turbulent as the raging seas of Nordic conquest, and the sound check had not yet even begun. This was going to be one hell of a show.
The Boeing Center at Tech Port is a breathtaking specimen of state-of-the-art concert venues. From the multiple box offices manned outside, virtually eliminating lines, to the fact that tickets to the event were created and managed by the house itself, making obsolete the obnoxious fees and red tape of some ‘ticket mastering’ malevolent forces out there. It was obvious they took pride in what they did, and they did it well.
Surrounding the immense and immaculate venue (with the cleanest concert restrooms I have ever seen) were multiple bars and food sources; enough of them that I didn’t have to wait in a line once all evening. Also lining the perimeter of the place was a second-level wrap-around balcony that served as the VIP section. In addition to being a cash-free venue, Boeing Center at Tech Port is also free of any disgruntled guests, as they keep so much staff available to the masses for questions, directions, and the keeping of order, that virtually nothing could go wrong.
Finally, the moment came. The lights began to fade, and the raging sea of attendees began to roar. Softly, the sound of synthesized strings began to build into an intense crescendo, causing the audience to undulate with anticipation. The guitar riffs to “Raven’s Flight” hit hard as Amon Amarth assaulted their fans with the first song on their setlist of brutality, and the ride into battle began. In the same moment, the enormous black veil that masked the stage behind the opening band began to free-fall dramatically, revealing Amon Amarth as they performed amidst their intricate and overwhelming props.
Center stage, and most of the stage, belonged to Jocke Wallgren, as it was his monstrous drum set that adorned the top of an enormous horned Gjermundbu helmet like it was some sort of Nordic crown jewel. Smoke machine swirls unfurled through a bath of red lights like it was billowing from the depths of Helheim, while gigantic, statuesque, sword-toting and axe-bearing warriors guarded left and right stage with glowing eyes. Next to each of them was their miniature counterparts; men in full Norse battle regalia who served as the masculine AF version of cock-rock go-go girls, who, throughout the night, would brandish swords and shields, sometimes bows and arrows, and other times would be waving the flags of triumph.
What at first seemed like minimal multimedia accompaniment by comparison to the goliath projection screen behind them, displayed animated screensaver-esque visuals that accomplished the setting of appropriate moods for each song. At one point, some fan internet photos made it onto the screens, which I am sure won over the calloused hearts of all who might have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of their own ugly mugs projected larger than life for all the world to see. That is, if they weren’t too enthralled by the brilliant guitar playing of both Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, who played in perfect tandem, like the strings section of an orchestra, but altogether ugly in the most beautiful way. Johan Hegg belted out his best blistering vocals like he was commanding his own war hoard, while plumes of smoke now aligned with each band member’s stage mark, and alternating color schemes of house lighting illuminated each band member in his spot.
With a musk of body odor in the air that was almost as heavy and hard-hitting as the music itself, Amon Amarth began the song, “Put Your Back Into the Oar,” and the entire crowd began to mime rowing motions with such vigor that one might think they were in training to board a slave-ship themselves. Without warning, the gargantuan warriors on each side of the stage were stealthily replaced with the dragon-headed bows of two dreki ships, each with the same ominous eye-glow as their predecessors. The night continued with moment after moment of unmatched metal glory until the houselights came on and the band left the stage. A low rumble that could be felt more than heard began to build from the house speakers, as the all-encompassing backdrop of a media screen began to play the footage of crashing waves, signaling to the sea of fans that it was time to release the floodgates and chant for an encore. Like a tumultuous squall, Amon Amarth closed their set with “Twilight of the Thunder God,” and raged in a finale of musical war, worthy of the legendary Berserkers themselves.
Between Amon Amarth and the headlining band, Dethklok, the fans were so committed to not losing their prime viewing locations that the floor of the venue became more reminiscent of an outdoor music festival. In every direction, virtually all one could see was an assortment of friend-groups and social circles, all sitting on their asses waiting for the next musical act like we were all at Woodstock, but the brotherhood and camaraderie of the San Antonio metal scene was such that it would have put those hippies to shame while also making them fear for their lives. The mood in the air could have carried the revelry throughout the night just as it was, but that was when the house lights faded to black and everyone stood to their feet and cheered for the long-foretold dawning of the metalocalypse.
The chatter and banter of fictional shadow-government officials began to fill the air as the silver screen became illuminated by the likenesses of the same oligarchical figures we all recognized from the show. They all vehemently discussed the coming of the band, Dethklok, as if it were the anticipated coming of the antichrist. Just then, clad in a red ceremonial hooded robe, Charles Foster Offdensen, the band’s fictional manager, addressed the audience and encouraged them to begin a chant to summon Dethklok. Everyone chanted in unison until the suspense piqued and ‘Deththeme’ began to play, accompanied by the animated sequence from the cartoon’s intro. The part of each band member was highlighted on stage by nothing more than a silhouette, as the song rattled off each of their respective limerick-like introductions. The theatrics of it all were so over the top that it was precisely what the fans of Dethklok had paid for. In fact, they would not have expected or accepted any less.
The second track on the playlist was “Awaken.” There was so much raw energy and sheer chaos breaking out in response to this song that for a split moment it seemed as if the fabricated Finnish lake troll himself, Mustakrakish, had truly begun to rise. While the actual musicians performing on stage remained hidden in the shadows to not see their actual faces, the ecstatic crowd relived all the highlights of their favorite Cartoon Network series with the intensity of a live band and the magnitude of a floor-to-ceiling screen playing the beloved music videos to each song, along with witty, and less-than-witty but equally as funny, interjections from Nathan Explosion, William Murderface, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Pickles the Drummer, Toki Wartooth, and other lovable characters such as Facebones, who encouraged everyone that as soon as the show was over, they could “get back to their normal lives of jerking off to social media.”
The fact that this was an all-ages show was all but disregarded as Facebones promoted cannabis by referring to smoking it as “sucking the dick of the gods of marijuana,” and the fast-paced images on the screen were often saturated with uncensored animated full-frontal nudity and group sex. Did anyone bat an eye at this? Hell no! Everyone was entranced by rocking out to their favorite songs. Fan favorites like “Murmaider,” “Thunderhorse,” and the Duncan Hills Coffee jingle were so well received by the fans that this was clearly the concert highlight of many of their lives. The dire fanaticism showcased in the cartoon began to border on reality as the audience laughed together, celebrated together, moshed together, and joined in unison to pay homage to the immortal gods of metal themselves.
The reason that this show came with a seizure warning and disclaimer became extremely obvious as we all began to be mesmerized by the strobing red stage lights that were so disorienting, it could only be the coming metalocolypse. Commemorating their twentieth anniversary, the song “Birthday Dethday” being on the setlist was a given, but nobody could have expected an encore of a song that had never been played live, “Go Move Go Now.” And even more impressive than that was the announcement that Dethklok had actually given up eating bagel-bites on the bus, just to play us an encore.
Not only is Dethklok, and Metalocalypse as a whole, some of the best and possibly most accurate satire ever, but it also has to be among the most well-received in history by the very ones being targeted as the punchline. Their greatness as an entity is only matched by the humility of their creator, Brendan Smalls, who ended the concert by introducing every musician on the stage – guitarist Nili Brosch, bassist Pete Griffin, and the one and only Gene Hoglan on drums – except himself. What can I say? Dethklok is leading the revolution into the new world order, and at least at that time and place, the world was filled with fans who would all happily sign pain waivers and “do anything for Dethklok.”
The post CONCERT REVIEW: AMON AMARTH’s Norse Battle Spectacle & DETHKLOK’s Seizure-Warning Light Show Made Their San Antonio Show The Metal Event Of The Year appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
