Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
September 25th 2014, Riverside Municipal Auditorium, Riverside CA: Following two successful North American tours since the 2013 Metal Blade Records release of their ninth studio album ‘Deceiver Of The Gods’, Swedish viking warriors Amon Amarth have returned to the continent for another extensive run, with fellow Swedish metal group Sabaton as main support act and Ohio blackened thrashers Skeletonwitch as openers once again. The tour began in grand style to a packed house at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium last night, with the gig drawing fans from nearby areas as well as all other parts of Southern California, this being the first visit to this venue for most in attendance.
Located in a very upscale neighborhood in the city of Riverside, the RMA’s outer and inner architecture emanated a pleasant, welcoming vibe, and the same can be said about the security staff and everyone working this show. The main concert hall comprised a vast, spacious standing area with a few rows of seats in the back and a seated balcony. The sound quality throughout the night was beyond excellent, the vastness of the stage and the floor with the exit doors open at all times almost made it an outdoor festival-type setting, and the overall experience of this event certainly warrants a greater regularity of metal shows at this venue.
Doors opened as early as 6 PM and the show started at 7:30 as Skeletonwitch delivered a 9-song, 30-minute set of breakneck black thrash in a manner only they can. The biggest difference from their show at the Wiltern in downtown LA with Amon Amarth earlier this year was the sound, as this Riverside venue allowed them to cut through the room and hit the audience with much greater force as compared to the Wiltern. It’s nearly impossible for a large-sized venue to capture the intensity and sonic firepower of a band like Skeletonwitch, but this was definitely an exception. The other very pleasantly notable difference was the front few rows of people chanting ‘Skeleton! Skeleton!’ before the band arrived on stage, sheer testament to Skeletonwitch’s ever-growing fan base and vindication of the creative progress they’ve made with each album.
Check out a gallery of 21 Skeletonwitch photos from the show below (click here for downloadable versions or if you’re on a non-Flash device):
Set List:
01. More Cruel Than Weak
02. I Am of Death (Hell Has Arrived)
03. From A Cloudless Sky
04. Burned From Bone
05. Beyond The Permafrost
06. Unending, Everliving
07. Stand Fight And Die
Choke Upon Betrayal
07. The Infernal Resurrection
08. Serpents Unleashed
09. Within My Blood
Next up were Sabaton, hailing from the same nation as Amon Amarth but not similar in any aspect whatsoever, not only portraying a different musical style but also carrying an entirely distinct lyrical and visual theme through their live show. They put on an entertaining show as they always do, drawing their own section of fans to this show and compelling them to jump, mosh, dance and sing with fists, horns and flags held high. Personally, this was actually the least I’ve ever enjoyed Sabaton because Skeletonwitch were far more intense and Sabaton sounded like pop music in comparison, but that’s taking nothing away from Sabaton’s performance which was top-notch as usual.
Check out a gallery of 24 Sabaton photos from the show below (click here for downloadable versions or if you’re on a non-Flash device):
Set List:
01. Ghost Division
02. To Hell And Back
03. Carolus Rex
04. 40:1
05. Swedish Pagans
06. Resist And Bite
07. Art Of War
08. Primo Victoria
09. Metal Crüe
Promptly at 9:30, the five members of Amon Amarth appeared on stage and with two tunes off of the latest album, they triggered a 90-plus minute set that took this audience through a journey to death metal bliss, presenting the best of their 9-album catalog including new material, crowd favorites and a few deeper cuts, making some changes from the last North American tour set list as well. Every show Amon Amarth has played since the ‘evening with’ tour in early 2011 has been nothing short of stellar, but every time I see them, the more strongly I come to the conclusion that ‘Surtur Rising’ is my favorite Amon Amarth album, and even though they played only two songs off of it this time, ‘Destroyer Of The Universe’ and ‘War Of The Gods’, they stood out as the highlights of the set from my perspective. Frontman Johan Hegg and his band mates delivered the goods yet again, bathed in sea of blue lighting that blended perfectly with the ‘Deceiver Of The Gods’ artwork in the backdrop. The crowd’s reaction was fantastic, the Riverside/Inland Empire locals showing their excitement at finally getting to witness a legit metal show at a proper venue, and those from afar also enjoying the show more perhaps because of the effort and drive they made to attend it.
Regardless of whether extreme metal is your thing, Amon Amarth is a band you must see live, and with support acts like Sabaton and Skeletonwitch, this is a show not to be missed.
Check out a gallery of 38 Amon Amarth photos from the show below (click here for downloadable versions or if you’re on a non-Flash device):
Set List:
01. Father Of The Wolf
02. Deceiver Of The Gods
03. Death In Fire
04. Live For The Kill
05. As Loke Falls
06. We Shall Destroy
07. Fate Of Norns
08. Varyags of Milkagaard
09. Under The Northern Star
10. Guardians Of Asgaard
11. Shape Shifter
12. Warriors Of The North
13. Destroyer Of The Universe
14. Cry Of The Blackbirds
15. War Of The Gods
Encore:
16. Twilight Of The Thunder God
17. The Pursuit Of Vikings
Remaining tour dates:
09/26 Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
09/27 Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
09/29 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
09/30 Seattle, WA – El Corazon
10/01 Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
10/03 Edmonton, AB – Union Hall
10/04 Calgary, AB – Flames Central
10/05 Saskatoon, SK – Louis’ Pub
10/06 Winnipeg, MB – The Garrick
10/07 Thunder Bay, ON – Crocks
10/10 Toronto, ON – The Sound Academy
10/11 Montreal, QC – Metropolis
10/12 Quebec City, QC – Imperial
10/14 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
10/15 Hartford, CT – Webster Theatre
10/17 Albany, NY – Upstate Concert Hall
10/18 Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus (Decibel anniversary party)
10/19 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
10/21 Chattanooga, TN – Track 29
10/22 Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theater
10/24 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
10/25 Jacksonville, FL – Freebird
10/26 Birmingham, AL – Iron City
10/27 New Orleans, LA – The Civic
10/29 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
10/30 Joliet, IL – Mojoes
10/31 Detroit, MI – Royal Oak
11/01 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
11/02 Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
11/04 Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
11/05 Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
11/08 El Paso, TX – Tricky Falls
11/09 Tucson, AZ – Club XS