Amon Amarth Deliver a Viking Metal Siege in Brooklyn

We were back at Brooklyn Paramount on Tuesday night, April 28th — this time to catch Amon Amarth on their current Amonklok Conquest Tour. Having covered both the venue and the band before, it already felt like a guaranteed strong night — Brooklyn Paramount continues to prove itself as one of the most impressive rooms in the city, and Amon Amarth rarely miss when it comes to delivering a full-scale live experience.

Opening the show was Brooklyn’s own, Castle Rat. I had never heard of them before, and I didn’t look them up before the show so I had no idea what to expect. And to be honest, I am thrilled that I did it that way. They are known as a “medieval fantasy doom metal” band and whatever you think that means, you are probably wrong. Led by singer/guitarist Riley Pinkerton, aka, “The Rat Queen,” the band ripped through a short 30 minute set. But in that time they packed in 5 songs and a bunch of theatrics. Their set included a sword fight between Pinkerton and a giant rat. A resurrection when the “Plague doctor/bass player” gave Pinkerton a blood potion, and just general stage antics to keep everyone entertained. They really packed a lot into their short 30 minute set.

Amon Amarth took the band shortly after the lights dimmed. Hailing from Sweden, Amon Amarth is a viking-metal band that formed in 1992. They are 12 albums in and they have been perfecting their stage show ever since. You know when you see Amon Amarth play you are in for spectacle, in the best way. I have photographed them a few times and their stage always includes a nod to their nordic roots. For this tour the drum riser is on a viking battleship flanked by 2 huge Viking Statues. Johan Hegg has led the band for almost 30 years, and he is still formidable singer and frontman.

The band played a high energy 14 song set filled with fan favorites. “Live for the Kill,” “Death in Fire,” “Raven’s Flight,” every song was met with explosive energy from the crowd and on the stage. At various times Viking Soldiers would take the stage to stand guard and to occasionally engage in a sword fight. It’s always fun to see and the crowd surfers kept the barricade busy. There was pretty much always a circle pit going during their whole set, but if you know the band you know that there is usually a part during “Put Your Back into the Oar” when the floor opens up to make way for a “row pit.” That is exactly what you think it is, 30 people or so get down on the floor into 2 lines to “row.” It is always fun to see.

The Amonklock Conquest Tour is still running across America for the next few weeks and it really is a fun show to watch if you love metal music and old-school stage theatrics. It is just fun to go see talented bands that sounds great but also want to make sure everyone has a good time. If that sounds like something you are into, you should definitely grab a ticket when the show comes to your town.