Spring Break
MADE OF METAL: Vikings land in Worcester; destroy all
by Daniel D. Snyder
Associate Editor
Arts | 12/4/07
Posted online at 11:00 PM EST on 12/3/07
/ Last updated at 7:56 PM EST on 12/3/07
Ladies and gentlemen, gather 'round my knee and listen to a harrowing tale; one fraught with roaring battleships, icy barrens and vicious beasts wrought from the abyss. It's a tale of two heroes, two men far from home on frozen shores, left with only their wits, a few tattered rags to protect their hides and two tickets to the best Metal show to which this writer has ever borne witness. (Ha! I've always wanted to write something like that.)
Seriously though, faithful, hopefully-soon-to-be-cult followers of my fiery Typewriter of Steel may have noticed my occasional mention of Amon Amarth, the Viking Death Metal warriors hailing from the frozen mountains of Tumba, Sweden.
I was about 17 when I picked up their fourth album, Versus the World, and fell in love with their unique blend of crushing Death Metal, Norse mythology and memorable melody. Four years later, I'm still a regular listener and devoted fan, with the exception of the rather tepid Fate of Norns album (Even the band admitted it was a rushed effort.). Though the band has remained largely unchanged in musical style over the course of six albums, I have never tired of their winning formula. Call me a grumpy conservative, but it's refreshing to see a band ignore the trends, stick to its guns and reach the level of success that Amon Amarth has in recent years. Amon Amarth's latest album, With Oden On Our Side, is as faithful to their roots as could be, and yet their popularity is higher than ever, as evidenced by the frothing crowd at the Palladium last Saturday night in Worcester.
Unfortunately, my stoic-yet-deadly companion, Dave "More Metal Than Tinfoil" Goldstein '09, and I arrived late to the venue and missed the opening band, Thy Will Be Done. We did, however, arrive in time to catch the Hindenburg-meets-WWII trainwreck that was Sonic Syndicate's set.
At this juncture, it would be poor form for me to neglect the tragic circumstances under which this all happened. Originally, Polish Brutal Death Metallers Decapitated were meant to be on the tour, until a violent bus accident in Belarus Oct. 29 took the life of their talented drummer, Witold "Vitek" Kie?tyka. It was under this cloud that Sonic Syndicate had to take the stage before the headliners.
Seriously though, faithful, hopefully-soon-to-be-cult followers of my fiery Typewriter of Steel may have noticed my occasional mention of Amon Amarth, the Viking Death Metal warriors hailing from the frozen mountains of Tumba, Sweden.
I was about 17 when I picked up their fourth album, Versus the World, and fell in love with their unique blend of crushing Death Metal, Norse mythology and memorable melody. Four years later, I'm still a regular listener and devoted fan, with the exception of the rather tepid Fate of Norns album (Even the band admitted it was a rushed effort.). Though the band has remained largely unchanged in musical style over the course of six albums, I have never tired of their winning formula. Call me a grumpy conservative, but it's refreshing to see a band ignore the trends, stick to its guns and reach the level of success that Amon Amarth has in recent years. Amon Amarth's latest album, With Oden On Our Side, is as faithful to their roots as could be, and yet their popularity is higher than ever, as evidenced by the frothing crowd at the Palladium last Saturday night in Worcester.
Unfortunately, my stoic-yet-deadly companion, Dave "More Metal Than Tinfoil" Goldstein '09, and I arrived late to the venue and missed the opening band, Thy Will Be Done. We did, however, arrive in time to catch the Hindenburg-meets-WWII trainwreck that was Sonic Syndicate's set.
At this juncture, it would be poor form for me to neglect the tragic circumstances under which this all happened. Originally, Polish Brutal Death Metallers Decapitated were meant to be on the tour, until a violent bus accident in Belarus Oct. 29 took the life of their talented drummer, Witold "Vitek" Kie?tyka. It was under this cloud that Sonic Syndicate had to take the stage before the headliners.
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