Author: Rok Klemše
Location: Ljubljana, Cvetličarna VPK
Concert date: 08.11.2006
Attendance: 600
Ticket price: 5490.00 SIT (22.90 €)
After such an incredibly rich concert season here, at least as far as metal goes, we got one last concert highlight of the year as the season wound down. The VPK Media Park hall was taken over by the Nordic warriors Tyr, Wintersun and Amon Amarth, the first two as support for Amon Amarth on their headlining European tour presenting their latest record With Oden on Our Side. Ever since the tour was announced, the line-up had people excited, and I can say without a doubt it’s one of the best we’ve had the chance to see at Media Park. Not just because of the big names, but also because all three bands are at least roughly alike in genre and themes. A hell of a night was in store.
The confirmation of the wonder boys from the Faroe Islands, who may even be the biggest export product of that tiny archipelago, as openers on the European leg of the tour was a pleasant surprise. Tyr first made people sit up and take notice with their 2002 debut How Far to Asgard, which showed off a distinctive blend of heavy metal with progressive touches and infectious folk/viking elements. What rounds out the great whole is the dynamic drumming with its constantly shifting tempos, the incredible progressive guitar parts with excellent riffs and “Petrucci-esque” solos, and last but not least the unique vocals of frontman Heri Joensen. That’s exactly what we got from Tyr, and it was really interesting to hear the language, or rather dialect, of the Faroe Islands live, which Tyr served up in the tracks Regin Smidur, Wings of Time and Ramund Hin Unge. A band still largely unknown to the wider audience, they got the thankless spot of first support, but they surely won over plenty of new listeners and, by touring with a big name like Amon Amarth, earned themselves a bit more attention. Above all, after a release like their latest, this year’s Ragnarok, which gave us the title track and the excellent Wings of Time, they thoroughly deserve it. In a good half hour we heard songs spanning their career from the start to the latest record, and at the last few shows of the tour they also added their own version of the traditional Irish folk song Wild Rover, better known from the Dubliners’ rendition. Unfortunately, the band’s low profile also meant somewhat fewer people in front of the stage, but the atmosphere was great regardless. The guys struck just the right balance of banter with the crowd, and bassist Gunnar H. Thomsen especially stood out, getting as close to the audience as he possibly could and urging people to throw up the “horns” and clap along. And by the way – Tyr is the Germanic god of courage, strength, victory and war, and on Thursday he was on our side.
Wintersun already played here this year and blew people away at the third Metal Camp. In 2004, Ensiferum frontman Jari Mäenpaä had to face a tough decision. Either head off on a European tour with his main band, or start recording the debut of the newly formed Wintersun, for which he’d already booked an expensive studio. He went with the latter, and I don’t think he regretted it, and the fans even less, since they got a truly incredible self-titled debut. The fact that the hall had already filled up quite nicely before Jari and company took the stage confirms that plenty of people came specifically for Wintersun, and some even proved it with Finnish flags. Wintersun did their job very confidently, the show was energetic, Jari is a great frontman, the banter with the crowd was just right, and it was all livened up by Jukka Koskinen on bass and the young, promising rhythm guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari. Sadly, not everything was perfect, though. It’s happened more than once that, for reasons unknown to me, the support bands at Media Park don’t get the same quality sound as the headliners, and that’s exactly what happened to Wintersun. Jari’s vocals were really muddy and way too quiet, which is a real shame, since his voice is outstanding, whether it’s brutal growls or epic clean singing with soaring choruses that practically beg for crowd participation, which the crowd happily gave. At times the bass guitar and bass drums vanished into thin air too. The young Finns’ second show here thus left a slightly bitter aftertaste, though through no fault of their own. Still, they proved that with the release of their new album Time, announced for August next year, they’ll be more than ready for a headlining tour of their own. We’ll welcome them with open arms here too.
At half past ten in the evening, the temperature in the hall hit boiling point, because up next were the Swedish vikings Amon Amarth. They surprised right away with a minimalist but highly effective stage design, which in my opinion was one of the best at Media Park so far. Because of the hall’s limitations you simply can’t afford any pyro goodies, but the stage setup still impressed, with the artwork of the latest record With Oden on Our Side as the backdrop, some kind of “rune pillars” on each side of the stage, and Odin’s sun symbols on the left and right. The intro got the crowd on their feet, and with chants of “Amon, Amon” we summoned the vikings onto the stage, where they immediately hit us with the punchy opener from the new record, Valhall Awaits Me. If Tyr warmed us up and Wintersun heated us up, Amon Amarth were a proper heat storm. From the first to the last song they didn’t let us catch our breath for a second. A total shot to the head. Frontman Johan Hegg and company proved that they earned the headlining spot on Friday night at their first show here, this year’s Metal Camp, and showed that they’re right at home both in front of a crowd of thousands and in a relatively small Media Park. Even before the tour started, Amon Amarth showed they care a lot about what their fans think, letting us pick the tour setlist ourselves by voting on their official website. Johan proved to be an excellent frontman, hailing us several times as the best viking nation in the world, toasting with us with the words “na zdravje” (!), and generally looking in great shape, just like the rest of the band. In an hour and a half we got a cross-section of the Swedish vikings’ entire career, with an emphasis on the latest record, of course. The sound was finally up to par, with Johan’s growls, the guitar melodies and the aggressive drumming all coming through clearly, and it was all spiced up by a lightshow with just the right choice of colors. The crowd reacted just as it should, and once again we proved we’re one of the best and most appreciative concert audiences in Europe.
Metal icon Bruce Dickinson, the exceptional vocalist of the legendary Iron Maiden, once said in an interview that it’s every band’s job to shrink even the biggest hall down to the size of a pinhead and play so that even those in the back row feel like they’re doing it just for them. And that’s exactly what Amon Amarth and company pulled off at Media Park.
A few highlights from the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUJK_scSIOI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A72AYhzsffY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH6QNgXQXyI
Setlist
TYR:
1. Regin Smidur
2. Wild Rover
3. Wings of Time
4. Hail to the Hammer
5. Ragnarok
6. Ramund Hin Unge
WINTERSUN:
1. Winter Madness
2. Beyond the Dark Sun
3. Sleeping Stars
4. Beautiful Death
5. Battle Against Time
6. Starchild
AMON AMARTH:
1. Valhall Awaits Me
2. Runes to My Memory
3. Death in Fire
4. Fate of Norns
5. 1000 Years of Oppression
6. With Oden on Our Side
7. Asator
8. An Ancient Sign of Coming Storm
9. Cry of the Blackbirds
10. Last With Pagan Blood
11. Once Sent Through the Golden Hall
12. Victorious March
– encore –
13. Pursuit of Vikings
14. Versus the World
15. Gods of War Arise
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