29 March 2024

13-08-2014 Amon Amarth

Supports: Darkest Era; Venue: Academy, Dublin (Ireland)
By: Aoife Towell

darkest eraDarkest Era got the bright night off to an early start – certainly earlier than expected and especially by the Academy venue’s standards of aiming to simply be on time. They entered the stage almost twenty minutes ahead of their supposed slot, which might have been to their detriment as a full crowd had hardly formed. Their mix of youth and experience across their members added to the niche of their genre, which ranges from old school to folk – particularly Celtic – metal. The vocals perhaps were not up to standard, but they did seem to have a command over the audience more so than your average support group.

The restricted stage size wasn’t an easy thing to work with so they struggled to get a flow of movement throughout the performance, which was a short one. Their melodic sound isn’t too heavy or technical, but they really shone on their last song ‘The Morrigan’. The gradual build and entrancing drums of this lead track from their 2011 debut album ‘The Last Caress of Light’ was enough to merge the audience into a buzzing hub of eagerness and was a great finisher.

darkest era

Amon AmarthSticking to the punctual theme of the night, Amon Amarth didn’t leave too much breathing time between Darkest Era’s departure and their own grand entrance. The vikings seemed to dominate every particle of the theatre and loomed over their on-looking spellbound enthusiasts. They were strong, commanding and in my opinion at their height of performance quality. I say that, but I met a self-professed hardcore fan who shared the opinion that they’ve lost all of their natural ability and character. I can’t quite get my head around how harsh that is, so for the record I loved every second of the show. I can’t say I saw them when they were younger, but a good gig is a good gig and a good gig it was!

Johan Hegg was nothing short of elated at the dedication and electricity apparent in his Irish audience and awarded them a hearty ‘Sláinte!’; a cheers in Ireland to health. The Academy felt more alive than it had been in a while thanks to a thunderous set list including ‘For Victory or Death’, ‘Guardians of Asgaard’ and ‘The Pursuit of Vikings’ which were my particular favourites. I believe Amon Amarth have only just begun their pursuit of world domination and even if one overly critical fan won’t return, I will definitely be back to see what they come up with next.

Amon Amarth

Links:
Darkest Era Facebook
Amon Amarth Facebook