Docks, Hamburg, Germany
29th November 2013
Amon Amarth & Carcass
The Norsemen arrived in Hamburg – the Swedish Vikings from AMON AMARTH with surprisingly good German skills had a pagan fun in the completely sold-out Docks, right in the middle of Hamburg's Reeperbahn. They felt like home in the port city – and so the show was. Heavy, powerful and pure Nordish Metal.
Carcass
In 1985 and after some changes in the cast, CARCASS was founded by three guys from Liverpool, England. Two years later, Bill Steer, Ken Owen and Jeff Walker got their first record deal. CARCASS developped from Hardcore Punk to Grindcore. Nowadays, their sound can be described as a mix out of Grindcore and Death Metal. In 1993, with ‘Heartwork’, the 5th album, CARCASS got the breakthrough in the Heavy Metal scene. But the success did not last for long. The label was not pleased with the new material for the next album and in 1995 Carcass broke up because of internal difficulties. Over the years, some Best-of albums and Live DVDs were published. The reunion of CARCASS took place in 2007, one year later they played again the first concerts. Now CARCASS is back in business and even got a brand new album. https://www.facebook.com/OfficialCarcass
Music & Performance
As support, CARCASS entered the stage first. If you did not now it better, it was possibly to believe that they are the main acts. The crowd was head-banging and crowing along from the beginning, kind of a phenomenon, which you can only see very rarely at the support band. But the four guys from Liverpool, consisting at the moment of lead singer and bass player Jeff Walker, guitarist and second voice Bill Steer, guitarist Ben Ash and on the drums Daniel Wilding, had the full attention of the audience. For about an three-quarter hour, CARCASS played old classic songs as well as songs from their brand new album ‘Surgical Steel’, which was published September this year. It was their reunion-album since 1996. So the fans where really excited to listen to their new songs live and also to see the band again since some years. Matching their lyrics mostly about “medical splatter” and also social criticism, you could watch a slide show in the back of the stage. After nine songs from CARCASS, the crowd was ready for the main act.
Setlist
01. Buried Dreams
02. Incarnated Solvent Abuse
03. Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System
04. This Mortal Coil
05. Genital Grinder / Exhume to Consume
06. Unfit for Human Consumption
07. Corporal Jigsore Quandary
08. Captive Bolt Pistol
09. Ruptured in Purulence / Heartwork
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 6
Sound: 9
Light: 9
Total: 7 / 10
Amon Amarth
Founded as the Grindcore band SCUM in 1988 near Stockholm, Sweden, they changed their name with the new frontman Johann Hegg to AMON AMARTH in 1992 and also changed their sound henceforth in Death Metal. Two years more and the band got their first record deal. But it took another four years, until AMON AMARTH published their first album, ‘Once Sent from the Golden Hall’. In 2002, they got their breakthrough with the third album ‘Versus the World’. With meanwhile nine albums, the so called "Norsemen" or "Vikings" are one of the successful Death Metal bands at this time. The lyrics are mostly about the Viking culture, their look is Viking and that is how AMON AMARTH got a really big fan community with their special style. https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAmonAmarth
Music & Performance
AMON AMARTH opened their show with a song from their newest album ‘Deceiver of the Gods’. While starting to play ‘Father of the Wolf’, the band enters the stage and were welcomed by the crowd with all the power, CARCASS gave them for it. As frontman Johann Hegg stepped in front of the stage, you could see pure anticipation in his eyes. Seamless, they started with the title song from the new album. With the first tones, the fans already sang along with full volume. So the upbeat was perfect and powerful. You only can hope, that this power will hold up the whole concert. And so it was. After the two opening songs, Johann Hegg official greeted his fans. Surprising, in perfectly German sentences. But after a few words, he switched back to English. 
Then, the show went on with one of the greatest hits of AMON AMARTH, ‘Death in Fire’ from the album ‘Versus the World’. The band did not make any savings with the smoke machine. Johann Hegg, guitarists Johan Söderberg and Olavi Mikkonen as well as Ted Lundström on the bass were standing in the middle of it, like they are really surrounded by fire. The mood in Docks was fantastic. AMON AMARTH played right through their newest discography. The fans enjoyed well known songs like ‘Guardians of Asgaard’ from ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’ and ‘Destroyer of the Universe’ from ‘Surtur Rising’. But mostly, the band presented the new songs like ‘As Loke Falls’ and ‘Warriors of the North’. After almost two hours, the Vikings left the stage - but without an encore and their greatest hits, the fans could not let them go. So they brought the band back for the great final. 
During ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’ and the hymn of AMON AMARTH, ‘The Pursuit of Vikings’, Hegg showed up with a gigantic hammer and the fans and the band gave everything - and everybody know can be sure, that AMON AMARTH belong to one of the greatest Death Metal bands in this time. Better do not miss, when the Norsemen come back to Germany!
Setlist
01. Father of the Wolf
02. Deceiver of the Gods
03. Death in Fire
04. Free Will Sacrifice
05. As Loke Falls
06. We Shall Destroy
07. Runes to My Memory
08. Varyags of Miklagaard
09. The Last Stand of Frej
10. Guardians of Asgaard
11. Warriors of the North
12. Destroyer of the Universe
13. Cry of the Black Birds
14. War of the Gods
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15. Twilight of the Thunder God
16. The Pursuit of Vikings
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 10
Light: 10
Total: 8.5 / 10
All Pictures by Jan Termath (http://www.profound-passion.com/)
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