AMON AMARTH, HIMSA, SONIC SYNDICATE

After a four-year absence, AMON AMARTH sailed their long ships…tour bus back to San Antonio, Texas. Being the day after America’s fattest holiday—Thanksgiving—AMON AMARTH’s high-octane performance was exactly the thing the audience needed to burn off the mash potatoes and gravy and reintroduce diligent blood cells into the body after battling turkey’s slumbering effects.

The White Rabbit once again played host to this momentous return. White Rabbit’s amenities are a bit shabby: the venue is small, no seating, just a medium-sized pit area, and the stage’s low elevation is catastrophic when trying to take photos (the person that invented cropping should get a Noble Prize). In warmer weather, the outside picnic area provides a place to hang out and chat while waiting for your favorite acts to take the stage. The White Rabbit has a strong tradition, though, for bringing the heaviest tours to the central Texas area, and is one of the few venues in the area that provide this service.

A local band took the stage first. I did not catch their name nor did it matter. They put on a descent performance, but nothing they played grabbed my ear. SONIC SYNDICATE represented the first, touring band of the night. I was busy speaking to AMON AMARTH during their performance, but spilled no tears over missing their performance. The group’s brand of all-too-common-poppy-vocal-led metal core was completely out of place with AMON AMARTH’s brutish, yet melodic, death metal. Nobody I spoke with had anything positive to say about the band’s performance, although one audience member commented on the group’s tightness while emphasizing how he found their style unappealing. Even if the band were from Sweden, a consensus from the crowd would have concluded they didn’t belong on this tour.

Most likely, DECAPITATED would have taken the stage next, but due to the tragic accident and death of the drummer, Witold “Vitek” Kieltyka, DECAPITATED dropped off the tour. “Vitek’s death was on the mind of most audience members and every band of the tour. My condolences go out to the family of Witold Kieltyka and DECAPITATED. I also hope DECAPITATED can bounce back from this terrible event and continue brutalizing fans around the globe.

Nuclear Blast’s failed experiment combining poppy metalcore with fierce death metal bore no reflection on HIMSA’s ability to draw a crowd. Century Media was correct in assuming that many fans would pay their hard-earned cash to see the thrashing, hardcore bunch in action, even if it meant going to a death metal show. I spotted more than a few HIMSA shirts and hoodies inside the venue’s doors. The metalcore band is at the peak of their career, having embarked upon high-profile tours such as an opening gig for DANZIG, gaining exposure on Headbanger’s Ball with “Big Timber,” and climbing the metal industry ladder by signing with Century Media.

HIMSA put on a high-energy performance. Singer Johnny Pettibone’s lively presentation and the scruffy Mohawk of one of their guitarists bestowed a punk-like vibe upon the band. Due to my recent exposure to the band, I cannot identify each song from their set, other than the material taken from “Summon in Thunder.” I recognized the melody-laden opener, “Reinventing the Noose,” which also opened the album and “Big Timber,” but getting good photos held my attention, making the recognition of songs a difficult task. HIMSA sounded great, churning out a thick, thrashing sound, and the group’s energy spilled onto the crowd.

My newfound admiration for HIMSA didn’t compare to my anticipation for AMON AMARTH. Unforeseen circumstances have kept me from seeing these mighty Swedes for four years. Two thousand and three marks the last time I saw them play when they toured with DEICIDE, BEHEMOTH, VEHEMENCE, and REVENGE. In that time span, AMON AMARTH’s career has epically moved forward, and due to several road trips around America, the group has finally landed a headlining spot. Twenty-minute performances like their stint on the Sounds of the Underground this past summer do no justice. After releasing six quality albums, the group and their fans deserve a proper showcasing of the best material in the band’s career. Tonight would be that proper showing.

A ninety-minute set afforded AMON AMARTH the time to play songs from every album throughout their career, although the heaviest portion consisted of their latest album, “With Oden on our Side,” playing tracks made into videos like “Cry of the Black Birds” and “Runes to my Memory.” Other tracks from the album included the title track, “Valhall Awaits Me,” “Under the Northern Star” and the furious “Asator.” Singer, Johan Hegg dedicated “Fate of the Norns” to Witold Kieltyka. Other highlights include “Victorious March,” “Bleed for Ancient Gods,” “The Last with Pagan Blood,” “The Sound of Eight Hooves,” “Death in Fire,” “Versus the World,” and “1000 Years of Oppression” before capping the night off with the ever popular “The Pursuit of Vikings.”

Although the night’s lineup could have been better, AMON AMARTH’s headlining show made all the difference. Any AMON AMARTH fan should not have missed this show. The sound was stellar, the whirlwind of blonde hair and Hegg’s command of the crowd proved infectious, and the set list comprised shining moments from every album. Even the rain and cold (fifty degrees Fahrenheit is frigid in Texas) proved fitting for metallic tales of the frozen northlands. With more appropriate bands on the bill, (nothing against HIMSA, but SONIC SYNDICATE needs a relevant crowd for their style), the next tour could be even better!

Check the gallery for visual evidence of this show.