Dimmu Borgir / Amon Amarth / Engel
28 September 2007
Venue


As ever at The Forum, the lengthy and incredibly slow queue meant most people missed opening band Engel and only catching the closing number ourselves provided little for review. This was a shame as they appeared intriguing.

Amon Amarth’s repeat visits to the UK ensured they were familiar and well received tonight. There’s a no nonsense relentless nature to their eight song set, driven by the fury of Fredrik Andersson’s drums which you can feel moving your internal organs. Lined up across the stage, the band’s trademark windmill head banging accompanied a furious Vallhall Awaits Me, before “hey, hey” chants punctuate Runes To My Memory.

Taking a moment to take a sip from his drinking horn, frontman Johan Hegg seemed in particularly high spirits, grinning from ear to ear through most of the set. However, during Death In Fire, it appeared somebody hadn’t put 50p in the electricity meter when the band is suddenly left in darkness. With the amps and P.A. still working they plough on, Hegg joking “Talk about Black Metal!”.

Back in the light, there’s an unfamiliar presence on stage. Hegg explains bassist Ted Lundström was unable to do this tour and standing in was a man called Steve, who we’re told is from England. Sticking tight to Andersson’s drums, the substitute did admirably and The closing Pursuit Of Vikings was particularly powerful.

Enjoying Amon Amarth’s set sufficient enough to warrant a t-shirt purchase, I had wondered what has happened to Johan who had not returned after his usual three song stint in the photopit. Oddly, all the photographers were told to sit down after three songs and were refused exit from the pit!

Amon Amarth set list:
Valhall Awaits Me / Runes to My Memory / Death in Fire / Cry of the Black Birds / The Fate of Norns / Asator / Victorious March / Pursuit of Vikings


A flaming black ball similar to the burning eye from Lord Of The Rings, or a black sun, flickered on the screen at the back of the stage, as sinister figures resembling goat-like priests appeared on stage. Joined by the band, the familiar orchestration of Progenies of the Great Apocalypse commenced, with vocalist Shagrath appearing at the back of the stage between the drum riser and the spectre like presence of keyboard player Mustis.

As the projection changed to a Terminator-like back drop of bones, Vredesbyrd followed. Guitarists Silenoz and Galder stalked the stage the later wearing a mass of metal spikes. In his low gurgled voice Shagrath instructs us to go crazy as the next song is catchy, with the band launching into Puritania.

Of course Dimmu Borgir are promoting their latest album In Sorte Diaboli and they hit us with a back-to back trio from that disc. The intro to The Serpentine Offering incited synchronized clapping from the crowd until the speedy drumming of Tony Laureano kicked in. The Puerto Rican, probably most famed for his stint in Nile, is not new to his stand in role for Dimmu Borgir and seemed at ease throughout the set. The sparsely used crooning of bassist Simen Hestæs reminded how good his vocal is and therefore how disappointing it is that Arcturus have called it a day. The new video for The Sinister Awakening was shown on screen as the band played that song, which coincided with the sound mix settling at last.

Taking the pace down, Shagrath dedicated A Succubus In Rapture to all the beautiful girls, with Mustis’s hypnotic keyboards taking centre stage. Meanwhile, images of fire backed Sorgens Kammer – Dell II from the re-recorded Stormblast album. That was until the meter ran out once more and the band were cast in darkness. The problem was resolved much quicker on this occasion and soon the Dimmu Borgir were wrapping up the main set with The Insight & The Catharsis.

A further visit to their latest album with The Sacrilegious Scorn saw the band back on stage, however with the omissions of both Spellbound (By The Devil) and Kings Of The Carnival Creation, the inclusion of Grotesquery Conceiled (Within Measureless Magic) seemed an odd choice in the encore. The more familiar strains of the Mourning Palace wrapped things up.

Not all that frequent visitors to the UK in the past, it was noticeable tonight that the 2,100 capacity Forum was packed out for Dimmu Borgir and their confirmation of appearance at Bloodstock Open Air next year should certainly pull in some numbers.


Dimmu Borgir set list:
Progenies of the Great Apocalypse / Vredesbyrd / Puritania / Sympozium / The Serpentine Offering / The Chosen Legacy / The Sinister Awakening / A Succubus in Rapture / Fear and Wonder / Blessings upon the Throne of Tyranny / Sorgens Kammer – Del II / The Insight and the Catharsis / The Sacrilegious Scorn / Grotesquery Conceiled (Within Measureless Magic) / Mourning Palace



LINKS:
Dimmu Borgir
Amon Amarth
Engel