Amon Amarth lead a Swedish metal invasion of Wolverhampton - review

Three bands, three distinct approaches to heavy music and enough firepower to shake Wolverhampton’s historic Civic Hall. The Allfather Awakens Tour brings together the melodic craftsmanship of Soilwork, the imposing weight of Orbit Culture and the Viking metal anthems of Amon Amarth.

Soilwork provide a compelling opening chapter, with The Nurturing Glance and Distance introducing a set built around the balance between aggression and melody. Figure Number Five and Distortion Sleep follow, bringing two familiar landmarks into view.

There is real strength in the setlist. Spirit of No Return sits alongside Death Diviner, while Stålfågel supplies the sweeping hook that gives Soilwork’s music its reach beyond straightforward heaviness. Closing with Stabbing the Drama brings the performance back to one of the band’s defining songs: compact, forceful and immediately recognisable.

Orbit Culture offer a darker, more muscular proposition. Opening with Redfog and Alienated, their set puts dense riffs and rhythmic weight at its centre. The Storm and The Tales of War broaden the sound, giving the performance a sense of scale without sacrificing its blunt impact.

Strangler and While We Serve feature in the latter half, before Hydra and Vultures of North provide a formidable closing pairing. Across eight songs, the appeal is clear: music that combines the intensity of extreme metal with structures designed to make an immediate impression.

Amon Amarth’s headline set is a voyage through fire, thunder and blood-soaked mythology. From the opening battle cry to the final surge, this is a performance built for the grand scale of the Allfather Awakens Tour.

At the centre stands vocalist Johan Hegg, whose formidable roar gives tales of gods and warriors their unmistakable authority. Lead guitarist Olavi Mikkonen and rhythm guitarist Johan Söderberg supply the interlocking riffs and sweeping melodies, while bassist Ted Lundström and drummer Jocke Wallgren provide the engine beneath the Viking longship.

Gjallarhorn sounds the call to arms before War of the Gods, Death in Fire and Free Will Sacrifice unleash an opening salvo with little room to draw breath. These songs capture Amon Amarth at their most potent, combining crushing weight, sharp melodic hooks and an irresistible sense of momentum. Flames erupting around the drum riser add another layer of theatre to the occasion.

Deceiver of the Gods and The Allfather Awakes plunge deeper into Norse mythology, while Hermod’s Ride to Hel – Loke’s Treachery, Part 1 takes the journey into darker territory. The guitar partnership of Mikkonen and Söderberg is central to the band’s appeal, giving the sheer heaviness a stirring, almost cinematic sweep.

Then comes the seafaring double strike of Put Your Back Into the Oar and We Rule the Waves. During the former, hundreds of fans join in with rowing motions, transforming the crowd into a fleet of Viking longships. Few songs better capture the spirit of the band: determination, defiance and the promise of another horizon to conquer. With Hegg at the helm and Lundström and Wallgren driving the music forward, the longship has all the power it needs.

There is darkness as well as triumph. One Thousand Burning Arrows introduces a more sombre mood, allowing the set’s emotional weight to emerge between its battle anthems. Upphaf then leads into Guardians of Asgaard, a rallying cry whose towering melody makes it a natural centrepiece.

Shield Wall and Eight Legs of Thunder renew the assault before Raise Your Horns supplies the celebratory heart of the set. Amon Amarth’s gift is to make extreme metal feel expansive and accessible without losing its force. Ancient imagery becomes the foundation for direct, memorable anthems, with choruses that invite the audience to join the battle rather than simply watch from the sidelines.

The closing stretch offers no shortage of ammunition. For Victory or Death and The Way of Vikings lead into Saxons and Vikings, with Saxon frontman Biff Byford appearing on the video screen. His inclusion adds another commanding voice to a song that connects Amon Amarth’s mythological world with the steel and swagger of British heavy metal.

Finally, Twilight of the Thunder God brings the voyage to a thunderous conclusion. Its charging rhythm and instantly recognisable guitar melody distil everything that makes the band compelling: power, drama and a chorus built on a heroic scale.

As a closing statement, it is formidable — the musical equivalent of a hammer raised against a storm-black sky. Across the evening, all three bands demonstrate the variety within Swedish metal, but Amon Amarth’s combination of theatrical spectacle, melodic strength and full-throttle heaviness makes them a commanding headliner.

By Andy Shaw