Amon Amarth about to hit the stage at the 2017 Gefle Metal Festival

@AmonAmarthBand #JOMSVIKING #geflemetalfestival #geflemetal

A little over nine years after seeing Amon Amarth for the first time, in Sweden, I was fortunate to see them again. They put on a bigger and better performance every time I go to one of their shows. It’s safe to say that the crowd was larger and more into Amon Amarth than for anyone else at this year’s Gefle Metal Festival.

Coincidentally, I was staying at an Airbnb in Gavle and someone formerly affiliated with the band happened to be staying there too. This person offered me a ride back to Stockholm after the festival. On that car ride south to Stockholm we passed a car with a Negative Self bumper sticker on it. That reminded me that I met a couple of guys at the festival (in bandanas in the front row for Testament) who said they were big fans of Negative Self and who encouraged me to check them out. I emailed them to see if it was them we passed and it was! A small world indeed.

Olavi Mikkonen

Amon Amarth

Posted on July 18th, 2017 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G lens, amon amarth, concert photography, gefle metal festival, metal, Nikon D750, vikings. Comments Off on Amon Amarth @ 2017 Gefle Metal Festival

@COPENHELL @AmonAmarthBand #JOMSVIKING

A few weeks back I mentioned that I was shooting 2017 Copenhell. Turns out I will also be shooting the 2017 Roskilde Festival (Red Fang, High on Fire, Foo Fighters, Anthrax, Cult of Luna, Atomikyla, Baby Woodrose, Circuit De Yeux, Neurosis, Oathbreaker, Oranssi Pazuzu, etc.) and Gefle Metal Festival 2017 (Death Angel, Nervosa, Sanctuary, Bloodbath, Insomnium, Testament, Sodom, Destroyer 666, Dark Funeral, Grand Magus, Opeth, Arch Enemy, Pagandom, Taake, etc.)! Amon Amarth will be at the Gefle Metal Festival (formerly known as the Getaway Rock Festival).

Posted on May 2nd, 2017 under Denmark. Tags: amon amarth, concert photography, copenhell, gefle metal festival, metal, Nikon D500, Tokina AT-X 11-20mm F2.8 PRO DX. Comments Off on Amon Amarth (take 4)

Amon Amarth @ 2016 Copenhell

@COPENHELL @AmonJohan @AmonAmarthBand @deathangel @nervosathrash

I’m thinking about adding Gefle Metal Festival 17 to my summer itinerary. I went to the Getaway Rock Festival back in 2011 at this same location.

Amon Amarth is headlining. If I go, this will be my fourth time seeing them. Other bands include Arch Enemy, who I haven’t seen with their new singer, Death Angel, Nervosa, and Sanctuary, who I haven’t seen in 27 years!

Posted on January 14th, 2017 under Denmark. Tags: amon amarth, concert photography, copenhell, gefle metal festival, metal, Nikon D500, Tokina AT-X 11-20mm F2.8 PRO DX. Comments Off on Gefle Metal Festival 2017

Amon Amarth crowd @ 2016 Copenhell

Copenhell

Posted on August 16th, 2016 under Denmark. Tags: amon amarth, concert photography, copenhell, metal, Nikon D500. Comments Off on Amon Amarth @ Copenhell

So it turns out I have well over 100 decent images from the Amon Amarth gig in Portland. For those of you who couldn’t care less, you’ll be glad to know that this is my last post on the subject. Also, I won’t post them all. What you see here is all you are going to get. I’ll finish off this entry of few words and many photos with five more videos.

Johan Hegg bows to the crowd at the end of the evening.

It was fun to hear what Johan had to say between songs. He doesn’t talk as much as his fellow Swede, Mikael in Opeth. Last time I saw them was in Sweden so he spoke only in Swedish, and I couldn’t understand a word.

The sound wasn’t great (or should I say “wasn’t wonderful” since this was the Wonder Ballroom). It was good if you were in the middle in the back half of the Wonder Ballroom, but near the stage or along the sides the sound could only be called poor (at best). I tried various places, eventually settling on the back next to the mixing board for the most part. The sound board should either mix things better for the masses (mostly near the front), or the Wonder Ballroom should move the mixing board to the middle of the venue.

The picture above is of the boys in the band handing out guitar picks and drum sticks after the show. The guys I went with (a couple of future attorneys studying law at Willamette University and a guy I drove with from Southern Oregon) ended up with some of these goods. My ride companion dropped his pick and then had to wait for everyone to clear out to pick it up. Too funny, or at least I thought so. He didn’t.

I don’t remember if they got them from Johan Soderberg or Olavi Mikkonen. I think one of my law school friends (thanks for letting us stay at your place BTW) has picks from each now that he uses as his good luck charms while taking exams. May you pass the bar on your first attempt with pieces of Amon Amarth in your pockets.

Posted on April 21st, 2011 under Oregon. Tags: amon amarth, metal. Comments Off on An Evening With Amon Amarth