Amon Amarth
Alcatraz Line up: 2017, 2024
‘The Vikings are coming!’. Over a millennium ago this cry would have caused all the villagers to wet their pants. Named after Tolkien’s infamous Mount Doom, the Swedes from Amon Amarth refer to their music as melodic death metal – and not Viking metal. They are one of just a handful of death metal acts capable of selling out arenas, a status they worked extremely hard to achieve. ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’ saw them claim their rightful place at the forefront of the genre. Fifteen years later, ‘The Great Heathen Army’ (2022) is their twelfth album. Even though they continue to regale us with Viking tales and there are no real surprises on a musical level, their latest album offers yet another generous helping of tightly orchestrated death metal. Riffs with balls of steel, guitar leads in the best Iron Maiden tradition and impressive stage productions have endeared them to audiences far beyond the death metal scene. Brace yourselves for their a blistering raid on our prison grounds!