On March 25, those Swedish vikings in Amon Amarth will release a new concept album named Jomsviking, and just an hour ago they premiered a video for the first advance track, a song named “First Kill”. And on top of that, they announced dates for a North American tour that begins in April, with Entombed A.D. and Exmortus along for the trip. Before that, the band will play album release shows in four European cities.
“First Kill” tells the story of a son’s banishment by his father after he takes his first life, leading him on the bloodstained path of a lone warrior and outcast. The song offers no surprises — it’s another galloping Amon Amarth ear-worm that makes me want to reach for my axe and drinking horn, though not in that order. I have no doubt it will quickly become a live staple, because it will get people fired up at shows in short order. The video is fun to watch, too.
So no, no surprises here, but fans of the band (and I am one) will undoubtedly be pleased.
As for the release shows and the NorthAm tour, I’ve included the dates and places below the video for “First Kill” (tickets go on sale for the tour on January 29). Further pre-sale info about the album and the shows are available via the first link below.
http://amonamarth.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAmonAmarth/
Amon Amarth European Release Shows:
March 22 – London, England (on sale Wednesday, January 27 at 4pm GMT)
March 23 – Paris, France (on sale Tuesday, January 26 at 5pm CET)
March 24 – Tilburg, Netherlands (on sale Monday, January 25 at 5pm CET)
March 25 – Berlin, Germany
Amon Amarth – Entombed A.D. – Exmortus North American Tour
4/07/2016 House Of Blues – San Diego, CA
4/08/2016 The Pressroom – Phoenix, AZ
4/09/2016 Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX
4/10/2016 Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM
4/12/2016 House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
4/13/2016 The Aztec Theater – San Antonio, TX
4/15/2016 House Of Blues – Houston, TX
4/16/2016 House Of Blues – New Orleans, LA
4/17/2016 Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
4/18/2016 The Ritz – Tampa, FL
4/20/2016 The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
4/21/2016 The Fillmore – Silver Spring, MD
4/22/2016 Best Buy Theatre – New York, NY
4/23/2016 House Of Blues – Boston, MA
4/25/2016 Water Street Music Hall – Rochester, NY
4/26/2016 Higher Ground – Burlington, VT
4/28/2016 Imperial – Quebec City, QC
4/29/2016 Metropolis – Montreal, QC
4/30/2016 The Danforth – Toronto, ON
5/01/2016 House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH
5/02/2016 St. Andrews – Detroit, MI
5/04/2016 The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
5/05/2016 The Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
5/06/2016 The Granada Theater – Lawrence, KS
5/07/2016 The Ogden Theater – Denver, CO
5/09/2016 Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, NE
5/10/2016 Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
5/12/2016 The Garrick Winnipeg, MB
5/13/2016 O’Brian’s Event Centre – Saskatoon, SK
5/14/2016 MacEwan Ballroom – Calgary, AB
5/16/2016 The Commodore – Vancouver, BC
5/17/2016 Showbox Market – Seattle, WA
5/18/2016 Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
5/20/2016 The Warfield – San Francisco, CA
5/21/2016 The Wiltern Theater – Los Angeles, CA
Digging the new song, but I’ve generally enjoyed everything AA have done. Stoked on that Chicago date too – pretty sure it’s at the Riviera, which in my experience has always had impeccable live mixes.
Yes, the band’s web site lists the Chicago date at the Riviera.
Solid. Many of the bands I see don’t have large enough followings to fill the Riviera – happily that’s not the case for Amon Amarth.
Live Amon Amarth is always a fun show, so that could be good…
…As for the song, I dont know if its just burnout or what, but Im honestly not digging this one at all
I always enjoy Amon Amarth’s music — it’s like a warm comfort blanket to snuggle up in.
But this song didn’t quite do it for me. Maybe I just need to give it a few more listens.
If anyone else experiences a you tube blocking message, here’s an alternative address:
https://youtu.be/qw5G6fF-wqQ
I saw them a couple years ago with Enslaved and Skeletonwitch, that was a killer show 🙂
That was indeed a great tour, though Enslaved sadly skipped the San Diego date, and the line to get in made me late for Skeletonwitch.