There's no need in reviewing Amon Amarth's music, as it is well known to the true Melodic Death Metal fan - five stars for the performance and the setlist!
The show: there were a couple of occasions when their sound engineer failed to bring the solo guitar sound further forward (as in "Embrace of the Endless Ocean", for example). Also the lighting show sometimes felt kinda 90's disco - blinking and spinning colour-changing projectors, briefly inerrupted by the all-annoying strobe-lights...the whole lighting concept of the metal gigs needs a rethink. Nearly four stars on this.
The venue - fit for purpose, strictly no smoking policy (good!) and two drinks bars, with lagers at a decent price - four stars.
The audience. Lord, have mercy! The British audience on a metal gig is usually pretty torpid (unless properly drunk!) and this time it has made no exception! The usual cliches, thrown at us by Johan Hegg between the songs, drew brief screams and applauses, but that was pretty much about the support from the audience. I feel really pity about the guys giving all their energy on the stage to try and liven up the spirit of the concert, but little did they achieve.Well done though for shouting loud enough to make the band play one extra song at the end! At the end of the day, there is a reason for the fewer and fewer metal gigs taking place in the UK...
A piece of advice: save some more money on the next metal gig you want to see and go to Scandinavia, Germany or Eastern Europe. Can't give more than two stars here.
A pleasant surprise: Septicflesh - solid sound and good show, despite the overall apathy of the onlookers.