London Rows with Amon Amarth
Swedish melodic death metal titans Amon Amarth returned to London for the second night of their highly anticipated The Allfather Awakens tour, celebrating their 13th studio album of the same name. Joined by fellow veterans Soilwork and modern melodic death metal force Orbit Culture, they delivered an unmissable night of rowing, raised horns and thunderous chants that pushed the Eventim Apollo’s decibel limit to its limits.
Soilwork took to the stage first, with the crowd already beginning to pack out the floor. Unfortunately, due to the venue’s relatively small stage, the band’s banner had been positioned in front of the rear lights, leaving them performing in near darkness. That didn’t deter them from delivering a fantastic opening set. With over thirty years in the game, they quickly compensated for the visual shortcomings, and their performance felt electrifying. Although this wasn’t a particularly mosh-heavy night, with the crowd skewing towards the older side, there were plenty of chants, thunderous claps and fists pumping the air, from the opening notes of ‘The Nurturing Glance’ all the way to the closing ‘Stålfågel’.
Orbit Culture, despite being relative newcomers to the heavy metal scene, have spent around a decade building their reputation, earning critical acclaim with albums such as Nija (2020) and their most recent release, Death Above Life (2025). They took to the stage next, unfortunately suffering from the same lighting issue as Soilwork, with their tall banner wall blocking much of the light from behind. However, their signature antler banners, positioned separately, helped illuminate the stage and offered the audience a glimpse of their visual identity. After a busy summer, one might have expected the band to take it easy. Instead, they launched straight into ‘Redfog’, proving that melodic death metal is in good hands with this newer generation. Vocalist and guitarist Niklas Karlsson took a moment between ‘Alienated’ and ‘The Storm’ to express how good it felt to be back in London, following their headline show in the capital almost exactly a year earlier. ‘Hydra’, one of the most high-octane tracks from Death Above Life, sparked one of the evening’s few traditional mosh pits, alongside a barrage of crowd surfers making their way over the barrier. The band then brought their set to a furious close with ‘Vultures of North’.
By the time the main event rolled around, the room was packed to the point where moving around on the floor had become a struggle, raising the question of whether a larger venue might have been more suitable. The all-too-familiar strains of Iron Maiden’s ‘Run to the Hills’ signalled the impending Viking invasion as the lights dimmed and the crowd warmed up its vocals. They would certainly need them tonight. The curtain dropped to reveal the theatrical stage production prepared by the Swedes: an inflatable arch inscribed with Norse runes and a drum riser surrounded by pyro boxes. The band launched straight into ‘Gjallarhorn’, with Odin himself taking centre stage, wielding a staff that would later spew fire. It was just a taste of what Amon Amarth had in store for the next two hours.
The set offered a satisfying mix of old and new, with bursts of pyro and cinematic visuals playing across the enormous LED screen behind the drums. ‘Deceiver of the Gods’ brought further theatrics, as a Loki-inspired character was unceremoniously kicked off the stage by frontman Johan Hegg, prompting a roar of approval from the crowd.
The title track, ‘The Allfather Awakens’, sat comfortably alongside the older material, while fan favourite ‘Put Your Back into the Oar’ saw the crowd form what was arguably one of the largest rowing pits London has ever witnessed. The floor filled with seated fans, rowing in unison and chanting the classic “Row!” alongside Hegg and company.
The band briefly slowed things down with a campfire scene at the side of the stage, gathering around the flames for ‘Upphaf’ before building the momentum again with ‘Shieldwall’, as Vikings appeared onstage wielding swords and shields. They returned for the ceremonial finale of ‘Saxons & Vikings’, treating the audience to one last visual spectacle in the form of a sword fight before the night concluded with a massive burst of pyro.
It was a visual delight, not without its challenges, but all three bands rose to the occasion and delivered a hell of a show. The tour now heads across mainland Europe, running until 15 November, with a final stop in Lisbon, Portugal.
