For some reason, the path to success is a steeper climb in America for European bands. Part of the problem is finding the funds to put their music in front of a live audience. Sweden’s Amon Amarth has been diligently touring the U.S. since their first live appearance at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in 2001 and first U.S. tour in 2002. Several touring slots with bands such as Deicide, Trivium and Children of Bodom have drastically increased the band’s fan base. Additionally, thanks to the Swedish invasion on Ozzfest and two videos taken for Headbangers Ball from their recent marauding effort With Oden on our Side, the group’s popularity is the highest of their career. Finally, after six years as a support act and twenty-minute time slots at festivals, Amon Amarth is the headlining act.
Tonight, Amon Amarth brought their unique brand of Viking melodic death metal to the White Rabbit in San Antonio, Texas bringing Himsa and Sonic Syndicate in tow. Originally, Decapitated were a piece of this tour, but were forced to cancel the tour due to a tragic accident that took the life of drummer, Witold “Vitek” Kieltyka. His death cast a shadowing undertone to the tour, but the show must go on, and it most certainly did in full force.
I had spoken with drummer Frederick Andersson before about his other project, This Ending, but I conducted that interview via email. Now, I would have the opportunity to speak with the drum smith in person. With the background noise of vocalist Johan Hegg’s eighteen-hole slaying of Tiger Woods Golf on the band’s tour bus (Johan, your character was the hottest computer-generated women I have ever seen), Andersson chatted with Blistering about the long trek to success in America, as well as how recent events affected the band.
Blistering.com: First, would you make a statement involving the death of Decapitated’s drummer, Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka?
Amon Amarth: We already made a statement; it’s on our home page. Of course, it is very tragic, especially in the touring application for us. It makes you think how easy things can change sometimes. From one day to another you might not be around anymore. It made me appreciate more the good things in life.
Blistering.com: Before the Vitek’s tragic accident, your North American tour featured Sonic Syndicate, Himsa, Decapitated and your selves. How are you going to fill in the vacated gap by Decapitated?
AA: We tried to find a replacement band, but it was impossible with such short notice, and all the bands were recording. What we did was extend our set by playing a couple extra songs that we haven’t played in a very long time or not at all, actually. We’ve never played “Hermod’s ride to Hel” live. We put in a lot of old stuff. We know we have a lot of old fans in the U.S. that haven’t been able to catch a full set. We put in a good mixture from all the albums, from “Once Sent from the Golden Hall” to the latest album. We’ve done at least one song from each album. “Down the Slopes of Death” we’ve never played live, either.
Blistering.com: So is it going to be more like the Hammersmith show that you did for the DVD?
AA: No, it’s going to be around ninety minutes. That two-hour show was a one off. We wouldn’t be able to pull that off, especially with the schedule we have. We have something like two days off in a month. I think that from today on (November 23), we have something like twenty shows in a row. It’s a pretty tight schedule, so around a ninety-minute set is enough. We want to go home in one piece as well.
Blistering.com: This is your first headlining tour in the States, right. What is it like to headline a North American tour? Is it different from doing a European, headlining tour?
AA: No, not really. Maybe the comfort level is a bit higher in the U.S. For us, it is pretty much the same. We have our European crew, mostly, so everything is familiar for us. One difference is all the bands in Europe travel by bus. You can hang out with the bands more, there is more partying. After the show, we party with all the bands on the tour and they will still be there in the morning, but in America we travel in a bus, Himsa is going in a van and Sonic Syndicate is in an RV, so they basically have to leave right after the show to make the next show. It’s a little more lonesome for us. We entertain ourselves, so we’re fine.
Blistering.com: What can the audience expect to hear in your set?
AA: The set covers throughout our career and with stuff that we have never played. The fun thing for us the good responses we’ve gotten on our forum and on MySpace, well there are always people that complain about us not playing this song or that song, but it has been much less this time. We managed to put together a good set, for once (laughs).
Blistering.com: Well, now you have the headlining gig.
AA: Yeah, but we have done that in Europe, I don’t know how many times. There have always been a couple of songs that we were missing. It has been really good. Maybe it’s the fact that the American crowd didn’t know what to expect, whereas in Europe they have seen us headline four or five times, at least, and know what to expect from us.
Blistering.com: On your DVD, you brought out a group of Vikings. Who was this group? Tell me a little about these guys.
AA: What happened was there was competition in Metal Hammer, Germany to find the most look-alike Vikings. If you won that, you won tickets to this recording, to this show. There were a couple of regular kids that dress up like Vikings and they got to come to the show. There is also this group, this community group that is Viking. We are the most Viking that there is, so what we decided we should do something about it. We invited them to come fight on the DVD. We have been good friends with them. We are not part of the Jow Vikings. We are not fighting, but we are honored. Johan Hegg: We are part of the clan. We are also part of the San Antonio branch. Anderson: Yes, it is a worldwide group.
