AMON AMARTH, AS I LAY DYING, SepticFlesh
18.11.2011,В Jubileyna hall, Sofia

words by Ivaylo Alexandrov, photo: Ivaylo Alexandrov.

Now I know how does the broiler feel when took out of the refrigerator, put in the microwave for defrost and then thrown in the heated oven. From the biting frost in front the hall, suddenly you find yourself in the overcrowded  sauna of “Jubileina” for the sold out concert of three great bands, each of which has drown serious part of the posse of Bulgarian metalheads.

After entering the barely breathable hall, I feel that something pleasantly tickles my mood. I listen to the sound and I can’t believe – from the loudspeakers they are pouring Down with “Stone The Crow” and then we have Monster Magnet and “Space Lord”. Come on! Wyndorf shuts up and we are crawling forward, rubbing torsos to the fans ahead to reach the narrow fences where we stand to pick the musicians’ eyes with our cameras.

Pitch black. Epic intro. SepticFlesh. The Greeks returned 4 years ago and released the inhuman “Communion”. And this year they recorded the non-weaker “The Great Mass”. For 30 minutes on stage Seth and company are hitting by the book selected tracks from these two albums, the sound at the front is super (people said that at the back it wasn’t), their epic black-death enters straight in the vains… and actually the four are quite detached, they play excellent but I cannot feel passion. Yes, Seth poses and gapes behind the grotesque irons of the microphone stand, raises his bass, headbangs but it is notable the lack of emotion. Despite that the music of SepticFlesh is unbearably inspiring and when they get off the stage, at least half of the audience shouts their name… while we listen to “Green Machine” by Kyuss. Fuck!

I am mad that I have to write about As I Lay Dying – a band that is more in the sphere of Stiff. I have never been much into metalcore and the Americanized Swedish death metal, weaved so obviously in this wave. I am mad because As I Lay Dying definitely differs from most of the bands I have heard from this style and it would be good a fan of theirs to be responsible for the text.

At first I wonder how the American Christians would fit between the godless Greeks and the Swedish pagans. But ten minutes later I am standing at the front jaw-dropped and I am blown by the energy of the five men from San Diego. The band swims out in the blue light and directly throws sonar fists upon our ears. The pumped Tim Lambesis who reminds me of something like Conan the Barbarian on bionabol, waves huge tattooed biceps, growls like a beast and for the clean vocals with surprisingly clear and strong voice enters the hairless bassist Josh Gilbert. Really energetic and catchy, the music of As I Lay Dying is taken out of the last three albums and the guys play it with such a will and energy that it is almost needless to inspire the fans additionally.

And even though “Jubileina” is so crowded that we literally walk on people’s heads, the fans find enough space for ceaseless moshing and a massive wall of death. For finale they hit us with “94 Hours” from “Frail Words Collapse” and they leave as victors. 

Each of the three bands we saw last night deserves to be a headliner for its group of followers. But Amon Amarth categorically were the leaders of the evening. Attitude, behavior, performance – these people are big.

And the welcome by more than 800 people in the filled to the limiti “Jubileina”was such that the smile rose more than once in the blonde beard of Johan Hegg, making him look like a heavy metal Santa Claus. The metalers in Bulgaria respect their favorite bands and make them feel like kings for a few hours and especially when the band is here for the first time, it leaves with clear thought that it will return for these people.
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The air in the hall, besides being filled with smell and sweaty bodies stuck to each other, vibrates of tension before the Swedish enter the stage. And when they erupt shortly after 10PM with “War of the Gods” from their last album, the audience literally explodes. In the first couple of minutes I hear mostly screams and choir singing and the front part of the hall shakes of banging people with waving fists. The euphoria is so huge that between the songs Johan often remains speechless and smiles happily to the loud greetings. Fans who deserve total respect. Even though there is not space to move (Ïf I lift my hands, I will thrust into two asses at least”), the beer has finished long before the headliners rise before us, the hall has the atmosphere of a cupboard and as I am looking at the wainscoting of the ceiling, the luminescent lamps and the white walls, I realize that the sterility of “Jubileina” is more suitable to a high school chemistry room than to concert with mythological lyrics, these people succeed to turn the show into feast for both themselves and the bands.

Each of the hymns of Amon Amarth is screamed by the endless throat of Hegg and the crowd before him. The sound is great and the band reminds me of the strongest concerts I have seen on VHS as a child.

Wild headbanging, total owning of the stage and professionalism behind which is obvious the real joy of playing live. The band thunders through all its discography and from “Slaves of Fear” off this year’s “Surtur Rising”, we jump in the depths of the debut “Once Sent from the Golden Hall” and the speedy “Ride for Vengeance”.

The moshpit doesn’t end for a moment and when they hit the hymn-like “Death In Fire”, for a few moments I forget that the music of the Swedish as a matter of fact is truly unvaried and boring – the sight of 800 totally devoted metalheads is the absolute panacea against boredom. The encore blasts with “Twilight of the Thunder God” and “Guardians of Asgaard” and we dive in the Nordic frosts that have occupied Sofia… under the sound of “White Rose” from the sound systems. Cheers, you!

GALLERY