Venue: The Sugarmill
Where: Stoke-on-Trent
If I am absolutely honest, this line up couldn't be more
perfect for a night at The Sugarmill. They have done pretty darn good by
booking a band like Amon Amarth, coming all the way to the chilly night of
Stoke-on-Trent to entertain some of the most dedicated fans in metal. The
viking metal powerhouse seem ready to deliver more than just viking culture,
they are ready for the crowd to create a tidal wave of bodies in their name.
With the chillingly excellent Huntress joining the fun along with Savage Messiah,
this is what I call a great night out.
Savage Messiah were the first band to bring their gear to
stage and begin to crack on. They have a brilliant underground following as
they have toured with the likes of Onslaught, Sylosis and Queensryche. With critical
acclaim from all the corners of the world, this is a performance I was itching
to see. A very enjoyable and heavy set indeed, blasting out tunes like "Hellblazer" and "The Fateful Dark", the crowd was very satisfied, but eager to see
Amon Amarth. Dave Silver's guitar decided that halfway through their set that
it was no more, so seeing him without a guitar is a strange sight indeed.
However, it didn't affect their stage presence as such, as they continued to deliver
a strong set to a restless audience.
Up next were Huntress, the first time they graced the land
of Stoke since their set at Minister's Bar. With Jill Janus attracting the eyes
of everyone in the room, the show was ready to start. The crowd still seemed
eager for Amon Amarth during Huntress's set too, they put on a brilliant
performance. The music crunched through those amps and gave the ears of the attendance
a nice massage of crunching distortion and operatic power. The song "I Want To
Fuck You To Death" raised a few glasses when Jill mentioned Lemmy before the
song, only to say that he wrote the song. It sounds so much better live, and
Jill's vocals were perfect throughout the whole show.
The viking power radiating from Amon Amarth was sensed as
soon as Huntress left the stage. Only a few people rushed outside to have their
much needed cigarette, giving me a chance to squeeze in a little closer to the
front. There wasn't anything prominent like the Viking ship off their Download
'13 set, the only thing noticeable was their fantastic beards. That is all they
need for everyone in The Sugarmill to go absolutely nuts, they walked onto the
stage and let rip like it was a strawberry scented fart in an elevator. The
presence was solid, and whilst they are blasing tunes for over an hour it's a
heavenly event for every fan to see. When "Deceiver of The Gods" struck out of
the darkness of the bottom floor, it sounded absolutely incredible. The place
was a moshpit and the band looked and sounded ferocious. The sound was perfect,
the set was also perfect. "Guardians of Asgard" practically made the ground erupt
because of everyone going batshit crazy about it. It was a loud and proud
performance, and I would love to see them again, especially at a festival like
Download with their viking ship.
~Matthew Clewley
