Live Review: The Vikings And Lionhearts Tour – AO Arena, Manchester

The Vikings and Lionhearts tour caught a lot of people’s attention during the lockdown when it was announced, as it saw Amon Amarth and Machine Head set to share Arena stages together in a co-headline setting. This would be the first time in a while Machine Head strayed away from their 3-hour, ‘Evening With’ style, set and would also be Amon Amarth’s largest European tour to date. The wait for these shows seemed to grow longer and longer however it was finally time for the bands to show what they had to offer! Here’s what went down when they laid siege to Manchester’s AO Arena.

Opening proceedings was The Halo Effect who captivated the crowd early on with their enchanting Melodic Death Metal. The set may have been short however it was full to the brim with charisma and passion as fans quickly loosened up their neck muscles while headbanging to tracks such as ‘The Needless End’ and ‘Feel What I Believe’. Everyone who came out early to catch the Swedish Death metallers were not disappointed, with fans even singing the words of the closing track ‘Shadowminds’ back to the band. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people went home and checked out more of these guys!

Beer, Axes, and Fire was the essence of Amon Amarth’s triumphant return to Manchester and the band wasted little time bringing the assault to the Viking hordes. Opening with ‘Guardians Of Asgaard’ before blitzing the Northern ranks with ‘Raven’s Flight’ and ‘The Great Heathen Army’. The battle-hardened fans moshed and sang to their heart’s content. An arena full of devoted fans was always going to be a spectacle to behold and this did not disappoint.

‘Deceiver Of The Gods’ Kept the battle alive while ‘Free Will Sacrifice’ sent the crowd into a frenzy! Gallons of beer drank and battle wounds starting to surface is exactly what you’d expect from an Amon Amarth set. Whether it was sheer chaos unfolding during ‘Cry Of The Black Birds’ or a collective salute to the gods while reciting ‘Raise Your Horns’, the set was something truly special and will live on in the minds of the hoards in attendance.

As the Vikings departed, the Lionhearts came rushing in! Machine Head kicked things off at full speed with ‘BECØME THE FIRESTØRM’ and Manchester returned the favour by opening up one hell of a circle pit! Capitalizing on the excitement, the band unleashed ‘Imperium’ followed by the ferocious ‘Ten Ton Hammer’. The fans sang like a thrash metal choir while the moshers prepared themselves to leave it all on the line.

Keeping the aggression levels high and the atmosphere electric was ‘I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)’. This track always gets the mosh pit crew to dial up to that next level and tonight was no exception. Not wanting to waste the newfound rage around the arena, Machine Head had the entire crowd chanting ‘Dimebag’ before unleashing a full-throttle assault in the form of ‘Aesthetics Of Hate’!

Dialling it back to take a moment to reflect on the past few years and spread the message that it’s okay to not be okay was the band’s deeply emotional track ‘Darkness Within’, which has become a staple of the band set over the years as the fans often end up singing the chorus and melody over the band. It’s always such an incredible moment to witness and the Manchester crowd delivered! Machine Head doesn’t tend to keep things slow for long and ‘Now We Die’ saw the pit go from hugging each other to sprinting from each other in one of the largest circle pits of the night.

‘From This Day’ had the entire floor shaking as Robb encouraged everyone to bounce along to the track’s infectious rhythm and the fans happily obliged. Throwing thing’s all the way back to Burn My Eye’s was the behemoth that is ‘Davidian’ which brought the energy levels back to an all-time high before the band closed out the set with a beautiful rendition of The Blackening’s ‘Halo’.

Three very different band’s shared one stage and managed to captivate everyone in attendance. The level of performance on display was simply mesmerizing as each band proved they belong on the big stage and are capable of putting on a show that doesn’t feel lost or deflated over time. Both Amon Amarth and Machine Head proved that they are masters of their respective fields and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the two lock horns once more in the future!