Europe 2006 

Leaving Stockholm turned out to be a bigger problem than you might think. As we were going to the airport a snow blizzard rolled in over Stockholm closing roads and trains.

This ment that Olavi and Fredrik missed the flight, ‘cause there was no way for them to get to the airport. Luckily we were able to re-schedule their tickets to another flight the next day, but because of delays and overbooking we still weren’t sure if they would make it in the end. The rest of us however made the flight that turned out to be delayed by about four hours in the end – two of which was spent on the plane waiting to take off! We finally made it down but not to Düsseldorf airport as was the original destination, but to Cologne/Bonn airport instead. Luckely the tour bus was informed about this and was waiting to meet us there. Beeing forseeing we’d arranged for some Whisky, Beer and Wine, and the first party of the tour was a fact... and then everything went black...

2.11.2006 Frankfurt (D) – Batschkapp

Sold out show tonight! We arrived in Frankfurt sometime during the night. First days are always hectic, but today it was a bit worse since two of the band members were not in place yet. We got word that their flight was delayed with about an hour, but one hour easily becomes more than one hour as the rest of us experienced yesterday. Anyhow, we kept ourselves busy and the crew worked hard to make life easy for us. Wintersun and Tyr arrived in the afternoon, and they seem to be a cool bunch of people.

Olavi and Fredrik finally arrived around 8.00, unfortunately not in time for us to make a sound check but luckely we have a good crew who took care of that in a good way.

Showtime! The place was packed to the limits, and spirits were high, as was the alcohol levels... in the audience that is. It felt great to play the new songs and to hear the response of the audience. All in all a great show, and a perfect tour start! As always we had the official “tour start party” in the bus after the show. The beer flowed like wine and the whisky flowed like vodka... and then everthing went black... 

3.11.2006 Osnabrück (D) – B 51

Today we had a signing session and meet and greet at Saturn in the city. The line seemed to never end, and we got to sign everything from drum skins and cymbals to guitars and basses.

We had more time to work out everything today, both stage gear and sound check. Osnabrück has always been a good show for us when we’ve been on the road, and today was no different! Once again the venue was packed, and the response was amazing! After the show Ted, Fredrik and Johan went outside for a spontanious meet and greet with some lingering fans. We got some really good beer and wine today, and we proceeded to drink it all in a very hectic fasion... and then everything went black.... 

4.11.2006 Lichtenfels (D) – Burning Fall Festival

Once again we had a signing session. This time at the Festival hall, and if the line seemed to never end yesterday, today was double that... what ever the hell that means... We also had a meet and greet with the festival’s street team. It’s always great to meet dedicated metal heads who work their asses off to make festivals such as this possible.

The show it self was great, and the audience was really taering it up out there which was amazing concidering the long evening of metal they’d just gone through.  

5.11.2006 Milano (I) – Alcatraz

When we got off the bus we were met by stands outside the venue with very strange Amon Amarth t-shirts for sale – we had arrived in Italy!

Our expectations for the venue was not the highest as we’ve had some “so-so” experiences in Italy before, but Alcatraz turned out to be an amazing venue, and we were treated to some excellent hospitality.

The day concisted of a lot waiting around. Waiting to do the soundcheck, waiting for dinner, waiting to do the show etc, but when the show finally got going man did the Italians proove their worth as metal heads! They were singing along like crazy, to the most improbable and impossible musical riffs.

After the show we met up with some old friends and one of them brought some really interestin italian booze 140% proof! We worked on that for a while and then all went black... 

6.11.2006 Pratteln (CH) – Z7 

Good old Pratteln, good old Z7. Pratteln usually means laundry day, and today was no different. The line for the washing machine was long as hell, so some of us decided to take a walk around town. The local electronics mega store got a visit as well as the local porn shop.

The venue in Pratteln is one of the best on the tour, and Chris – light tech – had a field day with the light rig. The show was nearly sold out, and the line for the merch stand knew no boundries! We heard that some people had to wait almost an hour to buy a T-shirt. Unbelievable! The crowd in Pratteln is always good, but today was probably the best response we ever got there. After the show we went out to the bar and hung out with some lingering fans. Got drunk again and then everything went black...

7.11.2006 Day Off – Ljubljana

The first day off of the tour and we spent it in Ljubljana. Not much to tell really. Had a good dinner at a restaurant, got drunk and then everything went black...

8.11.2006 Zagreb (HR) – Boogaloo

First time back in Croatia after the somewhat chaotic festival in Zadar last summer. When we arrived there was a small problem with parking as the city had decided to start digging up the road where we were supposed to be parked. Luckely the organizer managed to convince the workers to come back the next day, so we were able to park after all. That’s city workers for you, always looking for an excuse not to work.

The venue was very nice and the hospitality was fantastic with very good food. The people arrived in masses to the show, and the intesity of the Croatian metal fans was just insane. After the show we met up with some fans who were waiting for us down stairs, and signed autographs and took pictures. The guards had a lot of fun during this "event" trying to be in every picture making all kinds of stupid faces.

As we rolled out of Zagreb we partied on the bus, finnishing off the four bottles of very nice wine that we got, as well as a bottle of Jägermeister, a bottle Whiskey and some beers... and then all went black... again...

9.11.2006 Ljubljana (SLO) – VPK Mediapark

Back in Ljubljana again, same parking lot as two nights ago. The venue was quite strange with the stage in the corner of the room, and practically no way of getting up there without walking through the crowd.

A good friend and old fan of ours brought us three very nice bottles of Slovenian wine, which is always welcome in the Amon Amarth camp. The show itself was very good and it felt like everyone in the whole venue knew the lyrics to virtually every song. We had a feeling the show would be good after our appearance at Metal Camp this year, and it definately was! After the show we... well I don’t quite remember ‘cause things sort of went black...

10.11.2006 Linz (A) – Posthof

[Picture to be posted eventualy]

Last time we played in Linz we played the “medium” venue at Posthof, but this time we played the big one. The big hall has a pretty smart stage that can be lowered and raised for easy load in and load out. The back stage of this place is almost like a hotel. We had our own rooms with beds, TV and shower which was very nice.

The show was fantastic! Even the people way in the back on the balcony were raising their fists in the air and singing along. A lot of people stayed after the show to have a few beers and we got the chance to talk a little bit to them, do some signing and taking some pictures before everything went dark...

11.11.2006 Wien (A) – Planet Music

At today's show the winner of the Hughes & Kettner competition, Peter Mosbacher, came and got a guided tour backstage and was showed the gear as well as got to see the show from the stage. Without a doubt the hottest show of the tour so far! The concrete floor on stage was like walking on ice because of the humidity, and after the show it felt like you’d just stepped out of the shower.

The show was sold out, and a lot of people had to turn around at the door. Wien definately needs a venue between stadium and club size, as a 1.000 capacity venue is not always big enough. The audience who did get tickets though were fucking amazing! Everybody was singing along like mad, and it felt like they didn’t want to let us leave the stage after the show.

We stuck around for a while afterwards and signed some stuff and took some pictures. Olli, Johan and a part of the crew went to an afterparty at Escape bar, were beaten at table-fussball by two fans who were not nearly as drunk as Olli and Johan, and got back around 4 am... then everything went black...

15.11.2006 Berlin (D) – Columbia Club

Sold out show again! The Columbia Club seemed smaller than we remembered, but it does have a capacity of 800 people. It turned out to be very packed though, when everybody was in.

Ted, Olli and Fredrik went to do some laundry, and to buy some musical equipment. They got their laundry back a few hours later, neatly folded and wrapped in paper.

The hospitality was one of the best on the tour, with an abundance of sweets, snacks, drinks and food. It has always been good at Columbia Club, but this was by far the best we ever had there.

The show kicked off with lots of fists in the air, and the roar from the audience was almost defening when we entered the stage. We’ve played Berlin on several occasions, and we’ve always felt welcomed by the audience. Tonight was no different, and when it was time to get off stage it felt like we could have gone on for another hour at least. Still, all good things must come to an end and we will be back in Berlin for sure!

After the show we met up with some friends who actually took care of us when we played our very first show in Berlin back in 1997. That show was at a club called “Knaak”, and across the street from there is a bar that one of these guys owns, so some of us went there to have a few drinks and talk a little bit about the old days. Being a Wednesday evening the bar was not exactly packed, but some of the people who’d been at the show was there as well and we got to sign some stuff and take pictures with them.

16.11.2006 Halle (D) – Easy Schorre

Today we had a signing session at the Nuclear Blast Store, and they had prepared a little surprise for us there. A bunch of Vikings in battle clothes put on a weapons and fire show for us before the signing session, and afterwards we were served sandwiches, glüwine and a local meed which was very sweet, but nice. Once again the line of people never seemed to end, but it was really nice to meet up with some fans before the show as there is rarely enough time for us to do that afterwards.

The stage at Easy Shorre is a bit wierd. There are steps down to the venue floor and people are behind fences, so you end up quite a distance from the audience. Still, the place feels very tight somhow, but of course it helps that the place was packed tonight.

When the intro started the crowd started chanting immidiately, and as we started the first song they went into a total frenzy! As the show continued the crowd seemed to become even wilder, and by the end of the set we stayed on a bit longer to thank the audience, but still they refused to go home! Amazing!

As we were getting on the bus some fans were waiting for us, and we signed their stuff and took some photos, before we rolled on towards Erfurt.

17.11.2006 Erfurt (D) – Club Centrum

Another signing session today at the local Saturn store. We were a bit delayed as our tour manager had to go to the emergancy room with our drum tech who fell on stage and twisted a finger out of joint. We made it there about fifteen minutes late, and a slight confusion occured before the floor manager came out with some pens for us to sign with. Yet again the line was very long, and it seemd to keep grwoing the more we signed. Eventually we were done though, and we even managed to squeeze in some shopping before returning to the venue.

If Wien was like standing in the shower, this was like swimming in the ocean! The heat and humidity that met us when we entered the stage was just insane. The venue was completely packed and unfortunately over 200 people had to turn around at the door as they couldn’t get any tickets. Hopefully we’ll be able to play one of the bigger venues in Erfurt next time.

The show itself was fantastic! People were moshing, rasing their fists in the air, singing along and stagediving like crazy. You actually had to keep an extra eye on what was going on in the crowd ‘cause people were coming up on stage all the time to stagedive, and if you didn’t pay attention chances were good you would collide with them. How the hell the audience managed to stay alive in that heat is a mystery, but we’re glad they did ‘cause we want to come back and play in Erfurt again!

Our old friends from the German band Purgatory came to the show as well, and afterwards we we hung out with them for a little while, before we unfortunately had to get going.

Getting the bus out of the parkinglot turned out to be quite tricky, as some bone head had parked their car in the way. Luckely it helps to have the bus full of Vikings and a red Opel Corsa is no match for Northmen. We lifted the car and pushed it aside so that Terry could get the bus out of there.

18.11.2006 Kaufbeuren (D) – All Kart Halle

Huge Venue today! In fact it’s normally an indoor Go-Kart hall, so there was a lot of space to fill out for the crowd. Unfortunately the Go-Kart track was shut today, otherwise we would have had something to do as the day otherwise concisted of a lot of waiting around. There was some arcade games there though, and an unofficial air hockey tournament between guitarists and stage techs. The result somehow was lost, and will never be found again. Hopefully.

A lot of fans showed up at the venue early and were having a party, with bbq and everything, out in the parking lot, much to the busdriver’s agony as he had a hard time getting any sleep as they were quite loud.

When doors opened people rushed in to get to the front row, and they stayed there for all three bands. The place filled up quickly, and any fears we may have had of the place looking empty soon prooved undeserved. Once again people was into it from the very beginning and when the lights went out and the intro went on, the roar of the crowd filled the hall.

The intensity of the audience was overwhelming with moshpits, hand clapping and sing-alongs, and in the middle of the set – as we were raising our horns to the audience – the bavarians spontaniously started singing an October Fest Song: “Ein prosit, ein prosit! Der gemütlichkeit!”. It felt like the celing of the hall would lift when they sung at the top of their lungs! Totally awesome!

After the show the promoter came with two bottles of Champagne to us, which we shared with Tyr, Wintersun and the floor as Ted did the traditional “Schumacher-spray” from the top of a price stand they had at the Go-Kart hall.

19.11.2006 Stuttgart (D) – LKA Longhorn

Today we wre picked up by Michael Trengert from the German Metal Blade office, and he took us Go-Karting! The waiting system in german Go-Kart halls are appearantly a bit different from what we are used to, and also uncharacteristically – for germany – caothic, so we ended up waitng approximately 40 minutes to drive. Finally we were on the way though and a frantic competition was on between us in the band and two guys from Metal Blade. We made two consecutive 10 minute rounds, and at the end we didn’t even get to know who won since we didn’t get a print out of lap times, plus there was a couple of people driving in our heat that was not involved in the group. Still, we had a lot of fun, and that was the important part.

The show was completely sold out which is pretty amazing. The venue is pretty big – 1500 capacity – but it was totally packed in there, and the audience was fantastic once again. We played here at Metal Blade Europe’s 10^th anniversary party, a show which is also on the DVD, and that was a really cool show, but this was way better!

After the show we quickly packed our things together ‘cause we had a long drive ahead of us, and the Paris traffic can be pretty nasty any time of day so we wanted to be there in good time.

20.11.2006 Paris (F) – Elysee Montmartre

Parking in Paris is usually a bloody nightmare. You pretty much have to get all your stuff and bring it inside, and if you forget anything on the bus you’re fucked ‘cause the minute the bus is unloaded it takes off to a parking area several miles from the center of Paris. This time however we were extremely lucky, ‘cause Terry found a parking space across the street from the club. After blocking the bus lane for the standard 45 minutes during load out, he just made a U-turn and there it was. I guess the Gods were smiling at us today.

We played in Paris many times, but always in La Locomotive down the street. Now we were on classical metal ground. The venue was extremely hot, which was kind of wierd as it was a pretty big place and the weather outside was kind of cold and damp. We soon found out though that the heaters were on full blast, and if you touched them you almsot burned yourself. A clever beer selling trick.

Needless to say the show was extremely hot for us on stage as well, since we also deal with being under the heat of the spotlights. However, heat is no problem when the audience is as great as they were today. This was without a doubt the best show for us in Paris. When we were catching our breaths after the show backstage suddenly Sabina and Michael from HOLY MOSES burst into our dressing room, a nice surprise, especially since they brought a bottle of wine! A lot of fans were waiting for us outside the venue to take pictures and get autographs. We even met a girl who flew in from Morocko to see us, which is just fantastic! Just goes to show you that the metal world is bigger than you’ll ever know!

Next stop England!

21.11.2006 Northampton (UK) – Day Off

A well deserved day off in England. The hotel we were staying in was pretty nice even though the standard was “typically british”. It was in the dead center of Northampton, so we also managaed to do some shopping. But the best part of the hotel was the sauna, jacuzzi and swimming pool, and we had a couple of hours of relaxation before we hit the town for dinner and a movie.

We met up with the crew in the lobby and went out for Indian food. It’s pretty easy to tell there are a lot of people with roots in India living in England, ‘cause no matter where you go you can always find a good Indian restaurant. They had a very good buffét which we all dug into with a lot of enthuiasm.

After dinner it was time to see the movie we’d all been talking about during the entire tour. The movie that – even before we’d seen it – was responsible for a lot of joking around on the bus. The movie was “Borat”. However, it seemed like it took for ever until the movie started ‘cause in England they have almost 45 minutes of commercials and movie trailers. Fuckin’ redicilous!

22.11.2006 Bradford (UK) – RIO

We’ve been in Bradford a couple of times, but it has been at least four years since last time, and things had changed quite a bit in the city. The club looked pretty much the same as the very first time we played there though, which was back in 1998.

To be honest we didn’t have very high expectations for this show, as the two previous times we played there wasn’t exactly “huge successes” for us, but this time it turned out to be a different story.

When we entered the stage the place was pretty packed, and it was evident that we had a lot of old fans come to the show as a lot of people were singing along in pretty much every song we played, and there were some pretty old t-shirts out there as well. It felt great to get such a good response from the audience, and it was cool to see so many people in Amon Amarth shirts.

After the show there was some kind of disco at RIO, and we hung out with the guys from TYR and Wintersun. Some of our fans went home, but a lot of them stayed on and we signed some autographs and took pictures with them. Then came the people who were going to the disco, and man they were kind of freaky! None the less we had a pretty good time.

23.11.2006 London (UK) – Scala

Good old London has always been a good show for us, and todays show turned out to be one of the best so far. We played the Scala for the first time, and it turned out to be a very good venue with a nice stage.

As the crew was loading in and setting up the gear we took off to Soho and Oxford street to do some shopping around.

When we came back to the venue we did the sound check, and after that we had a bunch of interviews waiting for us. The back stage is pretty small at the Scala, and there was pretty much nowhere else for us to hang out, so the entire night was spent in there. The Scala was also pretty cold. In fact it was probably one of the coldest shows so far on the tour. A good thing in the sence that the stage clothes didn’t get very wet, a bad thing ‘cause it was fucking freezing on stage.

In any case, the show went very fine. People were singing along, banging their heads and raising their fists, but as we came back for the encore something quite unexpected happened. In the beginning of ‘Pursuit of Vikings’ the PA shut down, and the only thing you could hear was the sound on stage, but we didn’t stop playing for that. We just kept going and instead of Johan singing to the audience, the audience sang the song for us! Fucking amazing!!! At the end of the song to PA came back on line, and we could finish the show as normal.

After the show we quickly had to get our stuff together and get going as we had to catch a ferry back to the continent. Next stop Belgium!

24.11.2006 Antwerp (B) – Hof Ter Lo

Last time we were supposed to play this venue the show got cancelled ‘cause the cieling came down during load in. Luckely that didn’t happen today. Hof Ter Lo as a venue has a real Spinal Tap feel to it. It’s easy to get lost back stage.

Anyhow, the day started with us soundchecking and then we had to go to a photographer to take pictures for our US working visas, and then back to the venue again for dinner and waiting for the show to start.

About a year ago we played a really good show at Belgium’s Graaspop Festival, and from the second doors opened it was evident that our Belgian friends had not forgotten that show, ‘cause they were pouring into the place. When we entered the stage the place was completely filled up, and the heat and humidity was building up in the venue.

As we started to play people went totally nuts out there, and the crowd surfing and headbanging seemed to never end! From the first row to the last, people were singing along, banging their heads and raising their fists in the air. It got so intense and hot in the venue that the it actually started to “rain” on stage as the humidity cooled down on the concrete celing!

After the show a bunch of fans was waiting for us by the tour bus, and we got to take some pictures and sign some autographs again. All in all a great day in Belgium.

25.11.2006 Weert (NL) – Bosuil

It’s not a very long trip between Antwerp and Weert, but we took off right after the show as we would be able to have power hooked up to the bus in Holland.

However, there was not much to do in Weert once we woke up. The club is a bit outside of town, which is not all that big either (though quite beautiful), so we ended up mostly waiting around in the club or in the tour bus. One of our Jomswiking friends showed up at the show, which was a big surprise for us.

Bosuil looks like a small club, but looks can be decieving. It has a pretty large balkony section as well. Tonights show was totally sold out, and the enthusiasm of the Dutch audience was fantastic. There was a moshpit going most of the time. People were just going nuts. Even the people on the balkony were going crazy. Good thing there was a firm guard rail or else they would have tipped over for sure!

After the show the club was open for a couple of hours more, and we went out for a spontanious meet and greet. A lot of fans had remained in the club, and we got a chance to talk a little bit with them, as well as hang out with the guys from Tyr and Wintersun. Eventually the club closed down, and we had to get back on the bus. However, the drive to Bochum is not very far, so we stayed by the club during the night so that we could have power in the bus.

26.11.2006 Bochum (D) – Zeche

The show today was sold out way in advance, so we knew this was going to be a great one. Zeche has always had good hospitality for the bands, but today they overdid themselves. The food was excellent, with plenty of different dishes to chose from and a lot of it!

As the show started the place was packed, the atmosphere was loaded with anticipation, and when we started the first song the crowd went completely wild! The temperature rose in the venue, and by the end of the show this one of the hotter ones of the tour, thanks to a very energetic crowd!

Some old friends showed up at venue today as well, and we had an after party with them, Tyr and Wintersun, but we had to take it easy since we were supposed to go to the American consulate the morning after at 7:30 to apply for Visas for our upcoming tour over there.

27.11.2006 Frankfurt (D) – Day Off

Today we went to the American consulate in Frankfurt to get our visas approved, which turned out to be very quick business actually. We were there at around 7:30 and done by 9:15. That made it possible for us to go to Dortmund, where we had a complete day off.

Some of us had dinner at an Australian bbq place, and Fredrik had the mixed bbq platter with Emu, Kangeroo and Crocodile meat. Pretty cool!

28.11.2006 Köln (D) – Live Music Hall

The Vikings invade! Last time we played here was when we recorded our DVD. At that show we had a live Viking fight on stage. Some of those vikings showed up tonight as well, in full battle armor, and though it was only four of them they put on a hell of a show, as usual. Sparks flew, shields broke and blood flowed.

The place was filled to the limits when we entered the stage, and the people of Köln had not forgotten the DVD show for sure. They were singing along, clapping hands, raising fists and banging heads like there was no tomorrow. All in all an awesome show.

The day was pretty calm otherwise. Some of us did some laundry, while others mainly hung out back stage. After the show we pretty much had to pack up and get going towards Hamburg, as it is about six hours of driving to get there.

29.11.2006 Hamburg (D) – Markthalle

The End is near! Last show on this European tour! It feels a bit sad to leave such a successful tour, and to leave our friends in Tyr and Wintersun. We’ve had a blast during these four weeks!

The day today concisted of a lot of running around. Doing laundry, checking in to the hotel, packing the bags, organizing the equipment and organizing everything for the trip to the USA. So everything was a bit hectic. Luckely we have a very proffesional and able crew, and they all helped us out admirably.

Showtime! Last time we played Markthalle it was almost sold out., but this time it was completely sold out. The last show of the tour started out with a frantic chaos in the audience. The mosh pit seemed to involve all 1.200 people in the crowd, and even though this was one of the hottest shows on the tour, they didn’t seem to get tired at all! They just kept on going, even though the humidity must have been 98% or so. It felt like playing in a fucking sauna!

During Pursuit of Vikings we had help during the chorus from the guys in Tyr and Wintersun, and then the show ended fittingly with Victorious March. The European tour was over and four weeks of successful shows had come to an end.

We would like to thank our crew: Bobo, Hans, Sebastian, Kate, Steve, Terry, Chris and Anna for these fantastic four weeks, and for a job well done.

We’d also like to thank Tyr and Wintersun for the great shows they put on every night, and for all the good times during this tour. It’s been a blast! Good luck to all of you in the future, and to Tyr: see you in Febuary!

But most of all we want to thank all you crazy metal heads that made it to the shows! You were all fucking amazing! See you on the next tour!

Cheers!