Only two days after the smoke cleared from the latest 4/20 on the Rocks, the thousands of metalheads who made the pilgrimage were abuzz about what many considered, and readily accepted, as the heaviest Red Rocks lineup ever, with Frozen Soul, Obituary and Cannibal Corpse taking the stage ahead of Amon Amarth.
“Amon Amarth and Cannibal Corpse are big enough alone to sell out the Pepsi Center [Ball Arena],” one giddy hesher proclaimed to an equally excited friend.
Another metalhead, Steve, an avid Red Rocks enthusiast who has been to more than 120 shows of all genres over the past two-plus decades, couldn’t recall a more brutal bill, even though Red Rocks is no stranger to welcoming metal and alternative acts. Mastodon, Gojira and Nine Inch Nails come to mind most recently.
But Red Rocks truly earned its horns, and then some, on Monday night. And anyone who witnessed it, including the musicians, hopes it becomes a more frequent occurrence. In case you’re curious about it all, here are five takeaways from the pagan Viking ritual:
The larger-than-life Vikings in Amon Amarth brought the thunder during their first-ever Red Rocks appearance.
Courtesy Justin Criado
Icy Reception
Frozen Soul, the Dallas death-dealers leading a new wave of old-school death metal, kicked off the night with a short set full of heavy hitters, including closing with its most well-known hit, “Crypt of Ice.”
As the youngest band, Frozen Soul is clearly carrying, and running with, the torch passed down from the veteran bands the five-piece is currently touring with. While American death metal is an obvious influence, the group pulls more from Britain’s Bolt Thrower (lead singer Chad Green even wore a sleeveless black Bolt Thrower shirt), with a quiver full of songs about freezing to death, naturally.
Frozen Soul’s reputation put people in the seats early, even though merch lines grew insanely long almost immediately after doors opened at 5:30 p.m. and warmed everyone up for the night to come.
Technical difficulties, mainly a spotty mic for a song and a half, couldn’t contain the band’s brutality.
“That’s why it’s the first death-metal show at Red Rocks, so we can iron out these details and we don’t have to deal with it again,” quipped Green, who continued to sing the whole time the audio cut out.
Legendary Lineup
Seeing two of the originators of American death metal — Obituary and Cannibal Corpse, in this case — in one night is badass enough. But seeing them in front of the backdrop of Red Rocks for the first time? Now, that’s something special.
Obituary, the Tampa swamp-stompers known for churning out low-and-slow grooves, took the stage under a veil of fog. Vocalist John Tardy, after completing his customary pre-show sign of the cross, rushed on stage following musical opener “Redneck Stomp” to blast into “Barely Alive,” launching a seven-song set that ended with more recent single “Dying of Everything.”
Cannibal Corpse, a fellow Tampa OG, followed with a trademark gore-drenched bludgeoning that included fan favorites “Scourge of Iron” and “Evisceration Plague.” And the thick-necked lead singer, George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, bluntly introduced another staple, as he typically does.
“This is a fun song about ejaculating blood from your cock,” he said before bursting into “I Cum Blood.” Of course, the group ended the appearance with “Hammer Smashed Face,” the song made famous by a short scene in the 1994 Jim Carrey comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
We Are All Vikings
Amon Amarth, the real-life Viking group you never knew you needed, closed the evening with one of the most entertaining stage performances Red Rocks has ever seen. It was like death-metal Medieval Times out there, complete with thirty-foot Viking statues, ships and sea serpents at different times, and sword-wielding RPG warriors.
But that only enhanced what Amon Amarth does so well, which is make Average Joes like you and me think they’re berserkers preparing to die in battle, if only to finally enter the hallowed halls of Valhalla.
Songs such as “Shield Wall,” “Put Your Back Into the Oar” and “Guardians of Asgaard” are timeless battle cries that require everyone in attendance to take heed and row or stand shoulder to shoulder with the person next to them in forming an impenetrable human barrier. Amon Amarth is for both bearded tough dudes who like to wear kilts and Ren Fest cosplayers who are more interested in the band’s Norse storytelling. After all, Amon Amarth is J.R.R. Tolkien's Sindarin name for the Middle Earth volcano, Mount Doom.
Lead singer Johan Hegg, who also owns and operates a Viking apparel and accessory company called Grimfrost, showed his approval with hefty hoorays and a lively rendition of “Raise Your Horns,” during which he and his bandmates raised their drinking horns filled with Colorado’s finest mead (aka Coors Lite) in honor of the hometown horde.
Metal Mecca
Putting it all together, it’s evident that Denver is home to a healthy metal scene that’s capable of packing out larger venues. While Monday night's feature may not have officially been considered a sellout, by the time Amon Amarth hit the stage, the benches could barely hold everyone.
Shirtless “Vikings” were whipped into a rage, pounding their furry chests and roaring as loud as they could in defense of the Thunder God. Fans young and old showed out, headbanging and bumping into each other as much as possible without forming a full-blown mosh pit (for the record, push pits were the preferred method of aggression).
The energy certainly didn't go unnoticed by those providing it from the stage. Green, Fisher, Tardy and Hegg all took a moment to praise the crowd's enthusiasm and soak in their moment at Red Rocks. Hegg also shared a story about one of the band's guitar techs, who was diagnosed with cancer over the winter.
"All he said when he found out was two words: 'Red Rocks,'" Hegg said, pointing to the side stage where the longtime tech stood. The crowd responded in kind.
Aftermath
Denver is a marquee metal city, whether it’s widely known or not.
The proof was in the pudding Monday night. There is clearly a demand for it, and Red Rocks should see more death-metal shows, even if it’s only once a year. Other than the genre titans on display this time around, there are so many bands that those in the know would splurge on seeing in Morrison. Basically, if you book it, they will come.
As Hegg proclaimed at the end of the concert: “Colorado! You all are fuckin’ Vikings!”
