REVIEW: Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Frozen Soul at The Wellmont Theater | 05.09.2024

Show Reviews

May 16

Written By

This past week has been quite a busy one for rock and metal fans in the NY/NJ area, myself included; the tour-routing stars aligned and it seemed like every band was in town all at once. Alas, I found myself making the trek out to Montclair, NJ on Thursday for my fourth show in six days. Was I tired? Absolutely. Was I excited? You bet; I was heading to see the "Metal Crushes All" tour, after all.

Headlined by Melodic Death Metal legends Amon Amarth, the 24-date tour boasts an impressive undercard of Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, and Frozen Soul. Montclair’s Wellmont Theater was packed to the brim, and all it takes is one look at that lineup to tell you why that didn’t surprise me in the slightest.

I found it impressive and a testament to the dedication of metal fans that despite Frozen Soul’s set time starting at 6:30, the room was well on its way to being full when the band took the stage. A smart move on the fans’ parts; Frozen Soul is a band that is not to be missed.

Bathed in cool blue and magenta lights, Frozen Soul showcased tunes from their most recent album, Glacial Domination. Vocalist Chad Green gripped his chainlink mic stand, at times lifting it above as head, as he delivered his powerful vocals. Green had the crowd whipped into a frenzy during their 2021 single and closing song for the set, "Crypt of Ice."

Death metal veterans Obituary showed New Jersey why they're one of the original trailblazers of the genre. Formed in 1984, the band is still a formidable and influential force; 2023's Dying of Everything serves as definitive proof of that fact.

Obituary's setlist was primarily focused on their new album aside from a couple of songs from the 2005 album, Frozen in Time. The band opened with "Redneck Stomp" from that album, the headbang-inducing instrumental building anticipation for when John Tardy took the stage for the band to kick off "Barely Alive."

Speaking of head banging, Cannibal Corpse frontman George Fisher aka Corpsegrinder might as well be an Olympic gold medalist in the sport. Equally influential and nearly as long running as their on-stage predecessor, Cannibal Corpse followed Obituary with a brutal set and accompanying neck workout for Corpsegrinder.

I know it's a bit cliché to fixate on Corpsegrinder's headbanging ability but as someone that can get dizzy just by turning in a circle a single time, watching Corpsegrinder spin his head in circles so consistently and comfortably was truly a sight to behold. His t-shirt demanded us to "Respect The Neck," and respect it I did and certainly do.

Cannibal Corpse's setlist was more wide ranging, including songs from their recent album Chaos Horrific, as well as songs as far back as their debut, Tomb of the Mutilated. From the latter was crowd favorite "I Cum Blood," complete with Corpsegrinder's viral intro of the song being about "shooting blood from your cock." He made sure to note that getting to say that bit on stage every night never gets old.

I have to admit that within the vast landscape of Metal lyricism, I've not traditionally gravitated toward Viking-inspired thematics. I say this because by the end of Amon Amarth's opening song, "The Pursuit of Vikings", I was ready to don a horned helmet, devour a turkey leg and drink red wine out of a skull. Amon Amarth's riffs were just too epic; they called to me.

Frontman Johan Hegg's vocals oozed brutality and were juxtaposed by his warm smiles of appreciation for the crowd's unquestionable energy and excitement. The band's stage production, though mildly stripped down to accommodate a theater setting, employed a giant Viksø helmet as a throne for drummer Jocke Wallgren and included costumed adversaries and flag wavers.

Amon Amarth had the most career-spanning setlist of the night with seven of their twelve albums being represented. The Metal Crushes All Tour will continue its crushing of North America through the end of next week where the journey will conclude at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.