Amon Amarth – The Allfather Awakens Tour // Orbit Culture // Soilwork

Saturday, Oct 10 2026: The mighty Amon Amarth take to the stage in London at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, as part of only three UK shows on their Allfather Awakens Tour. Alongside them, two stellar bands in the Swedish melodic death metal scene, Orbit Culture and Soilwork, join the bill. The Swedes are indeed out in force and have an axe or two to grind.

Doors open early for this one, and as I head to the Eventim Apollo to collect my ticket, I can tell the hordes are out in force. Soilwork are up first, and as with any band opening at such an early stage, the challenge is bringing the noise to a thinner crowd as the masses make their way across one of the world’s major capital cities, a challenge at the best of times- but regardless, the show must go on, and on it did! Opening with ‘The Nurturing Glance,’ the room is blown into a frenzy as the stage lights up and energy levels go through the roof, with Björn “Speed” Strid strutting across the sizeable stage and making his mark from the off. Björn brings a beautiful balance of guttural growls and soaring clean choruses against a crushing backdrop of hefty, thick guitar. The band’s performance was polished and technically on point, mixing new and old tracks like ’ Distortion Sleep ’ and ’ Death Diviner’ in a short but sweet set that gave the Eventim Apollo crowd a taste of what is to come. Soilwork delivered a powerful performance that showed every bit of their years of experience, wrapped up in one perfect package.

Photography: Artur Tarczewski

No doubt, Orbit Culture know they have to be on their game. The band crash their set open with Redfrog, and everyone in the room knows they are witnessing a sublime musical expression of pure passion and filth, all rolled into one. The band shift the room’s energy from an old-school, traditional feel to a more modern, cutting vibe, opening the pit with their thick-as-treacle, signature wall-of-sound, downtuned riffs. Orbit Culture are a band on the up, gaining attention for their diverse modern take on Swedish Death Metal. No over-the-top visuals here; dense smoke, strobe lights, and beams of light cut through the band as they lay down a soundtrack so intense it demands your full attention, making their performance feel deeply atmospheric, but incredibly powerful. Quite the sight live: you can listen to a band over and over and think you know what you are in for, but when you finally get to embrace them on stage, they simply take your breath away. Orbit Culture will absolutely be on my bucket list to see again.

Photography: Artur Tarczewski

Take a quick breather, and it’s time for tonight’s headliner: the mighty Amon Amarth. The band has just released their 13th studio album, giving them a chance to refresh, if not reinvent, their sound. The band has a thirty-year legacy, cemented by a collection of studio albums that have stolen the imagination of so many over the years. A night like tonight, with a band of their calibre, means a soundtrack that will fill the heart with joy, bursting with love for a timeless collection of tracks, plus the first chance for UK fans to lose their shit over the new material.

With Amon Amarth, you know that this is going to be an epic explosion of shameless Viking flaunting on a whole other level; this is what their fans want, this is what they have bought into, and this is what they demand, and Yngwie Malmsteen says “More is More”, and tonight we get the whole nine yards. By the time Amon Amarth took the stage, the atmosphere inside the Eventim Apollo had reached a boiling point. Frontman Johan Hegg commands the stage like a true warrior; the room loses its shit as the band rips through a setlist curated to bring out the absolute best in both the band and the fans, who are on a full rager. Every time I catch a band with such a strong identity, there is a mixture of passionate, rousing music that gets the blood flowing and moments such as ‘Put Your Back Into The Oar’ when the fans get to let go and have a bit of fun, living their best lives as Vikings on the high seas on their way to rob and pillage. Oh, the joys! It’s quite the sight and no doubt a staple in the Amon Amarth setlist. This is what it is all about: the sense of community that following a band such as Amon Amarth gives you beyond the music, a band of brothers on stage and a band of brothers and sisters on the floor acting like kids again.

Alongside a powerful setlist including ‘Free Will Sacrifice’, ‘We Rule The Waves’ and ‘For Victory Or Death’ to name but a few, we also get treated to the band’s first acoustic venture Upphaf. They challenged themselves in new ways on this recording and produced a stellar album that encompasses all those decades together as a band, capturing the imagination, feeding the masses, and feeding the soul. What is not to love about what is unfolding before our eyes? The visuals are stunning, the stage is massive, and the band fills every inch of it with sizemic Viking visuals, flames that reach the roof, and a soundtrack to lose yourself in for the night. If we ever needed an excuse to turn our brains off for a while, 2026 is it. Tonight is the perfect remedy to beat the apocalyptic blues! Grab a horn and give it everything you’ve got! An epic, cinematic show from start to finish, Amon Amarth overwhelms the senses. Their show really is a thing of beauty; we need more of this. I complain way too often about the lack of pizzazz on stage at metal shows these days; as a genre, we need more drama! not here. This is how it’s done.

Tonight was a masterclass in execution, from Soilwork’s precision to Orbit Culture’s brutal modern take to Amon Amarth’s gargantuan stage presence and commanding performance. This show-stopping lineup reminded the world that Sweden has some of the best metal bands in the business. Europe, you are up next; brace yourself.

Photography: Artur Tarczewski

The Allfather Awakens is yet another step up, introducing previously untried efforts, an impressive and conscious musical and lyrical feat after three decades of band-dom. As early as next week, AMON AMARTH commence their journey across the U.K. and Europe featuring Sweden’s heaviest army: Amon Amarth, Orbit Culture, and Soilwork. The Allfather Awakens will take physical form on stage as the band unveils an entirely new production inspired by Oden’s legendary Golden Hall, transforming their iconic concert experience into a living extension of the new album. See below for a full list of worldwide dates; visit here for tickets and more info.

UK Dates:

Fri 9th Oct – ENGLAND – Manchester, O2 Apollo

Sat 10th Oct – ENGLAND – London, Eventim Apollo

Sun 11th Oct – ENGLAND – Wolverhampton, Civic Hall

EU Dates:

Tue 13th Oct – FRANCE – Paris, Zenith

Wed 14th Oct – LUXEMBOURG – Esch sur Alzette, Rockhal

Fri 16th Oct – GERMANY – Stuttgart, Schleyer-Halle

Sat 17th Oct – GERMANY – Frankfurt, Festhalle

Sun 18th Oct – BELGIUM – Antwerp, Lotto Hall

Tue 20th Oct – NETHERLANDS – Den Bosch, Mainstage

Wed 21st Oct – GERMANY – Hamburg, Sporthalle