December 17th, New York City - Children of Bodom has sold out the Nokia Theatre, capacity 2100, in Times Square. Quite an admirable feat for a band that was virtually unknown in the U.S. only a few years ago. A half dozen tours since their first foray, the Finnish Hate Crew bosses have gripped American metal fans by the throats and thrown them gleefully into the fray of their frenetic maelstrom of angry words and bruising melodies. This third headlining tour promised to be the most intense with the venue upgrade and burgeoning popularity of Swedish tour mates, Amon Amarth.

     Unfortunately, I missed Sanctity, North Carolina’s thrashy contribution to the tour, as well as most of Gojira, the second opener. Just managed to catch them sailing through the last two songs, which I believe to be “Flying Whales” and “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe.” Dynamic on stage and impressive technically, the French boys of Gojira skillfully inject a progressive vein into their unique brand of death metal that damns us all for the destruction of our natural world on Earth. A wakeup call, indeed, both ecologically and musically. I look forward to another opportunity to catch Gojira live.

Enter the Vikings! Amon Amarth seems determined to prove that everyone can, and SHOULD be a Viking; at least for one night. Their use of mythological lyrics and melodic elements infuses an intoxicating quality to their epic tales of barbaric exploits.  Johan Hegg hammered home the lesson with his powerful, melodic bellows punctuated with ample swigs from the beer horn strapped to his hip. He quickly rallied the Nokia troops with set openers "Valhall Awaits Me.” and “Runes to My Memory” and left no room for mutiny with a set list that ended with the demanding call to arms, “The Pursuit of Vikings”. All the imagery and posturing aside, Amoth Amarth is a powerfully talented band whose skill and showmanship should easily make them a headliner on subsequent North American crusades.

Children of Bodom has built a reputation for incredibly intense live performances that illicit nearly trance-like absorption by their fans. December 17th in New York City was clearly a night to ratchet up the level one more notch, but frankly the band seemed a bit weary from maintaining the intensity over a tour that has spanned 14 months. Opening with “Hate Me,” they clearly made an attempt to give it their best effort, but the occasional sloppy riff and missed timing gave them away. Their avid legions were not dismayed, though, and an interesting give and take of intensity crackled between the band and its fans, each goading the other to greater heights of passion. By the second half of the set, the band clearly seemed to rally and the brutal, physical reaction of the fans was more than an indicator.

     The relentless touring scheduled maintained by Children of Bodom over the last couple of years has led to some lack of variety in the set list. They clearly attempted to correct this trend by working in tour rarities such as "Children of Bodom" and mixed compilations of "Children of Decadence/Chokehold" and "Mask of Sanity/Dead Night Warrior." While the difficult, technical solos, so well rendered on their CD’s seemed to be forsaken for well-timed beer breaks, it was a treat to hear even partial versions of these songs live and the crowd responded with renewed fervor. Other numbers from the set included crowd favorites “Needled 24/7,” “Sixpounder,” “Are You Dead Yet?” and “Angels Don’t Kill,” ending with “Downfall.”

     If you went to this show hoping for the technical prowess displayed on the band’s CDs, you may have been disappointed. But Children of Bodom threw one hell of a party in a city legendary for its celebrations. A show in New York City always brings out a wide range of nationalities and ages as well as frequent appearances by members of other bands and the occasional celebrity. Richard Christy (formerly of Iced Earth, currently on the Howard Stern Show) shared a few beers with guitarist, Matt Moliti, Dark Empire, who sported an impressive metal wound earned in the pit. Anna, keyboardist of Operatika was found sipping a Heineken and enjoying a chat with friend, Paula. The spacious lobby of the Nokia Theater with its multi-level bars is an excellent place to mingle and frequently hosted nearly half as many partiers as the spacious concert hall. Thus it appeared that no one lacked for a good time, despite Children of Bodom’s fatigue-driven struggles. I only hope the boys can pace themselves and remember, it’s a long and twisted road.