It’s safe to say that Amon Amarth frontman Johan Hegg is not taking Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine lightly. Last month, Hegg chose to boycott UFC for allowing Russian fighters to compete. Now, the Viking metal frontman and his wife are actually hosting Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homeland.
Hegg told Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn about his experience on Flynn’s No Fuckin’ Regrets podcast, as transcribed by our friends over at The Pit:
“Obviously what’s happening in Ukraine is horrible. Me and my wife, we took in a Ukrainian family. We have two Ukrainian women and their children living with us. A lot of people in Sweden have been doing that. It needs to be done. Over 10 million people in Ukraine are refugees, and almost 4 million of them are refugees in Europe now. So obviously they need somewhere to stay.”
Apparently, Amon Amarth has also been raising money for Ukraine by auctioning off rare and valuable merch items:
“Obviously it’s terrible. It’s the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, but we also feel that it’s important not to forget that there are other war zones in the world with loads of refugees. So we decided that we would donate the proceeds [from recent auctions involving rare Amon Amarth merch] to the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], which is the UN refugee program, and Doctor’s Without Borders.
“But also since [my wife and I] are big animal lovers, we decided to donate to the International Fund for Animals Welfare. Especially for the situation in Ukraine, where a lot of pets and farm animals are suffering right now and also need our help.”
Check out the full interview below, and catch Amon Amarth alongside Machine Head at one of the following dates:
September 08th NOTTINGHAM, Arena
September 09th CARDIFF, Arena
September 10th LONDON, Wembley Arena
September 12th MANCHESTER, Arena
September 13th DUBLIN, 3 Arena
September 16th ZURICH, Hallenstadion
September 17th VIENNA, Stadthalle
September 18th KRAKOW, Tauron Arena
September 20th TALLINN, Saku Arena
September 21st HELSINKI, Ice Hall
September 23rd OSLO, Spektrum
September 24th STOCKHOLM, Hovet
September 26th COPENHAGEN, Forum Black Box
September 27th HAMBURG, Barclays Arena
September 28th FRANKFURT, Festhalle
September 30th OBERHAUSEN, König Pilsener Arena
October 01st BERLIN, Velodrom
October 02nd AMSTERDAM, Afas Live
October 04th MILANO, Lorenzini District
October 06th BARCELONA, Sant Jordi
October 07th MADRID, Vistalegre
October 08th LA CORUNA, Coliseum
October 09th LISBON, Campo Pequeno
October 12th PARIS, Zenith
October 14th MUNICH, Olympiahalle
October 15th LEIPZIG, Arena
October 16th PRAGUE, Tipsport Arena
October 18th BUDAPEST, Barba Negra
October 20th ESCH SUR ALZETTE, Rockhal
October 21st BRUSSELS, Forest National
October 22nd STUTTGART, Schleyerhalle