Year : 2021
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal
Country : Finland
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 205 mb
Bio:
Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band founded by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other genres, including heavy metal, progressive metal, and folk metal. They frequently use the Kalevala, the Epic Poem of Finland, as a source for their lyrics.In 1989, Jan Rechberger and Esa Holopainen played in a thrash metal band called Violent Solution, which Tomi Koivusaari had left the previous year to form the death metal band Abhorrence. Violent Solution slowly dissolved and Jan Rechberger and Esa Holopainen put together another death metal band.In early 1990, Tomi Koivusaari became the vocalist and Oppu Laine became their bassist.During that time, Koivusaari also performed rhythm guitar, leading to the band dumping all original compositions and starting over again.Koivusaari's other band, Abhorrence, split up and he found himself with more time to put into Amorphis. A demo tape, Disment of Soul, was recorded in 1991 by Timo Tolkki at TTT studios.After the band recorded their first studio demo tape, Relapse Records offered Abhorrence a recording contract. Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they sent their own demo in the return mail and got signed to a worldwide recording deal. Soon after getting signed they released their death metal debut, The Karelian Isthmus under the new name Amorphis and later released the Privilege of Evil EP. The EP featured Abhorrence's original vocalist, Jukka Kolehmainen, on vocals on the Abhorrence cover song "Vulgar Necrolatry".In 1994, Amorphis released their second studio album, Tales from the Thousand Lakes, a concept album based on the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. This 1994 release, while still rooted in death metal, was their first step toward a new direction as melodic clean vocals were added,provided by Ville Tuomi. Tales from the Thousand Lakes won the band a fan base thanks to its innovative sound and fusion of death metal with traditional folk, psychedelia, and progressive elements. This album went on to influence the signature Amorphis sound.During the subsequent tours Kasper (keyboards) left the band, to be replaced by Kim Rantala. Jan was replaced by Pekka Kasari (ex-Stone), and a sixth member was recruited, singer Pasi Koskinen. The third album, Elegy was released in 1996. Lyrics were again adapted from Finnish mythology, in this case, the Kanteletar, a collection of ancient folk poetry. Pasi and Tomi shared the vocals on an equal basis, with Pasi's providing only clean parts.After a year and a half of touring following the release of Elegy, the band members took a time-out. Their next offering, 1999's Tuonela was a mellow guitar album, although toward the end of the studio sessions, Santeri Kallio of Kyyria was brought in to add some keyboard tracks to the songs. New instruments were introduced (Tomi playing sitar in the song "Greed", Sakari Kukko on saxophone and flute providing a foreign accent) and the death growls were reduced, as all vocals were performed by Pasi.The tenth-anniversary compilation Story was produced, and the band experienced another line-up change. Following the breakup of Kyyria, Santeri joined Amorphis as a full-time member. Bassist Oppu was replaced by another ex-Kyyria member, Niclas Etelävuori, to tour with Amorphis on their third U.S. tour.On August 21, 2012, Amorphis announced on their website that a new album was in the works.On January 17, 2013, the band announced the title and release date for their next record. Circle was released on April 19 in Europe and April 30th in North America. Tomi Joutsen on the new album, "Circle represents integrity. Back in the days, when there was something special to talk about, wise men used to sit in circle. Not everyone was invited to join them. But in this story, the protagonist was invited among the wise men's circle.” On September 16, 2013, Circle won Metal Hammer´s “The Album of The Year” award. Esa Holopainen on the award, "For us, Album of the Year award is a great recognition for the work done so far. Especially when we got it from our 11th studio album."On August 4, 2014, Amorphis announced on their website and through social media that they would be playing a number of special Tales from the Thousand Lakes 20th Anniversary shows where their 1994 album would be performed in its entirety. Tales from the Thousand Lakes 20th Anniversary shows included festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Maryland Deathfest, and 70000 Tons of Metal with many other tour dates and festivals included.The band began demoing new songs at the start of 2015, and in 4 March of that same year, it was announced that Amorphis will begin to record a new in album in April 2015, at Fascination Street Studio, Örebro, Sweden with Jens Bogren and with an album release date sometime in September 2015.The lyrics will be written once again by Pekka Kainulainen, who says "Like 'Kalevala', they are descriptions of natural phenomena, seasons and the human mind. Reoccuring situations where hope and uncertainty alternate. Attempting to gain advice from higher powers. The poems do not form a complete story per se, but they are drawn together by a certain theme. We live under a red cloud and once again, time weighs us."The release of the new album will be followed by a world tour, starting with shows in the band's home country of Finland, then other parts of Europe with Nightwish & Arch Enemy in November 2015.In 15 June 2015, it was announced that the title for the Twelfth Studio Full-length LP Album is Under The Red Cloud, with the artwork and tracklist revealed and with a release date of 4 September 2015.
Album:
This live album from Finland’s most compelling Metal band was an easy choice to make this week. I have a long history with AMORPHIS stretching back to the heady days of the early ‘90s when I saw an ad for “Tales from the Thousand Lakes” in Metal Maniacs. The general rule has always been not to buy an album based on its cover; however, an album with such a haunting, captivating, fantastical scene was most worthy of an exception. That risk taken on AMORPHIS paid off in dividends for somehow the music actually did sound like cover. Here was a band blending Death Metal with elements of Doom, Prog Rock and native Finnish Folk melodies, a novel sound in an era of bands trying to “out-brutal” each other, at least here in the States. Twenty-seven years later, I can proudly attest to remaining a fan throughout the subsequent peaks and valleys.I must admit to an undercurrent of selfish jealousy perhaps running through this review. It was quite some time ago that I caught the band live, back in ’99 prior to the release of “Tuonela” in fact, and after having witnessed such a key turning point in their evolution, I regret not having seen them since climb to the summit of forward-thinking Extreme Metal in a live setting. While I have always favored the earlier albums from the band, particularly “Tales from the Thousand Lakes” and “Elegy,” I think Tomi Joutsen has been a solid, consistent, and impressive vocalist, one I would like to see front the band in concert. For now, I will have to settle in to this live album captured at the Helsinki Ice Hall.The show opens with a regal, anthemic intro that bleeds into “The Bee,” the lead track from the band’s last album, “The Queen of Time”. An ideal opener, it showcases the band’s full, almost-cinematic sound. Followed closely by “Heart of the Giant,” the early moments show a band firing on all cylinders and demonstrating the fruits of their labors. It is certainly an impressive display of a band that is not only tight but also intuitive, performing at a peak level. What could be deemed the opening chapter concludes with the fourth track, “The Four Wise Ones,” from 2015’s “Under the Red Cloud”. Clearly a crowd favorite, it not only succinctly encapsulates this period of material but also serves to energize the listener for what comes next.The first climax for this concert comes in the form of the following track, “Into Hiding,” also the first proper track from ‘94’s “Tales from the Thousand Lakes”. Hearing the band in its modern, admittedly slicker form tackle an essential classic as such not only reinforces the appreciation of the original version but also fosters one for the band in its current state. While it may sound clichéd, the track truly came alive. In some ways, it sounded heavier while in others, more elaborate and stunning.While the sound quality has been alluded to previously, a better, more in-depth look should prove useful. The first adjective I would select to describe this live album would be huge. Often such a simple word is the best descriptor of such abstract concepts. The quality is on par with the top tier of recording artists and simply put, this is comparable to what I would expect from anyone from RUSH to IRON MAIDEN to PETER GABRIEL.The wide variety of guitar sounds are reproduced with enough girth when needed in some parts and ample pristine clarity in others. No instrument overpowers another, quite the feat when factoring in such a full band but undoubtedly the result of experience and such a very high production value. Seriously, the production will not disappoint even the most conservative sticklers of audiophiles. The end result is a show that highlights the collective band while retaining each member’s contributions without sounding either cluttered or over-produced.What should be also noted is how heavy the setlist leans on “The Queen of Time,” a whopping six of the fifteen tracks. In no way is that means to be a detriment to the album though there are some moments from the band’s discography that are unfortunately unrepresented.This is primarily material from the late ‘90s to the early 2000s and while some may feel this was a lull for the band, there were indeed some quality tracks from those albums beyond pure nostalgia or sentiment.If I had to pick a favorite moment on the album, it would be the ninth and tenth tracks, the one-two punch of “Against Widows” and “My Kantele”. Hearing those familiar strains took me back to a frozen drive late at night decades ago that I will never forget.There is no scintillating plot twist to the story; rather, a scene from a memory, a feeling forever etched in time as interpreted by my frontal cortex. Sharing this scene is meant to speak to the unique, timelessness of the band’s legacy, that ability with a few guitar chords to transport the listener to a different realm entirely. If there is one positive benefit to extol of music, it is definitely that, evidence of the thunderous impact of the band’s music on myself and certainly myriad others across the globe.
Line Up:
Tomi Joutsen - Vocals (2004-present) - See also: Corpse Molester Cult, Hallatar, Sinisthra, ex-Funeral Jacket, ex-Käsi, ex-Tuska20, ex-Nevergreen, Feelings, ex-The Candles Burning Blue
Olli-Pekka Laine - Bass (1990-2000, 2017-present) - See also: Barren Earth, Mannhai, ex-Chaosbreed, ex-Nuxvomica, Kiljuvelka-70, ex-Rytmihäiriö
Esa Holopainen - Guitars (lead) (1990-present) - See also: ex-Chaosbreed, ex-Tuska20, ex-Violent Solution
Tomi Koivusaari - Guitars (rhythm) (1990-present), Vocals (1990-1997, 2010) - See also: Abhorrence, Verenpisara, ex-Ajattara, ex-Violent Solution, ex-Jam-Bore, ex-Karuselli, ex-Rebirth, ex-Velcra
Santeri Kallio - Keyboards (1999-present) - See also: Jonne, ex-Kyyria, ex-Tuska20, Verenpisara
Jan Rechberger - Drums (1990-1995, 2002-present), Keyboards (1992-1993) - See also: Jonne, ex-Violent Solution, Grease Helmet, ex-Ajattara
Tracklist:
CD1:
01. The Bee
02. Heart Of The Giant
03. Bad Blood
04. The Four Wise Ones
05. Into Hiding
06. Sampo
07. Wrong Direction
08. Daughter Of Hate
CD2:
01. Against Widows
02. My Kantele
03. The Golden Elk
04. Pyres On The Coast
05. Silver Bride
06. Black Winter Day
07. House Of Sleep
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
