AMORPHIS

"Tales From the Thousand Lakes" is the second full-length studio album by Finnish death metal act Amorphis. The album was released through Spinefarm Records in Finland, through Relapse Records in the US, and through Nuclear Blast Records in Europe in September 1994. It's the successor to "The Karelian Isthmus" from 1992 and there's been one lineup change since the predecessor as keyboard player Kasper M'rtenson has been added to the ranks, making Amorphis a quintet on this release. "Tales From the Thousand Lakes" proved to be a huge commercial success for the band and the label, and it kickstarted Amorphis international career.

While "The Karelian Isthmus (1992)" certainly is a decent quality Scandinavian styled death metal album, it's not an album which stands out much on the scene, and had Amorphis continued down that path it's doubtful they would have been able to make such a long and successful career from playing music. Stylistically "Tales From the Thousand Lakes" may retain some of the Scandinavian old school death metal elements of its predecessor, but Amorphis add a great deal of melody, ethnic folk atmosphere (the lyrics are inspired by the great epic book of national Finnish folklore "Kalevala"), vintage keyboards (Moog, organ), and more moderne keyboards/synths, clean vocals, and traditional heavy rock/metal influenced riff and rhythms, to their sound, which ultimately makes "Tales From the Thousand Lakes" a very different sounding album to "The Karelian Isthmus (1992)", and maybe more importantly it also sounds quite different from any other contemporary release. Other contemporary artists playing similar styles like Paradise Lost, Tiamat, Sentenced, and Cemetary, only share the heaviness and the melancholic leads and gloomy atmosphere of their music with Amorphis. Other than those features they are completely different sounding artists.

The most death metal oriented feature on "Tales From the Thousand Lakes" is arguably the growling vocals by guitarist/lead vocalist Tomi Koivusaari and even in that department there have been some changes as Amorphis have enlisted Leningrad Cowboys vocalist Ville Tuomi to sing clean vocal parts on the album. The clean vocals are not a dominant feature on "Tales From the Thousand Lakes", but they make quite an impact when they appear...maybe as a result of them appearing relatively sparsely. The use of keyboards/synths is quite dominant though and one of the defining elements of the music. The opening instrumental "Thousand Lakes" showcases this immediately, but a track like "Black Winter Day" also features dominant use of synth (moog) and on closing track "Magic and Mayhem" there's even an electronic and psychedelic tinged techno influence. It's a pretty interesting track when those influences are combined with the dark heavy rocking doomy death metal core sound of Amorphis.

"Tales From the Thousand Lakes" features an organic, powerful, and well sounding production, which suits the material well, and upon conclusion it's a high quality album release by Amorphis. It's not just a step forward for Amorphis, it's a giant leap and a significant change of their core sound, and they really did create something unique here, which their audience clearly embraced considering the fact that the album sold a large number of copies and became Amorphis international breakthrough release. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

"Magic & Mayhem: Tales From The Early Years" is a 20th anniversary celebration compilation album by Finnish melodic doom/death/progressive metal act Amorphis. The compilation was released through Nuclear Blast Records in September 2010. "Magic & Mayhem: Tales From The Early Years" is not a "regular" best of compilation. The release features 12 (13 if you count the bonus track) re-recorded tracks from the band´s first three full-length studio albums "The Karelian Isthmus (1992)", "Tales From the Thousand Lakes (1994)" and "Elegy (1996)". The band explain in the booklet that they´ve been playing these tracks more and more in recent years after the inclusion of lead vocalist Tomi Joutsen. They wanted to capture the atmosphere of how the songs are played live with the current lineup. It´s emphasized that keyboard player Santeri Kallio and bassist Niclas Etelävuori also contributed with original input to the re-recordings.

The music on the compilation is melodic doom/death metal with some touches of progressive metal. The tracks from "The Karelian Isthmus (1992)" are old school scandinavian death metal, the tracks from "Tales From the Thousand Lakes (1994)" added an ethnic touch and loads of lead guitar themes while the tracks from "Elegy (1996)" feature an added progressive touch. The re-recorded versions pretty much stick to the originals in terms of structure but as the production is much cleaner, the keyboards sound more synthetic, and Tomi Joutsen´s vocals sound quite different from the vocals on the original tracks, you end up with a quite different end result. That´s of course the purpose of the whole thing and in that respect Amorphis succeed in their mission.

However there´s always a danger in re-recording what some people might consider untouchable classics. So how do the band pull it off? Well...I´m sure it depends on your history with the band´s music. Almost all the right ingredients are here to create a good compilation album. Decent production, excellent musicianship, and some "classic" doom/ death tracks in re-recorded versions. Yet the compilation leaves me completely cold. I guess I feel the original versions of the tracks didn´t need a make-over and that the re-recorded versions lack the unique organic spirit of those originals. The addition of synthetic sounding keyboards is probably the worst offense to my ears, but the sound production (while professional sounding from a technical point of view) is also too polished. I miss the raw and unpolished sound of the original tracks. So I´ll be a bit harsh here and scream...blasphemy. A 2 - 2.5 star (45%) rating is warranted. I´ll recommend leaving this one alone and go out and purchase the three original albums instead.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

"Privilege of Evil" is an EP release by Finnish death metal act Amorphis. The EP was released through Relapse Records in December 1993. The 6 tracks on the EP were already recorded in May 1991, before the recording sessions for the band´s debut full-length studio album "The Karelian Isthmus" (Relapse Records, November 1992) and were originally intended to be featured on a split with US, New York based death metal act Incantation. That split release never materialized though and 4 out of the 6 tracks on the EP were later re-arranged and re-recorded for "The Karelian Isthmus (1992)" album. "Vulgar Necrolatry" and "Misery Path" were already released as a single in June 1991, but appear here in the exact same versions.

The music on the EP is old school Scandinavian death metal. The vocals are brutal and raw and there are very few traces of the Nordic ethnic melodic lead guitar themes that would earn the band such great success just a few years later. While this isn´t old school Swedish death metal, it´s the death metal style that the music on the EP is mostly comparable to. "Privilege of Evil" has a coldness to it that is greatly enjoyable and while the tracks aren´t exactly adventurous there are still enough details and changes in the songs to keep them entertaining throughout. The quality of the musicianship is surprisingly high and the tracks are generally very well performed. The sound production suits the music well and while it´s raw and cold, it´s also detailed and well sounding.

So overall "Privilege of Evil" is a strong release by Amorphis and I fully understand why the band/label opted to release the EP a couple of years after it was originally shelved. Already this early on in Amorphis career you could hear the immense musical talent of the band. "Privilege of Evil" isn´t necessarily recommendable to fans of the band´s later output though. Old school death metal fans are the target group here. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

"The Karelian Isthmus" is the debut full-length studio album by Finnish death metal act Amorphis. The album was released through Relapse Records in November 1992. Amorphis was formed in 1990 by former members of speed/thrash metal act Violent Solution and death metal act Abhorrence. Shortly after their formation Amorphis recorded the January 1991 "Disment of Soul" demo and the "Vulgar Necrolatry / Misery Path" single followed in June 1991. Four more tracks were recorded during the May 1991 recording sessions which spawned the "Vulgar Necrolatry / Misery Path" single, and the six tracks from the May 1991 recording sessions were originally meant to be released as a split with US death metal act Incantation, but the project never materialized, and therefore "The Karelian Isthmus" was Amorphis next release. The six tracks from the May 1991 recording sessions would however emerge on the December 1993 "Privilege of Evil" EP (Relapse Records). Four of the six tracks from the EP would be re-arranged, re-recorded, and included on "The Karelian Isthmus".

The music on the album is old school Scandinavian death metal with a melodic doomy touch. Amorphis have developed their sound since the early releases and have added quite a few leads and harmonies to their music. That part of the music slightly reminds me of early Paradise Lost but early releases by Swedish acts like Cemetary and Tiamat also come to mind. Already on their next album, Amorphis would include strong Scandinavian folk/ethnic elements in their music and while they are not as strong on "The Karelian Isthmus", those elements are present here too.

All tracks are of a decent quality and the musicianship is strong on all posts (although to my ears the drumming is a little stiff), but the tracks don´t stand out much, although it´s obvious which are new tracks and which are slightly more old school re-recordings of earlier material. Still when the album is playing, it´s an enjoyable listen and if you enjoy old school Scandinavian death metal you should find a lot to like here. The sound production is also quite good (recorded and mixed at Sunlight Studios, Stockholm, Sweden with producer Tomas Skogsberg), so a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is still warranted even though "The Karelian Isthmus" isn´t the most remarkable death metal album from the early 90s Finnish death metal scene.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

— First review of this album —

"Vulgar Necrolatry / Misery Path" is a single release by Finnish death metal act Amorphis. The single was released through Relapse Records in June 1991. It´s Amorphis first label release after forming in 1990 and releasing the "Disment of Soul" demo in 1991. It was not the "Disment of Soul" demo, which got Amorphis signed by Relapse Records though. The label had heard guitarist/vocalist Tomi Koivusaari´s former band Abhorrence´s February 1990 "Vulgar Necrolatry" demo, and they contacted Koivusaari to sign Abhorrence. They didn´t realise that Abhorrence at that point had broken up a while ago, but they also showed an interest in signing Amorphis (without having heard a single note from them), on the condition that Amorphis would record a cover of the "Vulgar Necrolatry" track and include it on this single.

So the single features a cover of "Vulgar Necrolatry" (featuring Abhorrence vocalist Jukka Kolehmainen on guest vocals) and the B-side track "Misery Path". Both are raw and old school Scandinavian styled death metal tracks and both are good quality songs, which are well written, well performed, and well produced. The tracks appear in the exact same versions on the December 1993 "Privilege of Evil" EP, which chronologically was Amorphis next recording (the remaining material on the EP was recorded at the same May 1991 session as the two tracks on this single), but because of label issues wasn´t released until after the release of their debut full-length studio album "The Karelian Isthmus" (Relapse Records, November 1992).

Both tracks were also re-recorded and included on "The Karelian Isthmus", although "Vulgar Necrolatry" only appears as a bonus track on the CD version of the original release (the original vinyl version does not include "Vulgar Necrolatry"). Upon conclusion this is a decent quality single from Amorphis, but to my ears the original Abhorrence version of "Vulgar Necrolatry" features a more morbid charm. "Misery Path" is decent quality death metal song too, but it´s not a standout track. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

— First review of this album —

"Disment of Soul" is the first demo recording by Finnish death metal act Amorphis. The demo was independently released in January 1991. Amorphis was formed in 1990 by drummer Jan Rechberger and guitartist Esa Holopainen after their former band Violent Solution split-up. Former Violent Solution guitarist Tomi Koivusaari, who had spend 1990 playing and recording with Abhorrence was asked to join on guitars and vocals (Abhorrence had just disbanded), and the last piece of the puzzle was the addition of bassist Olli-Pekka Laine.

Stylistically the material on "Disment of Soul" is more or less a continuation of the raw and brutal old school Scandinavian death metal style of the Abhorrence releases, which is only natural as Koivusaari was the main composer in both Abhorrence and on the early Amorphis releases. The quality of the material and the quality of the sound production are not quite up there with the Abhorrence releases though (this at times sound more like a rehearsal demo than a demo recorded at a studio), but this was still early days for Amorphis and they would fast evolve their sound and hone their skills. Upon conclusion "Disment of Soul" is a decent quality death metal demo, but it´s not up there with the greatest contemporary Finnish demos by artists like Abhorrence, Disgrace, Xysma, Funebre, and Demigod. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

AMORPHIS is one of those bands that has certainly earned its place in metal history as one of Finland's most successful bands that has consistently cranked out albums for the last 30 years beginning with its death doom debut 'The Karelian Isthmus.' Probably most famous for its popularizing of folk death metal with its lauded 'Tales From The Thousand Lakes,' AMORPHIS was not one to rest on those laurels alone and boldly reinvented itself with the following 'Elegy' where the band established itself as a major force in the world of progressive metal with death metal ties. After a series of less fruitful experiments the band once again latched onto a stylistic approach in 2006 with 'Eclipse' which provided the blueprint that seemed to work so well and therefore AMORPHIS has been pretty much crafting variations on this style ever since.

Existing somewhere between the world of progressive rock, melo-death and folk metal, AMORPHIS returns in 2022 with HALO its 15th overall studio album and the third installation of the trilogy that includes 'Under The Cloud' and the previous album par excellence 'Queen of Time.' With a stable lineup since 2006's 'Eclipse,' AMORPHIS has morphed into a true power house of melo-metal and continues to release epic sounding albums that although may be a bit too commercial in nature for many diehard metalheads, nevertheless delivers in a consistency unparalleled in the vast metal universe. While HALO fails in reinventing the band's long established stylistic approach, it certainly delivers the goods for true fans who long for that clever mix of melo-death guttural growls mixed with clean vocal melodies, catchy pop infused hooks and a clash between abrasive brutality and slick production values. Oh and the production value with nice backing vocal sections is slickly satisfying.

In some ways, HALO harkens back to the 'Tales From The Thousand Lakes' era with more deathened guttural growls that add a bit of contrast to the otherwise oft syrupy melodic approaches that the band has pretty much always dished out in great abundance. While a direct successor of 'Queen of Time,' this time around the emphasis seems to be to craft a more abrupt contrast between the instantly accessibly melodic constructs with the extreme nature of death metal. Calculated? Yeah, a bit but AMORPHIS has a propensity of bringing it all together in a way only these Finns can. With 11 tracks that near the 56 minute mark, AMORPHIS may not reinvent the wheel but offer yet another interesting variation in their well establish theme. This time around in addition to the plethora of guitars, bass, drums and keyboards, some of which have mined the psychedelic world of 1970s progressive rock, there are also moments of sitar sounds and other unexpected treats.

AMORPHIS has never been a top dog in my metal world. Just a little too comfy in that playing it safe zone for my tastes but i cannot deny that this band is exceptional when it comes to walking that middle ground between extremely nauseatingly commercial and exhilaratingly edgy. The formula has propelled these Finns to the top of the metal universe's superstar status and that is no small feat indeed. I'm certainly not adverse to commercial sounds even in the styles of extreme metal that are best left to the unabashed extremists who spit in the face of accessibility but i have to admit that i do find the smoothed out sounds of AMORPHIS to be intriguing as this band really knows the art of balance in how it walks these tightrope acts. Given the similarities between any AMORPHIS album since 'Eclipse,' it has become more difficult to distinguish albums but for some reason i don't enjoy this one as much as i did with 'Queen of Time.'

It wouldn't surprise me if AMORPHIS is around another decade or two repeating this formula with similar praise and contempt heaped upon it for its resolute dedication to its stylist approach that it's loath to alienate however in the year 2022 it is starting to sound a bit dated and perhaps the band should consider a slight upgrade in its comfort zone. All in all HALO is yet another consistent release that will neither offend or surprise but continues the AMORPHIS proggy melo-death sound in all its predictability. Although this is not a favorite band by any means, AMORPHIS certainly garners a lot of respect in its business model for sure. Biggest complaint of this album is the formula runs dry after about 2/3 of the album and then yawn.

3.5 rounded down