Amorphis

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Amorphis

Their last three albums all sound the same to me. Mid-tempo "progressive" Gothic Metal. Not bad but not terribly original. I miss their brutal days.

At least in their early days, none of their albums sounded alike, they were always changing as their name implied. I like all of their stuff to one degree or another, but they really should keep the evolution going, that was part of their appeal.

[NTNR]

Re: Amorphis

At least in their early days, none of their albums sounded alike, they were always changing as their name implied. I like all of their stuff to one degree or another, but they really should keep the evolution going, that was part of their appeal.

Agreed. They apparently found the sound/style they were looking for, hence the arguable stagnation.

[Os Abysmi Vel Daath]

Re: Amorphis Yeah, I agree completely. The last few albums are pretty interchangeable. The new singer's got a great growl, though.

[desolated-reveries]

Re: Amorphis Agreed, great growl, pretty melodies... But that's nearly all.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Re: Amorphis I have Tales, FUCKING LOVE IT!!!, once I've polished off the doom suggestions I'll be going back and getting their other stuff, same with Anathema though I'll research them first, bought on of their albums after I bought The Silent Enigma and it (the other one I bought) was fucking garbage, didn't even add it to my iTunes I hated it that much

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Amorphis Their first 3 albums are my favorites, with Elegy taking the top spot. They have some good stuff other than those, but they are the ones that I would call essential.

[Os Abysmi Vel Daath]

Re: Amorphis Tales is definitely my favorite. Elegy and Karelian are pretty awesome as well. I've said this before, but the new ones are cool but not terribly unique.

[Fraggle]

Hello - apologies if I'm in the wrong category here (I'm new !) but anyone else looking forward to this ? As much as I enjoyed "Beginning of Times" I did feel it was a little bit of a step back from Skyforger & Silent Waters, especially after watching/listening to the brilliant Forging the Land of a Thousand Lakes DVD/CD. Caught the "Hopeless Days" video (well lyrics only) and I thikn this could be a full on return to form - not that "Beginnings of Time" was bad - far from from it - but just not quite there. So pre-order it might have to be - although in the UK it'll be Amazon as Nuclear Blast's shipping is mental. Probably going to go for the CD/DVD pack. Anyone else ?

[BlutAusNerd]

I haven't picked up anything since Skyforger, not intentionally, I've just been focusing my funds on other bands. I haven't heard anything since then, so I'm not sure what to think. Their newer style is good, but was getting a bit played out by Skyforger, so hopefully they've changed it up a bit, or I might be very interested.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I only own Tales From The Thousand Lakes so far and honestly I've looked into Amorphis songs from after that album and they do nothing for me so unless the new album sounds similar to Thousand Lakes I probably won't buy it

[BlutAusNerd]

I've posted a few tracks from Elegy, so you know what that sounds like by now. After Elegy they got pretty rockish, and it's not bad, but it lost the edge, heaviness, and harsh vocals of the early work. Here are some examples from before and after Tales that you might like: The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu (from The Karelian Isthmus): eI-dBds21YU Born From Fire (from Eclipse): qwAiKDsqSu4 A Servant (From Silent Waters): k8pn99U3wM0

[Iceni]

Amorphis have changed on their latest album, if the new song is any indication. I'm not really sure that it's a change for the better, the backing riffs are kind of simple and boring...even the chorus is a bit uninspiring in my opinion. Zt9_xAiYQJ8 I listened though The Beginning Of Times and I liked it quite a bit.

[orcslayr23]

I'd go as far as to say Circle is my second favorite album of the year and my favorite album of theirs (can't get into anything before Eclipse). None of the tracks are weak and i'm definitely digging the heavier direction they're taking. More screaming and a heavier guitar tone. I was lucky enough to find the korean import, which has two awesome bonus tracks \m/

[FatherAlabaster]

^^Wow, you don't like anything before Eclipse but you like harsh vocals and heavy guitar tone? Do you dig any of the old stuff that BAN posted? I tried Eclipse but even that wasn't really my jam. I like Karelian Isthmus the best, Tales will always have a special place in my collection, Elegy was really good and Tuonela was kind of OK, and I just don't get anything out of their later material at all. The old death metal recordings are still some of my favorites from that time period.

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Amorphis - Circle.

^^Wow' date=' you don't like anything before Eclipse but you like harsh vocals and heavy guitar tone? Do you dig any of the old stuff that BAN posted? I tried Eclipse but even that wasn't really my jam. I like Karelian Isthmus the best, Tales will always have a special place in my collection, Elegy was really good and Tuonela was kind of OK, and I just don't get anything out of their later material at all. The old death metal recordings are still some of my favorites from that time period.[/quote'] Yeah, it doesn't make sense to like Eclipse onward and not at least Elegy of the old stuff, as an Elegy/Tuonela hybrid is basically what they've been going for since then. Elegy is my favorite, followed by Karelian and Tales, Orcslayer should give those a shot. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[orcslayr23]

The elements that drew me to Amorphis (ie. their newer stuff) aren't that present in their older material, which is why it's probably hard for me to get into it. I do have Magic and Mayhem, but I haven't given it much of a listen aside from a few tracks.

[FatherAlabaster]

Now you listen to me, young man. Frank Sinatra, there's a real singer. None of your Robert Plant and Ozzy Osbourne and these other longhaired kids screaming their heads off and shaking their asses like girls. No sir, that's no kind of music for a man. Go get a Frank Sinatra record, if you want to hear REAL music.

[orcslayr23]

#trololololololo

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Amorphis - Circle.

Now you listen to me' date=' young man. Frank Sinatra, there's a real singer. None of your Robert Plant and Ozzy Osbourne and these other longhaired kids screaming their heads off and shaking their asses like girls. No sir, that's no kind of music for a man. Go get a Frank Sinatra record, if you want to hear REAL music.[/quote'] Damn kids turning their AM radios up to 5, holding hands in public, it's unnatural. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[H34VYM3T4LD4V3]

Re: Amorphis - Circle. I like Frank Sinatra he would have been good in a power metal band xD

[Idlewilde]

I loved the album, I had it on my mp3 for quite a while. I like Skyforger better, but i find this one quite good as well.

[Requiem]

Look, I really feel bad about pulling up a three and a half year old thread. I really do. It's not something I'm proud of. But I really want to talk about Amorphis. None of us are perfect, so just let me pull this thread up and I promise not to do it too often... Agreed? Alright good. Let's move on then. 

Amorphis are one of my all time favourite bands. I was actually surprised to see them mentioned in the Progressive Metal forum, but I guess it's not that bad a fit, even though much of their music has a clear verse/chorus structure. Certainly their melodic approach lends them an aspect of progressivism. I guess.

'Elegy' is easily in my top ten albums of all time from any band. I remember when it came out in 1996 (there's that year again) it just blew my friends and me away. It has that perfect blend of melody, emotion, traditional Finnish folklore lyrics from the Kanteletar, growled and clean vocals, perfect cover etc etc. I still can't get over how good it is. 

'Tales from the Thousand Lakes' is also a classic and my second favourite of theirs. The atmosphere is almost unparalleled. Songs from my vulnerable teenage years, what can I say? That blue cover artwork just fit the music perfectly and even today my friend and I say, "It's an Amorphis sky" when that deep blue appears. This album takes me to another world. Beautiful lyrics from the national Finnish book 'Kalevala' which I have by the way and is well worth getting if you're into middle ages literature. 

The Tomi Joutsen era is also brilliant. I think they did well, however, to change things just a little bit with the 'Circle' album, because after 'Eclipse', 'Silent Waters', 'Skyforger' and the fairly boring 'The Beginning of Times', they really did begin to tread water in what began as an amazing comeback sound. The first three of these albums are brilliant, but by the fourth, 'TBoT', it got a bit stale. 

Then when 'Circle' came out they just had a new lease on life. It's not a revolutionary change, but there's just a freshness that pervades the songs. An energy that's back. 'Circle' and their most recent 'Under the Red Cloud' are my favourite Joutsen albums. Modern metal masterpieces. The lyrics are just brilliant, written by Pekka Kainulainen, a poet who has taken Kalevala stories and interpreted them. 

I personally find 'The Karelian Isthmus' a little primitive for my taste but I still love it. It's got all the elements that make Amorphis great. I just think the (band written) lyrics are a bit weak and they were still finding their feet. I know people love this album, and I do too in a way, but I don't rate it up there with Amorphis' best. 

As for 'Tuonela', 'Am Universum' and 'Far From the Sun', there are ok moments in there but overall they're very boring and mediocre albums. No growls, no great melodies, just plodding rock with an increasingly bored Pasi Koskinen phoning in his vocals. Hard to believe it's the same guy who came in and sang cleans on 'Elegy' and changed my life. 

It's a sultry summer night; a fragrant breeze drifts through the open double-doors, and I thought I'd share my view on Amorphis. Thanks for reading. 

 

[FatherAlabaster]

2 hours ago, Requiem said:

Look, I really feel bad about pulling up a three and a half year old thread. I really do. It's not something I'm proud of. But I really want to talk about our lord and savior, Tomi Joutsen, and his prophets Koivusaari, Tuomi, and Koskinen.

There, fixed it for you.

[BlutAusNerd]

Look, I really feel bad about pulling up a three and a half year old thread. I really do. It's not something I'm proud of. But I really want to talk about Amorphis. None of us are perfect, so just let me pull this thread up and I promise not to do it too often... Agreed? Alright good. Let's move on then. 

Amorphis are one of my all time favourite bands. I was actually surprised to see them mentioned in the Progressive Metal forum, but I guess it's not that bad a fit, even though much of their music has a clear verse/chorus structure. Certainly their melodic approach lends them an aspect of progressivism. I guess.

'Elegy' is easily in my top ten albums of all time from any band. I remember when it came out in 1996 (there's that year again) it just blew my friends and me away. It has that perfect blend of melody, emotion, traditional Finnish folklore lyrics from the Kanteletar, growled and clean vocals, perfect cover etc etc. I still can't get over how good it is. 

'Tales from the Thousand Lakes' is also a classic and my second favourite of theirs. The atmosphere is almost unparalleled. Songs from my vulnerable teenage years, what can I say? That blue cover artwork just fit the music perfectly and even today my friend and I say, "It's an Amorphis sky" when that deep blue appears. This album takes me to another world. Beautiful lyrics from the national Finnish book 'Kalevala' which I have by the way and is well worth getting if you're into middle ages literature. 

The Tomi Joutsen era is also brilliant. I think they did well, however, to change things just a little bit with the 'Circle' album, because after 'Eclipse', 'Silent Waters', 'Skyforger' and the fairly boring 'The Beginning of Times', they really did begin to tread water in what began as an amazing comeback sound. The first three of these albums are brilliant, but by the fourth, 'TBoT', it got a bit stale. 

Then when 'Circle' came out they just had a new lease on life. It's not a revolutionary change, but there's just a freshness that pervades the songs. An energy that's back. 'Circle' and their most recent 'Under the Red Cloud' are my favourite Joutsen albums. Modern metal masterpieces. The lyrics are just brilliant, written by Pekka Kainulainen, a poet who has taken Kalevala stories and interpreted them. 

I personally find 'The Karelian Isthmus' a little primitive for my taste but I still love it. It's got all the elements that make Amorphis great. I just think the (band written) lyrics are a bit weak and they were still finding their feet. I know people love this album, and I do too in a way, but I don't rate it up there with Amorphis' best. 

As for 'Tuonela', 'Am Universum' and 'Far From the Sun', there are ok moments in there but overall they're very boring and mediocre albums. No growls, no great melodies, just plodding rock with an increasingly bored Pasi Koskinen phoning in his vocals. Hard to believe it's the same guy who came in and sang cleans on 'Elegy' and changed my life. 

It's a sultry summer night; a fragrant breeze drifts through the open double-doors, and I thought I'd share my view on Amorphis. Thanks for reading. 

 

Both Tales and Elegy especially had a lot of prog rock influence, and since I would call Elegy one of the best albums by any band, I can agree with placing the band here on its behalf. Glad to see another fan, that album is totally unparalleled.

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk

[FatherAlabaster]

10 hours ago, Requiem said:

'Elegy' is easily in my top ten albums of all time from any band. I remember when it came out in 1996 (there's that year again) it just blew my friends and me away. It has that perfect blend of melody, emotion, traditional Finnish folklore lyrics from the Kanteletar, growled and clean vocals, perfect cover etc etc. I still can't get over how good it is. 

'Tales from the Thousand Lakes' is also a classic and my second favourite of theirs. The atmosphere is almost unparalleled. Songs from my vulnerable teenage years, what can I say? That blue cover artwork just fit the music perfectly and even today my friend and I say, "It's an Amorphis sky" when that deep blue appears. This album takes me to another world. Beautiful lyrics from the national Finnish book 'Kalevala' which I have by the way and is well worth getting if you're into middle ages literature. 

The lyrics have always been hit or miss to me. Some of them are evocative - "Elegy", "Better Unborn", "The Orphan", "The Castaway" - but plenty of them are plain awkward. And I've always been annoyed by the misogyny in "Magic And Mayhem" and "Against Widows", I don't think those songs would fly without the historical interest. I don't have to agree with a song in order to enjoy it, but I don't get much from those lyrics.