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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you love melodic metal, you need to own this, February 8, 2006
This disc isn't just another Amorphis album, it's a full listening experience. The whole album is inspired by Finnish folk tales, both lyrically as well as musically. It's been out for a decade now, and I still listen to the disc in it's entirety on a regular basis. This disc will grow and grow on you. You will not have a favorite track, you will fall in love with the entire disc. As far as I'm concerned, the best Amorphis disc ever released.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Under The Sand My Sweet One...", June 21, 2006
The album that raised Amorphis to the top. The fusion of Tomi's signature cookie monster growls and newcomer Pasi's pure voice is phenomenal. With the addition of second vocals, the songs actually structure better and the feeling of a complete group takes form. Although Melodic Death Metal really doesn't require two vocalists, that's where this cuts that rule. Tomi, Pasi, and each song goes so smoothly that the album would be utterly destroyed if you made Pasi's voice absent.
Favorites:
Better Unborn
On Rich And Poor
My Kantele
Song Of The Troubled One
Weeper On The Shore
Elegy
Relief
"Better Unborn" shines a very adaptive Middle Eastern tune, which everyone always enjoys. Over a minute later the entire group takes it on again instrumentally, and its quite catchy. Tomi starts doing his part fabulously with those great vocals of his. After this Pasi let's loose what he does best. The lyrics aren't bad either.
"On Rich And Poor" shoots instantly with a solid riff while Tomi performs his duty, with Pasi on entrance afterwards. This song has pure instrumental power in it, full of great folk riffs and solos. Probably the fastest and catchiest at the same time.
"Elegy" is truly the albums masterpiece. Pasi begins amidst the beautiful piano with his voice to touch even space. Very folkish during Esa's solos. This song, as touching as it sounds, is about the loss of a loved one. Tomi performs his last growls on this track, and the piano takes care of the rest. The guitars at the end are wonderful.
While an epic altogether, there is no doubt in saying that Pasi...softened...Amorphis. This is the album, though residing at Amorphis' peak, was more of an experimental album and trailed from the typical Melodic Death sound. This does not go without saying that it is one of the greatest albums ever created in the genre. To me, -Elegy- sits close to Amorphis' previous work -Tales From The Thousand Lakes-. I would strictly recommend picking up both albums for the sole privilege of enjoying them. If you want laden with catch riffs and solos atop great instrumentation and vocals, both albums are necessities.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Band's (and possibly Genre's) Best Album, February 6, 2005
Following in the footsteps of their previous album, the hybrid Tales From the Thousand Lakes, Amorphis continues to blend staple death-metal fanfare with melodic Scandinavian folklore and melody. With new "clean" singer Pasi Koskinen, the band expands their sound to acoustic guitars, spacey keyboards, and a beautifully clean production.
The opening track (though the weakest, still impressive) is no doubt inspired by Middle-Eastern melodies (a la Therion) with an aggressive touch. "Against Widows" is a gem; Esa Holopainen's harmonizing guitars, changes in pitch and a double-bass rhythm throughout make this a stand-out track among a unanimously impressive selection. "The Orphan" is exceptional: an atmospheric keyboard/guitar intro and not a single grunt in the song's 5-minute run, half of which is instrumental. The album is stunning. Like its predecessor, the album was inspired by the Finnish companion to the Kalevala, the Kanteletar (?).
Even with the new additions and expansions, the album is never soft or mainstream. Powerhouses "Song of the Troubled One" and the instrumental attack of "Relief" keep the death-metal in Amorphis (without, of course, ignoring the amazing sonic keyboard accompaniments). Signs of musical evolution are, no doubt, apparent. The keyboard interludes in "Cares" and the all-acoustic "My Kantele (reprise)" foreshadow the radical shift in sound that Amorphis would undertake in subsequent albums.
As a band whose albums are clearly individual and unique (much like Ulver), Amorphis peaked with Elegy, a perfect union between the power of guitars and the keyboard's sonic edge. An instant classic.
See also: Amorphis - Tales From the Thousand Lakes, Vanitas - Das Leben ein Traum
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