Amorphis for Progressive Metal

Amorphis: Founded in 1990 in Helsinki, Finland; still active as of February 2024.

Amorphis was formed in 1990 by Jan Rechberger and Esa Holopainen following the break up of their previous band, a thrash metal outfit called 'Violent Solution' - a break up which had really begun when guitarist/vocalist Tomi Koivusaari had left to form the death metal band 'Abhorrence', with Koivusaari being replaced by Holopainen in 'Violent Solution'. Amorphis's initial lineup consisted of Jan on drums, Esa on lead guitars, Tomi Koivusaari rejoining his former bandmates as guitarist/vocalist, and Olli-Pekka 'Oppu' Laine completing the lineup as bassist.

The name of the band is derived from the Greek 'amorphous', which means without determinate form, or shapeless, and the new group essentially played death metal inspired by Carcass and Morbid Angel, a style unique to just a handful of Finnish bands in the early '90s. However, from their independently released demo tape 'Disment of Soul' (recorded in 1991 by Timo Tolkki at TTT studios) right through to the more recent releases, Amorphis have always fused these elements of traditional heavy, death and doom metal with a variety of other non-metal influences, including folk, progressive and psychedelia, allowing them to create an instantly recognizable sound all of their own.

After Amorphis had recorded their first studio demo tape, Luxi Lahtinen, a well-connected Finnish tape trader, sent it to Relapse Records, an American label which focused on extreme metal, since Finnish record companies at that time were really only interested in thrash and speed metal, the popularity of which had exploded in the late '80s in Finland with the success of the band 'Stone'. Relapse responded saying that they had wanted to sign Abhorrence, whose demo Lahtinen had also sent them. But, since Abhorrence had broken up in 1990 and was no longer active, Amorphis were signed to a worldwide recording deal instead.

Soon after getting signed, they released their death metal debut 'The Karelian Isthmus' (recorded at Stockholm's famed Sunlight Studio in May 1992), followed by the 'Privilege of Evil' EP (1993). The EP included a cover of the Abhorrence song “Vulgar Necrolatry” featuring the original vocalist, Jukka Kolehmainen. Relapse Records would remain Amorphis's label until 2001. The Karelian Isthmus took its name from a historic Finnish battleground, and its lyrics contemplated universal themes of warfare and religion, drawing on Celtic mythology rather than the traditions of the band's homeland.

Receiving an impressive response to these early releases, the band chose to venture further into melodic terrain with the next full studio album 'Tales From The Thousand Lakes' (1994), and this change of Amorphis's signature sound from the death metal style that characterized its earlier history towards a cleaner, more melodic sound, with additional progressive keyboard sounds and clean guest vocals (performed by Ville Tuomi of Kyyria), meant that this was really the band's breakthrough album. While the synth parts on their first album were originally played by drummer Jan, Amorphis had since found Kasper Mårtenson to be their full-time keyboardist.

The album helped the band gain a massive international following—it reached many listeners both within and beyond the metal community, and it has remained very popular to this day. It is considered by many to be one of the most groundbreaking albums ever in the doom/death genre. With this sophomore release - a concept album based on the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala - the group also reclaimed its Finnish heritage in some style, creating an album that single-handedly put the small Nordic country firmly on the global map of progressive metal. The contrast between Ville's melodic voice and Tomi's growls brought a new dimension to the band's sound, as did the increased usage of synthesizer and piano.

In more recent years, songs from this album have made a comeback in Amorphis's live set, seamlessly blending with the band's later work and proving they have indeed stood the test of time. The success of 'Tales From The Thousand Lakes' led to several European tours, followed by their first US tour in late 1994. These strenuous tours and tough schedules took their toll, however, and shortly afterward the band underwent some major musical and line-up changes (in 1995 and 1996). Kasper Mårtenson decided to leave the band and Kim Rantala briefly became the keyboardist (to be later replaced by Santeri Kallio in 1999). Jan was replaced as drummer by Pekka Kasari of the Finnish metal band 'Stone', and just before recording their third album, Amorphis recruited a sixth member, Pasi Koskinen, as an additional vocalist. Pasi and Tomi Koivusaari would split clean and harsh vocal duties between them before Tomi eventually stopped singing altogether.

With this new line-up, the band created their most adventurous album yet. Elegy (1996) became a quantum leap for Amorphis, considered by many to be the watershed between their death/doom beginnings and the unique brand of progressive rock that has been the cornerstone of their albums ever since. Continuing to feature lyrics adapted from Finnish mythology and traditional Finnish folk poetry (in this case, the Kanteletar), Pasi's unique vocals brought a new setting to the music of 'Elegy', which now concentrated more on compelling keyboard atmospheres. 

After about one and a half years of ceaseless touring following the release of Elegy, the band took time out to recharge their batteries and think about new material. Due to the loss of keyboard player Kim Rantala, it was clear that the next album would need to have the massive production of Elegy scaled back somewhat, with the band instead striving for an earthier, less meandering feel, and the 'Tuonela' album (1999) eventually took three years to prepare. Towards the end of the studio sessions, Santeri Kallio of Kyyria was brought in to add some tasteful keyboard tracks to the songs, but first and foremost 'Tuonela' was a guitar album. Honing the newfound style to perfection, this album was liberally sprinkled with 1970s-style psychedelic touches, as well as some foreign spices provided by saxophonist/flutist Sakari Kukko of world music legend Piirpauke, and marked another great leap ahead for Amorphis. 

The new millennium was greeted with the tenth-anniversary compilation 'Story', released in May 2000 via Spinefarm Records, and another line-up change. Following the breakup of Kyyria, Santeri Kallio had already joined Amorphis as a full-time member, but bassist Olli-Pekka Laine felt he could no longer commit himself to the band. He was succeeded by another ex-Kyyria member, Niclas Etelävuori, who came in just in time for Amorphis's third U.S. tour. The band returned to the studio shortly afterward to record their fifth album 'Am Universum', released in 2001, which retained the moody atmosphere of 'Tuonela' whilst also introducing more varied soundscapes and a much wider dynamic range. Instead of letting the guitars dominate throughout, more space was given to keyboards and saxophone work, the latter again being contributed by Sakari Kukko. All vocals including the few remaining grunts were now performed by Pasi Koskinen, who had also written almost all of the lyrics.

In 2003, Relapse released the retrospective 'Chapters', which included a DVD featuring the band's videos from "Black Winter Day" to "Alone", but this release marked the end of Amorphis's longstanding relationship with Relapse Records. Freed from a contract whose small print had not always been in their best interests, the band members decided to record the next album on their own terms and look for a new label with the finished product already in hand. 'Far From The Sun' (2003) was produced by the band itself, which now had original drummer Jan Rechberger back in the fold after Pekka Kasari had quit to concentrate on family duties.

Most of the tracks were recorded at Niclas Etelävuori's and Santeri Kallio's own CCPC studio and no guest performances were involved apart from some background vocals, meaning that the album came closer to the Amorphis live sound than any of their previous recordings had. Compared to 'Am Universum', 'Far From The Sun' turned out heavier, more straightforward, and closer to the band's metal roots than the previous release, and was also once again more folk-oriented, this time with more of a Turkish and Persian far eastern theme. 

The album was released by Virgin/EMI in Europe the spring of 2003, but the US release had to wait until the fall of 2004 and would have been accompanied by a North American tour, had the tour not been canceled for reasons beyond the band's control. The prospect of this tour, however, had already given Pasi Koskinen the reason he had been looking for to leave the band in the late summer of 2004 after nine years, to concentrate on his various other musical projects. Pasi was replaced by Tomi Joutsen (Sinisthra) after a lengthy period of auditions for the role. The band received more than a hundred demo tapes, but found none of them to be a suitable fit for the band. Joutsen eventually secured an audition through word of mouth, and in 2005 he became the band’s new singer. Tomi Joutsen's intense, deeply emotional delivery immediately won the crowds over at each concert the band gave in 2005, including a one-month tour of North America. 

With a new singer and new energy, the band recorded their seventh album 'Eclipse', an acclaimed masterpiece that combined the best-loved elements of Amorphis's unique sound with fresh vigour. The album went straight to the top of the Finnish charts and was followed by triumphant live appearances all over Europe before the band retreated again to the recording studio. Following the release of Eclipse, Amorphis would also sign with its current label, Nuclear Blast. Tomi Joutsen brought not only new vigor and a fresh perspective to the band but also the initiative to revive the use of contrasting vocal styles that had contributed so much to the magic of 'Elegy' and 'Tales'. 'Eclipse' also featured a thematic return to the sources of Finland's literary heritage, recounting the fate of Kullervo, the most tragic character of the Kalevala.

Ensuing club gigs and festival appearances all over Europe established Amorphis as a first-rate live act, and all the while new songs were already in the making. Released in August 2007, 'Silent Waters' confirmed that a new era had indeed begun. This album was the first in the band's history to have been recorded with the same personnel as the previous one. All the new songs were based on a single episode from the Kalevala - namely Lemminkäinen's hunt for the Swan of Tuonela - and the release of the new album was preceded by a string of festival appearances - including Germany’s Wacken Open Air - and was immediately followed by a five-week Finnish tour. Throughout the rest of 2007, Amorphis toured in Europe, Russia, and Japan. In 2008 they played at several festivals in southeastern Europe, and toured in the USA and Canada in the fall. Eclipse and Silent Waters became the band’s first two gold-certified albums in Finland, as the band continued to grow their fanbase around the world.

Entering the studio straight after returning from a month of intense touring proved to be a wise choice, as Skyforger (2009) presents Amorphis tighter, more versatile and more focused than ever. The new album shares the lyrical concept of the two previous albums, its central character being Kalevala blacksmith Ilmarinen. The lyrics were again crafted by Finnish poet Pekka Kainulainen and translator Erkki Virta, who already collaborated on the previous album. Both the album and the single 'Silver Bride' went straight to number one in the Finnish charts, and the new songs were immediately tested and proven on the summer’s festival stages.

In September, Amorphis went on their first-ever tour of Latin America, followed by the extensive 'Forging Europe' tour in the fall. In the summer of 2010, the band presented its first-ever live DVD, which included two full shows recorded in 2009 as well as a career-spanning documentary. This release came at the same time as the 20th anniversary of Amorphis. To honor this milestone, the band re-recorded several of their classic tracks, and released them as a compilation album in September 2010

The band's tenth album 'The Beginning Of Times' (2011) showcases their trademark style to perfection, including plenty of reference to the death metal days, but simultaneously demonstrating that the band continues to embrace their more progressive and experimental side. Paying homage to Väinämöinen, the Kalevala's central character whom myth credits for bringing music into the world, the band brought forth its most versatile and nuanced effort to date. Iikka Kahri, who had been featured on flute and saxophone in several songs on Skyforger, was back in the fold, Tomi Koivusaari added a few discreet touches of pedal steel guitar and Santeri Kallio balanced the 1970s prog and 1990s death elements with some synth sounds straight out of the eighties. The album also featured the addition of Netta Dahlberg on backing vocals.

The band's eleventh album 'Circle' was released on April 19 2013 in Europe and April 30th in North America. On September 16, 2013, 'Circle' won Metal Hammer's "The Album of The Year" award. In 2014, Amorphis played a number of special 'Tales from the Thousand Lakes' 20th Anniversary shows where their 1994 album was performed in its entirety. The tour included festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Maryland Deathfest, and 70000 Tons of Metal with many other dates and festivals included.

The band began demoing new songs at the start of 2015, and recorded their twelfth studio full-length album 'Under The Red Cloud' in April 2015, at Fascination Street Studio, Örebro, Sweden with Jens Bogren. The album was released worldwide on 4 September 2015 by Nuclear Blast Records. The lyrics were written once again by Pekka Kainulainen, and similarly to 'Kalevala' they are descriptions of natural phenomena, seasons and the human mind. The poems do not form a complete story as such, but they are drawn together by a common theme. The release of the new album was followed by a world tour, starting with shows in the band's home country of Finland, followed by other parts of Europe with Nightwish & Arch Enemy in November 2015.

The thirteenth Amorphis studio album, called 'Queen of Time' was released on 18th May 2018 via Nuclear Blast Records. The recording of this album featured the band's former bass player Olli-Pekka 'Oppu' Laine who replaced longtime bassist Niclas Etelävuori, who after about 13 years with a steady line-up, quit Amorphis in April 2017 after their North American tour due to disagreements with the band's management, making this the first time since 'Tales from the Thousand Lakes' that all the original band members had played together on an album. On 23 March 2018, the band released the first single from the album, called "The Bee".

Amorphis released its fourteenth studio album 'Halo' on 24th February 2022, this marking the band's 30th anniversary since the release of its 1992 debut album 'The Karelian Isthmus'. Various complications related to the Covid-19 pandemic made the recording of the album somewhat challenging. The album is more guitar-driven and heavier than 'Queen of Time', continues to draw heavily on Finnish folklore (with references to Tuonela, the underworld realm of Finnish and Estonian mythology), and has been received well by both fans and critics, topping the charts in the band's home country of Finland and featuring in the top-10 charts of many other countries. Two songs from the album were released with full music videos early in 2022 ("The Moon" and "On the Dark Waters").