By Nevin Ulusoy
Heavy metal, full of bursting energy, searching in the darkness, running after fears and passions ordinary lives afraid even to dream of gives us the sound of our inside rebellion. In our search for ourselves, we come across with lots of obstacles, the order wants everybody to have the same dreams, requires everyone to have the same longings in their hearts, maybe to forget they have a heart at all. So the yell must be very high, to wake everybody up from the sweet-smelling but rotten dreamy lives they are forced to live.
Scandinavian metal bands can be thought of as the most unique examples of this kind of music. Feeding with their legends, myths and ancient music, these bands provide us a fascinating musical experience. Amorphis, the wonderful Finnish band, is one of the best-performing Scandinavian metal bands. Amorphis has its name from a Greek word “amorphous”, meaning shapeless, formless. They started as a death metal band, but with their second album “Tales From The Thousand Lakes”, they blended traditional folk, psychedelia and metal. In this album, which was released in 1994, they used the “Kalavela”, the Finnish national epic. Mythological elements are really important in their songs. The keyboards have a great contribution to their sound. So we have that fascinating tunes that take us “Among Stars”. They have released thirteen albums so far. The members of the band has had some changes, but now we have Tomi Joutsen-the singer, Esa Holopoiner-lead guitar, Tomi Koivusaari-rhythm guitar and Olli-Pekka-vocals-bass guitar, Santeri Kallio-keyboards, Jan Rechberger-drums. The group started their music in 1990, they are with us, with a more thrilling musical experience now.
“In our search for ourselves, we come across with lots of obstacles, the order wants everybody to have the same dreams, requires everyone to have the same longings in their hearts, maybe to forget they have a heart at all. So the yell must be very high, to wake everybody up from the sweet-smelling but rotten dreamy lives they are forced to live.”
A legend of metal Amorphis.
Their last album,”Queen of Time” was released in 2018 and “The Bee” was the first single of the album. They travel around the world on tour now, give concerts to present their last album. Their concerts are experiences of a life time really. The concert started with “The Bee”, giving a harsh but thrilling atmosphere to the concert hall. The members played great and Tomi was as terrific as ever. They were never tired, so cheerful and with a warm relationship with the audience, until the end. The songs were mainly from the last album, but we had some wonderful songs from their previous albums as well, like “Wrong Direction“. The tides of music intoxicated us and took to lands full of light, so delightful. The concert ended with “House of Sleep“, unforgettable song with flames of love. We were sad that the concert ended but our faces were shining with the burning glow of life that our hearts were pumping.
A fire in the sky
Ablaze the spark beyond the stars
Its gleaming wings will cut their way
Through the silent paths of space
Planets whirl, suns are lit
Mountains fly, stars are dimmed
Its golden sabres tear through time
(From the song ‘The Bee’ that gives us a timeless experience)
More About Amorphis on Youtube; Amorphis Queen of Time, Amorphis the Bee, Amorphis Wrong Direction, Amorphis the Wanderer, Amorphis House of Sleep, Amorphis You I need, Amorphis Shaman, Amorphis Her Alone.