A few months later came Magic & Mayhem, best described as a best of from the first three albums (The Karelian Isthmus, Tales from the Thousand Lakes, Elegy and the Privilige of Evil EP) re-recorded with the present day line-up.
According to founding member and lead guitarist Esa Holopainen, revisiting that older material was a jump start for a new record, the official successor to 2009's Skyforger.
Skyforger had been considered the best album Amorphis ever made. Using the Kalevala epic once more, this time focusing on the character Seppo Ilmarinen, blacksmith and creator of the Sampo. They managed to create a concept album that lived up to high expectations. There wasn't a single low point.
Many suspected that Amorphis had reached the peak, and that a next album would definitely fail to live up to it.
In recent months, the band had noted they were in the studio, recording several songs for a new album. Anticipation rose and the band released a song as a teaser for the album which would be named "The Beginning of Times".
The single You I need was met with generally favorable reviews from fans and critics alike. A mellow, though uncharacteristically upbeat song that in terms of build up was akin' to the melancholic Sky is Mine on Skyforger. A second song was released to the public in the form of My Enemy whose intro sounded a lot like Silver Bride once again off Skyforger.
While that could be seen as being one-trick-ponyish, it was calming. It showed me that the band wasn't straying off the beaten path, but instead opted to knit another chapter to a successful story.
On May 27th, the record saw its release in Europe. I of course got it immediately. And several listening sessions later, I can conclude that it's not as good as Skyforger, yet. This album is a masterpiece. But it requires patience from the listener to fully grasp the entire thing. Not an unusual tactic when it comes to concept albums.
The albums opens with the song Battle for Light and immediately, it grabs you by the balls. Frontman Tomi Joutsen soothes you with mellow vocals, only to belt out a massive growl that makes your left testicle drop to the floor in amazement. Only to be followed by the right one later on.
The second song is Mermaid which is a beautiful ballad that showcases good musicianship, coupled with a powerful, yet mellow vocal performance. Especially keyboardist Santeri Kallio takes the cake. His intro immediately sets the tone. The song also debuts a very interesting novelty to Amorphis' repertoire. Tomi is accompanied by female vocals.
When My Enemy and You I Need pass on, there comes Song of the Sage, a song that could've easily been on Skyforger, musically. Tomi switches between powerful lead vocals and bellowing growls, a recipe that will never grow old.
Reformation is definitely my least favorite song of the record, and one that has played the least amount of times since I first heard it. There's nothing essentially wrong with this song, but there's nothing that really stands out, musically or vocally.
Bring on Soothsayer, the second and last song to feature vocals by the Finnish singer Netta Dahlberg. She manages to keep up with Tomi, which is a feat not given to many.
I'm not going through each song in depth. All I can tell you is that it's a must-have album. In Finland, it managed to hit the #1 spot in the charts, within the first few days of release. Just sayin'
Track Listing:
1. Battle for Light
2. Mermaid
3. My Enemy
4. You I Need
5. Song of the Sage
6. Three Words
7. Reformation
8. Soothsayer
9. On a Stranded Shore
10. Escape
11. Crack in a Stone
12. Beginning of Time
13. Heart's Song (Digipak Bonus Track
Personnel:
Tomi Joutsen - vocals
Niclas Etelävuori - bass guitar, backing vocals
Tomi Koivusaari - rhythm guitar
Esa Holopainen - lead guitar
Santeri Kallio - keyboards
Jan Rechberger - drums/percussion
Netta Dahlberg - guest vocals
Savotta Choir - guest backing vocals
Iika Kahri - guest flute, clarinet, saxophone
Produced by Marco Hietala (vocals) and Amorphis
rating: 89/100
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