Founded 1990 in Helsinki, AMORPHIS have worked their way to the apex of the European metal scene and won international renown. The band's name, derived from "amorphous" (no determinate form or shape), has been programmatic for the pioneers of Finnish metal over the course of their 19-year career. Setting a diverse, intricate and unique style to their musical approach, often being described as "ahead of their time", the band accrued a large and loyal international fan base. From their independently released demo Disment of Soul (1991) through the current releases, Amorphis have always fused elements of traditional heavy, death and doom metal with a great variety of non-metal influences, including folk, progressive and psychedelia, and managed to create an instantly recognizable sound of their own. The band's break-through came in 1994 with Tales From The Thousand Lakes. The album won the band a massive fan base around the world, reaching a multitude of listeners among and beyond the metal community, and remains immensely popular to this day.
In the early stages of their career, Amorphis consisted of Tomi Koivusaari (guitarist and original vocalist), Esa Holopainen (guitars), Olli-Pekka Laine (bass), and Jan Rechberger (drums). Together they greatly affected the metal underground, gained recognition and soon scored a multi-album contract with Relapse Records. Shortly after, Amorphis released their debut album, The Karelian Isthmus. Receiving an impressive response, the band chose to venture even further into their keyboard-oriented progressive death metal sound while concocting their highly influential and classic Tales From The Thousand Lakes. Up to this day, Tales is considered to be one of the most notable and groundbreaking albums in the doom/death genre. For the first time incorporating lyrics from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, the album also was the first manifestation of the influential Amorphis sound, a seamless combination of intoxicating melodies and aggressive sounds delivered with both clean and harsh vocals.
The success of Tales From The Thousand Lakes provided Amorphis with the opportunity to tour the European continent several times, and followed by their first US tour in late 1994. Shortly thereafter, the band underwent some major musical and line-up changes. Continuing to feature lyrics based on traditional Finnish folk poetry, the third album Elegy introduced a new vocalist, Pasi Koskinen. This adjustment proclaimed a significant transformation in Amorphis' career. Pasi's unique vocals brought a new setting to the music, which now concentrated more on compelling keyboard atmospheres, psychedelic guitar sounds and a distinctive arrangement of the vocals, delivered by both Tomi and Pasi. Encouraged by popular and critical approval, the band members took three years to prepare their next album, honing the newfound style to perfection. Tuonela was liberally sprinkled with 1970s-style psychedelic touches and marked another great leap ahead for Amorphis, and its successor, Am Universum delved even further into progressive soundscapes.
In 2003, Amorphis released Far From The Sun. While closer to the band's metal roots than the previous longplayer, the album was again very relaxed and melodic as ever, spiced with Far Eastern touches as well as progressive elements in the vein of Pink Floyd. In the late summer of 2004, long-time singer Pasi Koskinen left the band, and Tomi Joutsen (Sinisthra) joined around the end of the year. With a new singer and new energy, the band recorded Eclipse, an acclaimed masterpiece that combined the best-loved elements of Amorphis' 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.
Eclipse was followed by Silent Waters in the late summer of 2007. The dynamic and emotional range of the new songs, all of which were based on a single episode from the Kalevala, went beyond any of Amorphis' earlier albums, yet at the same time hearkened back to the band's past output in all its diversity. The release of the new album was preceded by a string of festival appearances - including Germany's famous Wacken Open Air - and immediately followed by a five-week Finnish tour. The remainder of 2007 found Amorphis in Europe, Russia and Japan, whereas in 2008 they played in southeastern Europe, at a multitude of festivals and, during the fall, in the USA and Canada.
The new album Skyforger shares the lyrical concept of the two previous albums, its central character being Kalevala blacksmith Ilmarinen. Musically, the band soars to unprecedented heights; not abandoning the cherished ingredients of their sound but rather refining them, augmenting them with fresh elements, and delivering them with breathtaking passion and intensity. Both the album and the single Silver Bride went straight to number one in the Finnish charts, and the live qualities of 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, to be followed by the extensive Forging Europe Tour in the fall.
The tale goes ever on...
This is the official MySpace site for AMORPHIS. It is not operated by the band members themselves, but in close cooperation with them as well as with the band's label and management. For press contact/interview requests and booking information, please visit The Official AMORPHIS Website
Aux champs de Mede, d'Arabe et d'Armenie Deux grands copies trois fois s'assembleront Pres du rivage d'Araxes la mesnie Du grand Soliman en terre tomberont.
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Le 24 Janvier 2010 à l'Elysée Montmartre (75018 Paris) 14h >> 22h30 A l'affiche : ARKONA, BELENOS, ANGANTYR, STILLE VOLK, XIV DARK CENTURIES, HEOL TELWEN, TORNAOD, VIKINGS'N'CELTS
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