Search - Amorphis :: Elegy

If you love melodic metal, you need to own this

Anthony Lambiris | Boston, MA | 02/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

"Under The Sand My Sweet One..."

OzzyApu | Seattle, WA | 06/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.

"

One of the greatest metal albums ever

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 04/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Where do I even start with this one? How about this - Elegy is one of the greatest metal albums of all time. I know that's a bold statement, but once you hear this album you'll probably agree with me.



Amorphis began their career as a fairly straightforward death metal band. Sure, drawing inspiration from Finnish folk legends was an interesting touch, but the band wasn't really breaking new ground with their debut album The Karelian Isthmus. Their follow-up album, Tales From the Thousand Lakes, was a big step forward in that the band got a little more experimental, but it was still primarily a death metal album. With Elegy though, the band took a quantum leap forward and gave us a career-defining album nobody could have expected.



Part of the change was bringing in Pasi Koskinen to provide a "clean" vocal counterpart to the death metal growling. This added a whole new dimension to Amorphis's music. The other major change is that instead of just releasing another death metal album, the band incorporated new sounds like powerful melodies and exotic instruments. The album draws on bands like Hawkwind and Pink Floyd as much as it does Death, and the result is a metal album that is aggressive, progressive, psychedelic, and gothic all at once. It's somewhere between Paradise Lost and Opeth, but Elegy is such a unique and innovative album that I really don't feel it has any peers.



I could talk all day about this album and still never do it justice, so I'll close by recommending Elegy to every single metal fan. Seriously, there's something about this album that should appeal to virtually everyone that is into metal.



NOTE: Elegy was reissued in 2004 with three live bonus tracks. There's also a version out there that includes the whole My Kantele EP as bonus tracks. Buy whichever version turns you on the most."