Amorphis' 'Queen of Time' - Album Review

Despite starting out as a death metal act when they formed in 1990, Finland's Amorphis have grown to become one of the most sophisticated and interesting bands of the modern metal scene. While never totally abandoning their death metal roots, the band have evolved their sound over the years to incorporate elements of gothic metal, folk, and progressive music to create a hybrid sound that is hard to pigeonhole. The band, who are approaching their thirtieth anniversary together, have unsurprisingly gone through various styles and moods on their journey to their current sound, but the Amorphis that was recognise today started back in 2005 when current frontman Tomi Joutsen joined the band. Joutsen's arrival moved the band out of the folky progressive rock phase the band cultivated during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and injected some of the heaviness that characterised the band's early work back into their sound. Joutsen was hired for his harsh vocal abilities, but he also possess a strong and soaring clean delivery - something which the band have made liberal use of throughout his thirteen years as frontman. In my opinion, since Joutsen's arrival, Amorphis have not released a bad album. 2006's Eclipse established the melodic, murky sound that Amorphis follow going forward, and each album has refined this formula or slightly tinkered with its ingredients. This good work culminated on 2015's Under the Red Cloud (which I reviewed here), which I consider to be one of the band's finest offerings. A heavier dose of folk was added to their established sound, which helped to create a dense and progressive album that was full of soulful melodies and mournful choruses. Amorphis' music is often extremely memorable, but at the same time dense and emotional - a combination that is rare. I think that this is the reason why I keep returning to their albums, as the melodies bury themselves in my brain while the lyrics and musical tapestries paint such a vivid picture of the mythology they are based around. In many ways Queen of Time, the band's newest effort, follows in the same vein of what has come before. The band's thirteenth album is typical of their other recent efforts, but takes on more of an overtly-progressive feel. Under the Red Cloud focused on folkier sounds, which are still present here, but Queen of Time creates a denser, more layered sound that is harder to initially penetrate but reaps rewards for those who do. The songs here are slightly longer than average for Amorphis, and they take more twists and turns than usual. Layers of synths give the album a strong sense of identity, while Esa Holopainen's guitar leads and Joutsen's vocal diversity make the album quintessential Amorphis. This album has also seen the band's first line-up change since 2005, as original bassist Olli-Pekka Laine rejoined the band last year to replace the long-standing Niclas Etelävuori who left the band due to disagreements over how the band was being managed. This is Laine's first Amorphis album since 1999's Tuonela, and the first time that all four of the band's founding members have played on an album together since 1994's seminal Tales from the Thousand Lakes.

The Bee, one of the album's lead singles, kicks the hour or so of new music off with a dancing synth melody set atop a swirling Middle Eastern backing. Wordless female vocals add to the ambience, before Joutsen unleashes one of his trademark growls as a muscular riff from the band's two guitarists kick in. The song is typical of Amorphis' modern sound, with a heavy verse mixing in well with a more melancholic chorus. Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari lay down a heavy mid-paced guitar rhythm during the verses, with Santeri Kallio's keyboards adding a retro-sounding growl counter-melody. Harsh vocals dominate the verses, but Joutsen displays his rumbling, melancholic cleans during the choruses which make use of the intro synth pattern which perfectly fits the crooned lyrical vocal style. The folky melodies that were the focus of Under the Red Cloud return with a force during the next song, Message in the Amber, with traditional folk instruments providing the main melodies during the song's intro. The bulk of the verses here are extremely sparse, with Joutsen's almost-whispered vocals paired with a simple percussive drum beat from Jan Rechberger and muted clean guitar melodies. The song does not stay this way for long however, as there are extended periods here that ramp up the heaviness. As the song builds towards the chorus, the song beefs up and this culminates in a powerful chorus led by Joutsen's throat-ripping growls as the folky melodies from the intro return to take a darker turn. The band's progressive tendencies are displayed in a choral-led section which sees an effects-heavy choral section taking over vocally to deliver sweet melodies atop a somewhat lumbering riff. The contrast works well, and showcases that the band are willing to step out of their comfort zone and include elements into their songwriting that they have not made a great use of previously. Daughter of Hate opens with a grand organ chord and a guitar riff that sounds surprisingly similar to Def Leppard's Women (not a comparison I was expect to make!). Rather than morphing into a 1980s piece of melodic rock, the song explodes into a heavy riff that soon gives way to a somewhat gothic verse with Joutsen's deep clean vocals rhythmically delivering the lyrics over Laine's piercing bassline. This is another song that showcases the band's progressive side, with a liberal use of saxophone throughout courtesy of Jørgen Munkeby (Shining). Amorphis have used saxophones before, but it is not something that has been included on one of their albums for a while. The instrument works however and provides a jazzy turn when you are not expecting it. There are plenty of classic Amorphis moments here too however, with a gorgeous slow guitar solo from Holopainen standing particularly out. This leads into a spoken word section delivered by the band's long-time lyricist Pekka Kainulainen, with his deep voice contributing to the atmosphere perfectly.

After a song that took a few diversions from the norm, The Golden Elk returns to the band's more traditional formula with plenty of soaring guitar leads from Holopainen and Kallio's dense keyboard arrangements. Joutsen moves between harsh and clean vocals with ease, but there seems to be a focus on his cleans here with a soaring chorus proving to be the song's focal point. The choruses on the album so far have not been as instantly memorable as some of the band's other recent efforts, but this is one that is sure to instantly hit home as Joutsen croons the surprisingly uplifting melodies with ease. An Oud solo, performed by Affif Merhej, provides an interesting slight diversion from the norm towards the end - but this change is short lived as another run through of the chorus is just around the corner. Wrong Direction, another of the album's singles, is another classic Amorphis track with a great, tricky guitar melody providing an early focus before a simplified version of it forms the basis of a rolling, percussive verse which sees Joutsen delivering the vocals in a semi-spoken fashion. Another huge chorus with hooks you could hang your coat on is never far away, with melodies that are sure to make the song a real winner when played live. I particularly like the way that the guitar melodies are extremely similar throughout the piece, with the exception of a folky mid-section with effects-heavy vocals, which helps to create a unified vibe. The verses and choruses flow in each other perfectly, and provide the perfect statement as to the band's current sound. Heart of the Giant opens with a clean guitar instrumental section, before exploding into a piece of dark symphonic metal with bombastic strings, subtle choral vocals, and a tough metal rhythm. The mix of melody and brutality is strong here, with Joutsen's harsh vocals during the verses mixing well with Holopainen's guitar leads. Throughout this album it tends to be the clean vocal sections that grab me the most, but the verses found in this song are a great example of Joutsen's growling prowess. The vocals are barked in an aggressive way, but still provide enough melody to make them easily enjoyable. The transition into the more delicate chorus is excellent too, providing a seamless link between the light and the shade. Kallio gets a chance to show off part-way through the song with an excellent keyboard solo too. We Accursed has a great folky intro, with the organic instruments once again provided by Chrigel Glanzmann (Eluveitie) as well as his Eluveitie bandmate Matteo Sisti, but this vibe does not really last as the piece soon opens up into one of the more consistently-heavy pieces on the album. Joutsen's harsh vocals dominate here, and the two guitarists find plenty of enjoyment in rolling out the tough riffs and peeling off soaring leads. An instrumental mid-section that sees both Holopainen and Kallio trading leads recalls the progressive hard rock bands of the 1970s. Fans of Deep Purple and Uriah Heep will recognise the style, and it is great to see two modern musical greats following in the footsteps of the legends that influenced them.

Grain of Sand is a slower, heavier song that recalls some of the great doom bands - with potential comparisons with bands like Paradise Lost to be made. The guitarists lay down a sluggish rhythm throughout, with the keyboards providing sparkling melodies to compensate, and Joutsen swaps off between clean and harsh vocals regularly to keep things interesting. While not exactly a bad song, it is probably my least favourite on the album as it is the least memorable. The hooks here are harder to find, but I do enjoy the fact that the band tried to change the pace here with much of the song moving at a much slower tempo than the vast majority of the rest of the album. Amongst Stars gets the album back on the winning track with a melodic, melancholic piece that features the distinctive vocal talents of Anneke Van Giersbergen (The Gathering; The Gentle Storm; Vuur). She has such a unique, shimmering voice; and she fits in with Amorphis' darker sound perfectly. Joutsen sings the verses clean, before Van Giersbergen takes over - duelling with Holopainen's guitar leads for prominence. The two singers clash in the chorus, with Van Giersbergen providing the beauty to Joutsen's beast as clean and harsh vocals mix together perfectly. Amorphis have not made use of guest vocalists very often in the past, but Van Giersbergen really adds a lot to the song and proves to be the perfect foil to Joutsen. It is a very memorable song for this reason, but the melodies are still very powerful - with an uplifting guitar lead providing the main musical meat. The album's closing number Pyres on the Coast is a bit more of a slow-burner, with the band's progressive side again on display. There are clear nods to the band's more extreme metal roots, with sparse black metal-esque verses that see Joutsen laying down a higher-pitched harsh vocal performance than usual. This, mixed with a sparse musical backing, creates a cold sound - which is enhanced with some strange, echoey clean vocals that follow. The vast majority of the song features harsh vocals however, and the chorus is much more typical of Amorphis with deep, music growls punching through the epic wall-of-sound backing. Elsewhere stabs of pure symphonic metal with soaring strings provide uplifting melodies, and a powerful instrumental section sees solos from Holopainen and Kallio. It is a powerful closing track that rounds off the album in style, and showcases why Amorphis are such a vital force in metal today. Overall, Queen of Time is another excellent album from the Finnish metal band and one that shows that sees them adding a few new sounds into their already-established canon. Fans of the band are sure to love this offering, but this is also the type of album that you wish non-metal fans would listen to so that they could see how diverse and interesting metal music can be.

The album was released on 18th May 2018 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Wrong Direction.