The album's opening track, Northwards, really emphasises the band's slight shift towards a more consistently heavy sound. A short piano intro from Kallio sets the tone, but it is not long before the guitars of Holopainen and Koivusaari crash in - with the drums of Jan Rechberger adding to the heaviness with his fast double bass work. Amorphis' songs do not tend to be overly fast in a thrashy way, but the opening riff of Northwards is probably the closest that the band have come to sounding thrashy for some time. It certainly grabs the attention, but a more typical speed is adopted for the verses - which are packed full of fat guitar grooves and Joutsen's bellowed growls. He sounds as good as ever here, and his soaring clean vocals are also wheeled out for the chorus - which is fast-paced and certainly borrows from the song's opening. This allows the heaviness to permeate throughout the whole song; and the chorus has much more urgency than is typical as a result. There are slower moments, though, and the best such moment for me is the great instrumental mid-section that sees a great, flowing Holopainen guitar solo followed up by a great old-school Hammond organ solo from Kallio. This part of the song has something of a retro classic rock vibe, which works well in the context of the organic, heavy sound that the band have forged here. On the Dark Waters continues with the heavy sounds of Northwards, but the balance between heaviness and gothic melodrama is perhaps struck in a more typical way this time. Holopainen's knotty intro guitar lead provides an early hook, while the verse that follows is a real headbanger, with a Pantera-esque guitar riff and some synthy mellotron from Kallio adding something of an old-school classic prog rock feel. This is one of the songs that the band decided to shoot a video for, so it is unsurprisingly one of the hookiest pieces here. The chorus is very much classic Amorphis, with Joutsen's clean vocal delivery packed full of emotion, but an Eastern-tinged instrumental section introduces some folky melodies - which is something that the band have often done throughout their career. The Moon is another single, and it was the first taste of the album that was released publicly. It is a slightly more atmospheric piece, which is unsurprising as it was written by Kallio, with the overt heaviness of the previous two numbers reined in somewhat to allow the band's more progressive and gothic sides to flourish. There is still plenty of guitar weight during the crunching verses, but a piano counter-melody constantly adds depth - while the bass of Olli-Pekka Laine creates a strong groove. This is a song that could have appeared on any of the band's other recent albums, as it really focuses on creating a deep, lush sound. Kallio's keyboards dominate, and there is a great low key synth solo towards the end of the piece, but it is also a song that really pushes the vocal hooks to fore - with the chorus in particular being a very memorable moment.
Windmane ups the heaviness again, but does so in a relatively low key way - while also introducing some strong folk elements. Amorphis have often included some doom in their sound, particularly early on in their career, and Windmane feels like something of a doom metal song - with a Paradise Lost-esque intro and plenty of throat-shredding vocals from Joutsen. The chorus provides a bit of levity, with gentle vocal melodies and some folky flourishes, but much of the song is slow-paced and heavy. Even the moments which feature Rechberger's double bass drumming have slow riffs atop them - with these sections featuring some black metal-esque rasps from Joutsen, who sounds at his most demonic here. It is a bit of a strange sounding song a result, but I like how it harks back to the band's early days as a death metal act - but with a few folky melodies and a proggy synth solo helping to ground the piece in 2022. A New Land is more typical, and ups the pace with some groove-based drumming and a soaring guitar lead that immediately jumps out of the speakers. It is still generally quite a heavy song overall, however, and it constantly switches back and forth between crushing heaviness and gothic crooning. For me, there seems to be more of a focus on the band's heavier sound, however. Even the clean vocal sections are less soaring than usual, with Joutsen singing relatively deeply, which helps the song's overall heaviness to shine through. The drum work throughout is busy too, further entrenching the heaviness. When the Gods Came ups the pace somewhat, and channels the band's prog metal side with a busy guitar-led instrumental opening and some knotty drumming. There is still plenty of heaviness here, but the overall balance of light and shade is more typical of the band's sound this time - meaning that this is another song that could have easily sat on one of their other recent albums. Queen of Time certainly felt like the band's prog album at times, and that overall sound is retained here - with lots of interesting grooves throughout, as well as a plethora of keyboard textures courtesy of songwriter Kallio. The song's chorus is also one of the album's more heroic-sounding moments. Joutsen really soars here, and the simple guitar lead that backs him has such a joyous sound - which ensures that the song's chorus is one of the album's most memorable for me. Seven Roads Come Together is similar, and again allows the band to showcase their more progressive tendencies. The Eastern-tinged melodies that were hinted at earlier in On the Dark Waters are reintroduced here in a big way, and many of the song's key parts here have a Middle Eastern feel. What sets this song apart from the rest of the album, however, is just how grand it sounds. The verses are relatively slow, with lots of dirty guitar-based grooves, but a pre-chorus explodes into a pacy passage that is backed by dancing strings. Amorphis do not tend to rely on orchestrations that much, but their inclusion really works here - and it sets the song up nicely for its chorus which is moody, yet very melodic.
War ups the heaviness again, but the song's intro has a strong organ presence that really fattens the track up nicely. Despite Kallio's keyboards perhaps not being as dominant throughout this album, his contributions are still extremely important. His textures and playing style are part of what sets Amorphis apart from other somewhat similar bands, and the old-school organ that rumbles away throughout War gives the song it's signature sound. It is also great hearing organ in a song that is as heavy as it is. While there are gentle moments here, such a reflective and low key chorus, there are moments here that ape Windmane for nastiness. Some of Joutsen's vocal lines here have that black metal-esque rasp again, and he sounds positively unhinged during those moments. The album's title track follows and it ups the pace from the last couple of tracks. The song's intro has a heroic, almost power metal, feel to it with a joyful, soaring guitar lead and fast footwork from Rechberger. What sets this song apart from most of the other tracks here is Joutsen's almost-exclusive use of clean vocals throughout. He does occasionally add a growled line here and there for effect, but on the whole the song is sung clean. That contributes to the heroic sound established early on, and there is a surprisingly bouncy vibe throughout the song. Kallio's keyboards are extremely high in the mix this time, which also helps to set the song apart from the rest due to the aforementioned focus on big riffing. The Wolf returns to the album's core heaviness, however. The opening riff is chunky and old-school sounding, but the main guitar melodies throughout the verses are quite menacing - and have something of a black metal-esque trill which perfectly suits the barked vocals from Joutsen. The chorus is an explosion of melody, however, and but its fast pace ensures that the guitars still dominate - and it lacks the atmosphere that is typical of Amorphis' sound. It works in the context of the album, however, due to the overall heaviness of the songs here - and the instrumental section that comes later does add some welcome atmospheric depth. The album perhaps leaves its biggest surprise until the end, however, with the gorgeous ballad My Name is Night bringing things to a close. Written by Koivusaari, who generally writes some of the band's heaviest songs, the acoustic-based piece is very different from everything else here - and in truth it is pretty different from anything else that the band have done before. Acoustic guitars and piano dominate throughout, while the floating voice of Petronella Nettermalm duets with Joutsen throughout. The two sing against a delicate backdrop, which rarely approaches anything close to being heavy. It is a song that some will probably struggle with, but the gorgeous vocal melodies make the song a winner for me - and it ends what is overall a very heavy album on a sombre, reflective note. It is a good way to finish the album, as it helps the listener think back over the last hour or so of music. It is an album that is certainly heavier than most of the band's recent works, but it is still packed full of melodies and uplifting moments. It took a few listens to fully appreciate for me, but Halo is just as good as anything else the band has done of late - and it is great to see that consistency that the band are known for being maintained.
The album was released on 11th February 2022 via Atomic Fire Records. Below is the band's promotional video for The Moon.
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