### Amorphis: Tales from the thousand lakes

#### 10/02/10 || Smalley

Some things just aren’t any fun to contemplate; Sarah Palin having a chance at running any country (I wouldn’t even trust her with Gibraltar), how many household items are secretly killing you (cue 7 o’clock news theme), and imagining Amorphis sticking with pure death metal. No, “The karelian isthmus”/“Privilege of evil” aren’t bad records, but melodic death metal is Amorphis’s proper place in this metal world, a change that took place on “Tales from the thousand lakes”. Okay, so Tomi Koivusaari still growls here like he’s trying out for Decapitated, but that doesn’t change how the music on “Tales” is a very different (and better) beast from the previous releases. The best way to describe “Tales” is hippie death metal; it’s like Amorphis just decided to chill out in some dimly-lit room, complete with a lava lamp, continuous Doors songs, and doobies for everyone, and “Tales” was the end result of that process.

Intro track “Thousand lakes” does a great job of mood-setting, with its cold, echoing piano, eerie chorus chanting, and chilly ambient effects; makes me shiver just thinking about it. However, “Into hiding” is the true agenda-setter for the album, with its leisurely riffs, winding guitar lines, colorful synth/keyboard work, and overall relaxed feel that makes you realize “Tales” isn’t a metal album you headbang and get pissed-off to, but one where you wait and just soak in the EXPERIENCE. And, though I’m not a fan of the song’s whiny clean vocals by Ville Tuomi (if only Tomi Joutsen could travel back in time and replace him, we’d have Super Amorphis!) they are only used in a limited quantity, at least.

From there, the pleasingly lively “The castaway” only adds to the album’s momentum with increased use of those wonderful synth/keyboards, and “First doom” comes as another solid addition to “Tales” (I wouldn’t call any of the songs here weak). Then, there’s “Black winter day”… oh man, fucking “Black winter day”. Those fucken infectious melodies, from the guitars, to the synth, to the clean vocals (they’re actually effective here!), to just… everything. Those first fifteen seconds, with the beautiful piano/synth intro which leads right into that great guitar line, as Tomi lets out that first, pain-wracked growl… pure metal bliss is the only way to describe it. If every song on the album were this magnificent, “Tales” would be a “Global Domination. Penis. Touchdown.” record.

But, after those four minutes of ecstasy comes the crushing realization that the rest of the songs here don’t measure up to anything near it, but 99% of metal songs don’t do that either, so it’s best just to cut your losses and enjoy the rest of “Tales” as it is, which is still very good; “Drowned maid” is another up-beat number in the vein of “The castaway”, “In the beginning” gives us a memorably lamentful mood, and “Forgotten sunrise”, “To fathers cabin”, and “Magic and mayhem” manage to close out “Tales” as an all-around engaging, entertaining album.

But, before I end this review, I guess there are a few issues I should address; yes, some of these songs will seem a bit sluggish at first, especially if you’re experienced with In Flames or At The Gates or just about any other melo death band out there. Amorphis definitely had some doom metal influence in them when they recorded “Tales”, but it’s that influence that sets the album apart, that gives it the flavor that serves as one of its biggest strengths (along with those keyboards straight from the Summer Of Love). And yes, despite the good, strong sound on the bass and drums, the production is a little muddier than necessary when it comes to the other guitars, and despite a few nice moments, Ville’s clean vocals can get quite irritating.

But, you’ll get used to all that, and hopefully come to appreciate “Tales” for what it is, which is a unique, beautiful, pretty-damn-good album overall, where not only do you get to enjoy some of that early-Amorphis heaviness, but also receive a peak into the band’s future, at the softer, more restrained (at times, too restrained) style they’d switch to soon. “Tales” is definitely a best of both worlds-type deal, and to make sure you don’t pass it by, just remember that Daemonomania isn’t big on Amorphis’s melo death stuff, and you don’t want to be like that jackass, do you? Didn’t think so.

- Information
- Released: 1994
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: www.amorphis.net
- Band
- Tomi Koivusaari: harsh vocals & guitar
- Esa Holopainen: guitar
- Olli Pekka Laine: bass
- Kasper Mårtenson: keyboards & synth
- Jan Rechberger: drums
- Ville Tuomi: clean vocals

- Tracklist
- 01. Thousand Lakes
- 02. Into Hiding
- 03. The Castaway
- 04. First Doom
- 05. Black Winter Day
- 06. Drowned Maid
- 07. In The Beginning
- 08. Forgotten Sunrise
- 09. To Fathers Cabin
- 10. Magic And Mayhem