### Amorphis: Privilege of evil

#### 10/07/09 || Daemonomania

You think you were born with the right to be totally blasphemous and demonic? ‘Fraid not, being evil is a privilege! You have to EARN it. Eat your vegetables, clean your room, do your homework, and turn that cross upside-down every night and we’ll see if you’ve got what it takes to be infamously infernal, young man.

Another surefire way to gain evilpoints is to pop in the first and definitely the most old-school release from Amorphis. Though this was put out after “The Karelian isthmus”, it was actually meant to come out beforehand in 1991 as a split with Incantation. I’ve said before and I’ll say again that “Isthmus” is plain boring – an overly-melodic and dragging pile of Scandideath full of songs which lack direction. That’s not the case on “Privilege,” however, as the band seems to have all guns blazing in absolute fucking classic death metal mode.

Sweet, slow, punishing doomy grooves followed by faster sections is the order of the day, much like the template laid down and practiced by Entombed, Grave, and Unleashed at the time. But Amorphis pack that special something into the six songs at hand that sets them apart from their peers. Each tune is a condensed block of great riffs, tasty drumming, spooky keyboard interludes, and breathy low growls that blasts its target Hed Bahng on the Mei Fun Delta one mission after the next. Some of the tracks were later re-recorded and suckified beyond belief. Why?

Let’s just say this – if you think “Where no life dwells” is a masterwork then you’ll be rubbing your member raw with joy at POE. Pay no attention to the rest of Amorphis’ slightly fruity and cheesy career – as every trve metalhead knows, “their first demo was awesome and then they sucked man!”

As a special bonus, guess who mixed and engineered it? None other than top ten ugly dude Timo Tolkki! I knew that would excite you.

8.5 privileges revoked because of clean vocals out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 1993
- Label: Relapse
- Website: www.kingfooentertainment.com
- Band
- Tomi Koivusaari: guitar, vocals
- Esa Holopainen: guitar
- Olli Pekka Laine: bass
- Jan Rechberger: drums, keyboards

- Tracklist
- 01. Pilgrimage from Darkness
- 02. Black Embrace
- 03. Privilege of Evil
- 04. Misery Path
- 05. Vulgar Necrolatry (Abhorrence cover)
- 06. Excursing From Existence