Amorphis Top x - up next: Luoto's top 30

[aprilethereal]

I strongly disagree I think it's awesome. The chorus is absolutely magical

[?]

[?]

Bump again. This thread needs to stay alive

[aprilethereal]

I'd say Milena should start her list.

[?]

Yeah, at this point the one who's quicker can start.

[aprilethereal]

If nobody starts till tomorrow, I will.

[?]

Although as the creator of this thread I would prefer it if we followed the order in the OP, I'm ok with you starting because it's been almost 2 weeks since my list ended and no-one has stepped in yet.

[aprilethereal]

I agree with following the order, but neither Milena nor gaz have been active in this thread for a while now.

[?]

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant.

[?]

Soooo...

[aprilethereal]

SOON....

















Wait another 20 minutes or so. Completely forgot it yesterday

[wasteland]

[aprilethereal]

Okay, here we go...

Unlike all previous lists, I decided to do one that includes both the Joutsen era and the previous stuff. So no two lists from me. I felt this was both easier and more interesting to compile. This way I needed to compare all the different styles with each other, for example, how does a song from Tales From The Thousand Lakes compare to one off Skyforger?

Originally I planned to do a Top 20 list, which then became a Top 25 and now it's actually a Top 29. But since I'm a lazy fuck and I didn't really want to to that or add one more song for a Top 30, I decided that only 25 songs would get writeups and I'd just mention the other four as honorable mentions.

I'm not really a great writer and I don't have any of these writeups pre-written but instead I'll do them spontaneously as I post  in this thread, so I apologize if they turn out to be boring or short or whatever. Sorry

All albums but one are featured on this list, with the number of songs per album ranging from one up to six.


Enough of the jabbering, let's get to it:
These are the four songs that didn't make the cut and eventually became honorable mentions:

Day Of Your Beliefs (Far From The Sun, 2003)
Against Widows (Elegy, 1996)
House Of Sleep (Eclipse, 2006)
Song Of The Troubled One (Elegy, 1996)

And now: the "real" list:

25) The Wanderer (Circle, 2013)

When I first listened to Circle , The Wanderer was one of the songs that initially stood out to me. It's the second single of the album after Hopeless Days, and as much as I like that song, I have to admit that The Wanderer gets the "single-job" done even better, making it one of my favourite singles from the Joutsen era. It's nothing super innovative, but just a great song that features everything typical for an Amorphis single from the last couple of years: a catchy main guitar riff/melody, a spectacular chorus that sticks in your head for ages, a "singable" guitar solo and (of course ) a modulation of the chorus at the end.
My favourite part is probably the "the spirit roams" section after the chorus which is absolutely huge. Wow.

24) Skyforger (Skyforger, 2009)

Skyforger was not my first album by these guys, but the one that made me realise that they are a truly phenomenal band, and its title track definitely added to this. Although I'm not the biggest fan of the album anymore and most of its songs haven't really aged that well for me, this one is still really special I think. Unlike in lots of other Amorphis songs from the Joutsen era, the most catchy, melodic and memorable part of this song is not the chorus but either the verses or the bridge in the middle. Still, the last chorus and Tomi letting his growling skills shine at the end deserves only one word: epic.

23) Nightbird's Song (Circle, 2013)

Another Circle song? Yes, and probably one of the most unique and surprising of the whole album. Nightbird's Song is another proof that when rhythm guitarist Tomi Koivusaari decides to write a song for Amorphis (which unfortuately doesn't seem to happen that often), the result is spectacular. Tomi Joutsen tries some black metal vocals in this song, and man, they are surely impressive. Combined with the clean vocal prechorus part that serves as a nice contrast to the otherwise pretty damn heavy song, the huuuuge chorus and the completely unexpected and strangely fitting flute solo interlude in the middle, this song is one of the main factors why Circle exceeded my expectations so tremendously.


EDIT: okay one hour, not twenty minutes

[?]

Nice picks so far - most of them appeared in my lists and the rest are good songs as well. I'm surprised The Wanderer wasn't the lead single for Circle, but maybe they wanted to surprise the fans with Hopeless Days. Then again, the record label people in different countries had suggested Nightbird's Song and Enchanted by the Moon

Going to a lower key instead of a higher one in the final chorus also seems to be an Amorphis trademark for the hit singles

[aprilethereal]

Then again, the record label people in different countries had suggested Nightbird's Song and Enchanted by the Moon

I'd like to live in a country like that

[?]

Then again, the record label people in different countries had suggested Nightbird's Song and Enchanted by the Moon

I'd like to live in a country like that

Americans were interested in Nightbird's Song, in England people had been thinking about Enchanted by the Moon.

Maybe they didn't realize Amorphis actually gets played on the radio in Finland, so picking a more radio-friendly song wouldn't be totally pointless

[aprilethereal]

The next three songs:

22) Empty Opening (Eclipse, 2006)

Could you think of a better way to end these guys' first album with Tomi Joutsen in the band? The (back then) new singer get's a great chance to show the variety of his clean singing abilities, switching between the soothing verses and the comparatively agressive chorus, all dominated by one of those delay driven lead guitar riffs that are typical for Amorphis. Fans of the band's older material might notice some similarities between Empty Opening's chorus and the one of the opener of the 1999 album Tuonela, The Way (at least this was something I noticed instantly when I first listened to Eclipse ). But honestly, if anything reminds you of the masterpiece that is The Way, it can only be awesome as well. And so is this song.

21) Divinity (Tuonela, 1999)

Speaking of Tunela, Divinity was the first single from exactly that album (I'm actually not sure if it is the only one or not ). The calm intro with the simple, yet addictive drum pattern that always kind of reminds me of the intro to Slayer's Raining Blood builds a menacing atmosphere which continues during the verses and then makes room for one of the most memorable choruses in the entire Amorphis catalogue. Although all that and Esa's guitar solo are pretty awesome, my favourite part is this song's outro. It's something I could listen to over and over (and over and over and over) again without getting tired of it.

20) Alone (Am Universum, 2001)

Alone is one of the most popular Amorphis songs and due to this it was one of the first I heard. And let me tell you, I was blown away. There's just something absolutely fascinating to this song, from the Pink Floyd ripoff intro () to the fantastic keyboard solo to the outro with Esa showing that he can play amazing solos if he wants to. And of course Pasi Koskinen. He truly shines in this song. Needless to say that I was incredibly pumped when I finally got Am Universum, and how disappointed I was when I heard the rest of the album. I know most Amorphis fans love it, but for me, Alone is the only song off Am Universum I actually enjoy. I guess I should put an end to this before this turns to an endless rant why exactly I cannot stand the album. I really can't. Alone is amazing nonetheless.

[?]

I ranked all of those higher, but it's good to see them nevertheless. Also, Am Universum isn't loved by most fans, which is a pity

[aprilethereal]

I'm pretty sure that at this point, only ? and me are still following this thread, but whatever

19) Perkele (The God Of Fire) (Eclipse, 2006)

This song is the only Amorphis song I can think of that (according to the booklet) is written solely by bassist Niclas SomeNameICantSpell. Which is a shame, since it is fantastic. Perkele is probably the most song on Eclipse, but at the same time features one of the most catchy choruses of the whole record. I'm not sure what else to say about this song (not really in a creative mood today ), but it's absolutely kickass.

18) Greed (Tuonela, 1999)

Who would have expected this song to be what it is after the calm "oriental" intro? Greed is the only song on Tuonela that still has death metal vocals, but unlike previously, they are handled by Pasi instead of Tomi Koivusaari and that's something I'm actually pretty happy about. I'm not sure if Pasi had done some growling with other artists previously, but his performance here is really good and prefectly fits the dissonant riffing and overall atmosphere of the song.

17) My Enemy (The Beginning Of Times, 2011)

After two songs that can pretty much be considered classics, this one might be a bit unexpected. The guitar/keyboard melody in the intro of the song is also played in the chorus, and damn, that chorus is one of the catchiest I've heard in my whole life. In contrast to that the verses are probably the heaviest stuff Amorphis have done in ages (although they topped that with some parts on Circle).
My Enemy had the potential to be a pretty much perfect song, but there is one problem I have with it: its simplicity. I don't expext Amorphis to write progressive epics, but this is the only song by this band I can think of that gets dragged down by how simple it is. If they had worked on the middle part a bit more I could see this one being around 10 places higher. But even the way it is, My Enemy is (IMO) the best song off TBOT and deserves way more appreciation than it gets


Sorry for the kind of sucky writeups today, especially the first two

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I'm following, but I'm not familiar with most of the material so I can't comment much.

[?]

The lack of followers is disappointing indeed. Where are you, Amorphis fans?!

Niclas SomeNameICantSpell

Etelävuori shouldn't be that hard to spell

18) Greed (Tuonela, 1999)

I'm not sure if Pasi had done some growling with other artists previously, but his performance here is really good and prefectly fits the dissonant riffing and overall atmosphere of the song.

Pasi was with a band called St. Mucus (now Am I Blood) prior to joining Amorphis, but I don't know if there were any growls on the release(s) with him, since I haven't heard their music. He has growled for Shape of Despair and some grindcore band that also featured Niclas, and Ajattara was his main band after quitting Amorphis, so he got to scream quite a lot. Maybe you knew all that already and this comment was pointless, but whatever

My Enemy is a good song that got me pumped for TBOT, but it is a bit too simplistic indeed. That said, I love the heavy riffing at the end of each verse and the song was a kickass opener when I heard it live. I'm still surprised it was dropped from the setlist in the middle of the tour, but on the other hand they also replaced Greed and Magic & Mayhem with Against Widows and Black Winter Day...

[aprilethereal]

Niclas SomeNameICantSpell

Etelävuori shouldn't be that hard to spell

Surely not for a Finn

But I even managed to spell Koivusaari over time, so it should be possible

Maybe you knew all that already and this comment was pointless, but whatever

I didn't, so thanks for the information!

I'm following, but I'm not familiar with most of the material so I can't comment much.

Check the songs out, there's a good chance you'll become a huge fan once you get hooked. What of their material are you familiar with already?

[aprilethereal]

I'm a bit late with this one.

16) Into Hiding (Tales From The Thousand Lakes, 1994)

The first TFTTL song to appear on this list! I don't consider that album to be as fantastic as lots of other people do, but nobody can deny how revolutional it was when it came out. Amorphis' first album was pretty unspectacular, but with this one, they introduced synths, some folk influence and even clean vocals and recorded what turned out to be one of the first and most influental melodic death metal albums of all time. After the instrumental "semi-title track", Into Hiding is the first real song on there. The riffing in both the intro and the outro forces you to bang your head, whereas the more melodic verse/chorus section in the middle, although "deathy", is memorable as fuck. Unfortunately, only a small numer of songs on TFTTL reach this level of awesomeness, but the ones that do truly deserve their popularity.

15) Better Unborn (Elegy, 1996)

Tales From The Thousand Lakes is a classic, but with their next album, Elegy, Amorphis outdid themselves once again to craft not only one of the very best melodic death metal albums, but one of the best albums ever recorded in general in my opinion. Better Unborn kicks off this masterpiece on a slightly oriental note. As soon as the guitar kicks in, you can see a very big difference to the guitar playing on TFTTL: everything on Elegy seems to be based around breathtaking melodies that invade the listener's brain and never let go. Also, the vocal contribution by new vocalist Pasi Koskinen constitutes the majority of the vocals in this song, so although Tomi Koivusaari still shines, Pasi absolutely steals his show. However, the true star on this song for me is actually none of the vocalists, but the keyboader Kim Rantala, who is one of the biggest reasons why I hold Elegy in such high regard, and he already shows in the album's opener that he's going to blow our minds.

14) Towards And Against (Silent Waters, 2007)

Eleven years later, Silent Waters' fourth song starts with some pretty strange electronic effect, but shortly afterwards, the band begins to kick our asses once again with an unusual, but amazing song, that manages to combine mellow sections with death metal assaults nearly flawlessly. If you can listen to this song without wanting to headbang and dance and do all kinds of weird movements at the same time, you should pretty much stop listening to music in general. Towards And Against is one of the first go-to songs if I want to feel good and just rock out. Not because it's really a happy song, in fact, it definitely isn't, but this song is SO ENERGY, POWAH! Anybody doubts that Tomi Joutsen is an amazing vocalist? Show them this song and kill everybody who doesn't immediately become an Amorphis fan.

[?]

What can I say, awesome songs It's true that the guitar playing on Elegy is pretty different compared to the earlier stuff: the music got more melody-oriented than riff-based.

[aprilethereal]

13) Sampo (Skyforger, 2009)

My first Amorphis album was Silent Waters, and honestly, I didn't really like it (now it's my second favourite ). However, I decided to give them another chance, and Skyforger was the album I chose for that, simply because of the beautiful album cover. When Skyforger's opening track Sampo came on, I was already in love after the first couple of seconds. DAT PIANO is all I need to say. Even after countless listens, Sampo's intro captivates me every time. The song is pretty long and complex (maybe even "progressive") for Amorphis standards and features a nice variety of different sections.
I can really see why this song is #1 for so many fans of the band, but in my opinion, there are 12 songs that are even better.

12) Black Winter Day (Tales From The Thousand Lakes, 1994)

I really don't know what to say about this song that hasn't already been said. Black Winter Day is probably the ultimate Amorphis classic. The atmosphere of this song is simply Finnish (at least that's what I feel, being someone who has never been to Finland ). And strangely enough, not even the relatively poor clean vocals on TFTTL bother me in this song.
As with a lot of early Amorphis material, it was the rerecorded version off the 2010 compilation Tales From The Early Years that showed me how great this song really is. Although objectively, pretty much everything about the rerecorded version is better than the original, I've leart to never underestimate the feeling when you listen to the original on a, well, black winter day

11) The Smoke (Eclipse, 2006)

Some people (? ) might not be the biggest fan of The Smoke, but honestly, I don't get the criticism. The whole song, which was the second single off Eclipse after House Of Sleep, is pretty much based around one melody, but as simple as it is, it's amazing at the same time. Tomi's growls in the chorus only add to the overall catchyness, and exactly that is probably the main reason why I'm so addicted to this one. I'm listening to it as I write this and I can barely concentrate on what I'm writing. I'm going to stop this post right now, since otherwise this might turn into me writing stuff like YELLOW WITH FLOOOOOWEEEEEERS I AM SMOKE DAAAA DAAA DA DA

[?]

Sampo and BWD are amazing, but The Smoke is what it is It's ok if people like it, but I truly think it would deserve to get kicked out of the setlist at least for a little while.

[aprilethereal]

I wanted to do the next part tonight, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that. If not, I'll post it tomorrow morning.

[aprilethereal]

Only two today. And we enter the top 10

10) Enchanted By The Moon (Circle, 2013)

I have to admit that when I first saw the lyric video that was released for this song prior to Circle's release, I was a bit underwhelmed. Nothing really stood out for me and the song seemed to go nowhere. Well it grew on me. A lot. Enchanted By The Moon is a very unusual song for the modern Amorphis. It's not really based around catchy melodies and choruses, but instead bone-breaking and chest-crushing riffs (sorry, I had to make that joke as well ) and more subtle melody lines to support Tomi's growls that are absolutely furious in this song and even come close to black metal territory in some places again. And I LOVE the chorus. As I said, it's not their catchiest, and that's a good thing, because a "typical" Amorphis chorus would have ruined the atmosphere that this song creates, but instead it's absolutely soaring and fitting for the brutality of EBTM.
As you probably have noticed, I love this song. But Amorphis managed to top it with another one off the same album, so there is one more to come

9) The Way (Tuonela, 1999)

This song is absolutely essential for every top 20 (or something like that) Amorphis list. It's just way () too great not to be mentioned. Honestly, when I got into Amorphis and the first couple of times I heard The Way, I absolutely didn't get the hype. I thought it was kinda cool, but nothing more. My first listen to Tuonela as a whole opened my eyes. The Way works perfectly as an album opener, since it introduces the sound and atmosphere of the record in a very nice way. And that is, what Tuonela in general and specifically The Way is all about: atmosphere. There's something really calm and relaxing, but at the same time captivating to this song. Guitar wise, it's dominated by Esa's delay riffs that attain perfection here. And he also plays one of his finest solos ever in the middle part, before the song goes back into the simply magical chorus that gets even better when it's modulated as an outro to the song ("The Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay"). Although Tuonela is one of my favourite Amorphis albums, no other song off it comes close to this masterpiece .

[?]

Two excellent songs

Hopefully the new thread title will help

[aprilethereal]

[aprilethereal]

Seems like nothing changes though

8) Dead Man's Dream (Circle bonus track, 2013)

This might seem like an odd choice, but Dead Man's Dream is my favourite song off Circle, even though it's not even on the regular edition of the album! When Circle came out and I listened to it for the first time, I don't know what I expected from that bonus track that came with it, but I was definitely not prepared for the assault that blew me away and still does every time I listen to it. The intro riffing and the verses are probably the most brutal Amorphis material since The Karelian Isthmus. The pre-chorus part is my favoutite section, when the heavy as fuck guitars and vocals are combined with some absolutely gorgeous piano in the background . The chorus is one of the absolute best of the whole album, it is memorable and catchy, yet still fits the overall mood of the song. Solo-wise it's pretty awesome too, Esa tries some shredding, and Santeri's keyboard solo is without a doubt one of the best in the band's catalogue. The section before the last chorus with Tomi delivering some beautiful clean singing over the main riff is stunning as well, just like the entire song is.
If there's something that seriously pisses me off about Cicle, it's that some of the best songs from the sessions were left off the album and made available only one some kind of weird pre-order-bonus-limited-special-something editions. The album was promoted as being heavier than the last few, so the decision not to include what is without a doubt the heaviest song seems exceptionally strange. Seriously, Nuclear Blast, what were you thinking


7) Magic And Mayhem (Tales From The Thousand Lakes, 1994)

There's just something to this song that sets it apart from all the other TFTTL songs and makes me love it to death. Some of the other songs from that era seem a bit uninspired or maybe even uncreative to me, but with Magic And Mayhem, everything comes together prefectly. Although the riffs are a bit unspectacular, they work very well in the context of this song, and the kind of doomy intro riff is one of my favourite intros to any song ever. What is worth mentioning as well is the "disco section". I have no idea why, but Amorphis made that one fit into a death metal song without seeming out of place at all

6) Weaving The Incantation (Silent Waters, 2007)

Weaving The Incantation is the epitome of an opener for a melodic death metal album. It's brutal, catchy, beautiful, heavy and just overall awesome at the same time. The inclusion of female vocals to back up the amazing riffs in this song was a great choice and makes it even more impressive than it already is. And then the acoustic part in the middle comes on. It's simply gorgeous. And can you think of a better end to that part than Esa's solo? If you're not already convinced that you are listening to an exceptional song at this point, Tomi's clean vocal section after the solo will clear up every doubt. What a great start to a great album.

[Scorpion]

Don't know Silent Waters, and therefore not Weaving the Incantation, but the other two are incredibly awesome. I agree, what was the label thinking with Dead Man's Dream?

[aprilethereal]

GET. SILENT. WATERS. NOW.

and awesome to have somebody else post here other than ? and me

[eviljust]

Jeez I love Amorphis so bad! Will wait my turn

[aprilethereal]

Jeez I love Amorphis so bad! Will wait my turn

Great to see another fan