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

[MoraWintersoul]

Not consciously, but now I know why FW is my favorite Barren Earth song

[?]

It is a great song indeed I've noticed some structrural similarities, but I won't go into detail here, because it would derail the thread.

[Scorpion]

Like, with ADTOE and I&W?

Seriously, though, cool list. I only know TftTL from that early batch, though I have Elegy ordered. Castaway and Drowned Maid are my favourites from that album, so cool to see them here as well.

[?]

Like, with ADTOE and I&W?

Elegy is a really good album and I think you might also like Tuonela, although it's pretty different

Anyway, before I forget, here's the list so far for those who are too lazy to check through page 1:

20. Goddess (of the Sad Man)
19. Elegy
18. Weeper on the Shore
17. Day of Your Beliefs
16. Divinity
15. The Castaway
14. On Rich and Poor
13. Thousand Lakes/Into Hiding
12. Better Unborn
11. Greed
10. Exile of the Sons of Uisliu
9. Rusty Moon
8. Veil of Sin
7. Summer's End
6. Shatters Within
5. Black Winter Day
4. Mike Antele
3. Drowned Maid

I can already tell that one of you guessed one of the top 2 songs right - whether it was Kwyjibo or Gaz and which the other song is will be revealed tomorrow, so keep speculating!

[?]

Are you ready for the grand finale?

2. The Way (Tuonela)

"As the flowers wither
I will forget my pain
Since the stars have shone
The devil has shown me the way"

As Kwyjibo said, it would be a shame if this song didn't appear on a list of the best pre-Joutsen Amorphis songs. The Way opens Tuonela and is clearly more modern-sounding than anything on the first 3 albums. It's also the first Amorphis song to feature the use of delay on guitars, which would become a signature element of Amorphis' music. Everything about The Way is simply perfect: the atmospheric intro, Tomi K's cool pinch harmonics, the proggy rhythm during the verse, the wah-laden part, the soaring chorus, Santeri's nice keyboard lead and Esa's incredible solo, which is easily one of his best. This song manages to send crazy shivers up and down my spine...

1. Alone (Am Universum)

"There are no flowers on your grave
There are no chains
There I keep chanting for the forgotten name"

Alone is a very Floyd-influenced song: the main riff with the delay effect has a clear Run Like Hell vibe. However, it doesn't sound like a rip-off at all, because Amorphis have managed to make it very unique. Alone has a cool atmospheric intro and an excellent buildup, becoming incredibly powerful when the catchy chorus begins. If it doesn't grab you by your throat, then nothing will. The little "stand up!" growl sounds so commanding - it's like "YOU WILL STAND UP RIGHT NOW, MOTHERFUCKER!" and of course it's even more awesome when growled by Mr. Joutsen. Alone also includes the best sax solo of all time (sorry Another Day!) and the guitar solo in the outro is jaw-dropping to say the least: the fact that I always have to rewind and listen to it at least 3 times before I can move on to another song says something! I could listen to it forever, too bad they always end the song right before it live...

tl;dr version: Alone (as well as The  Way) is sheer perfection - listen to it immediately if you haven't heard it before!

Thanks to everyone who followed, hopefully you'll stay tuned when I start the Joutsen era list tomorrow! Who knows, maybe there will be even more people in for the ride?

[Kwyjibo]

Truly great choices. 

How could I have forgotten Alone  it is definitely one of the best, though personally I would put Alone at No. 2 and The Way at No. 1. But maybe that has to do with the fact that The Way was my introduction to Amorphis.

Tuonela was my first Amorphis record, lend to me by a friend and right from the start (The Way) I liked what I heard.

[?]

Yeah, I'm surprised no-one mentioned Alone, because it's pretty well-known and there had already been other songs from AU on my list.

BTW, I copied the lyrics from Song Meanings website and one of the comments on Alone was this: "very bad ass song, its about being alone"

[?]

And here we go again...

20. Majestic Beast (Skyforger)

"In the bowels of rocky mountain
A fiery bird I forged
Forged from iron, from molten steel
A flaming eagle, majestic beast"

Majestic Beast is a majestic song (see what I did there? ) and definitely the heaviest on Skyforger. It's slightly reminiscent of Ghost Reveries-era Opeth while retaining the recognizable Amorphis sound. Tomi J delivers what may be his most brutal growl performance prior to Circle and the transition from the final chorus to the growled ending is the quickest change of vocal styles I have witnessed live (it's also awesome on the DVD). I also love Esa's lead during the chorus. Not much else to say here; Majestic Beast is a really good heavier Amorphis tune.

19. Crack in a Stone (The Beginning of Times)

"One path there to be known
One sign in a dream
In time just one direction
One star in my mind"

When I saw Amorphis live on the TBOT tour, Tomi J introduced Crack in a Stone saying it reminds him of a chasing scene in some movie. That's a pretty good description, since it has to be the most cinematic-sounding song Amorphis have released - the keyboards are symphonic and the whole song has an epic feel. I love the big chorus and Santeri's keyboard solo, and the ending is simply badass!

18. Skyforger (Skyforger)

"In solitude I measure out
The range of barren lands
I drain unto the nothingness
The intersecting curves"

The title-track of Skyforger starts in a folky way with a melody reminiscent of Born from Fire. Skyforger is a powerful song that would work well as an opener (unfortunately I've only heard the intro tape instead of the full song live) and the chorus and the middle part feature some awesome vocals by Joutsen. The ending with the call-and-response vocals is also a great sing-along moment.

17. Shades of Gray (Circle)

"These nights I should fear
These lights I should not follow
This road to nowhere leads
I wander around in circles"

I have a special relationship with Shades of Gray: the first time I heard the main riff in the studio report I was blown away, then I heard it live in December when it was still called Mehtä, and in April I finally got to listen to the song on CD, so the circle was complete. Shades of Gray is a kickass opener and offers some of the most crushing music Amorphis have played in almost two decades. I thought it was pretty good when I heard it in December, but the album version convinced me even more, thanks to Joutsen's surprising screams and the awesome vocal harmonies in the chorus - the song felt slightly incomplete without those two elements. Oh, and let's not forget the amazing interlude! Dat melody...



Unfortunately I have to put the list on hiatus until Monday because I'll have other things to do over the weekend, but that will only give others more time to compile their own lists, so hopefully you won't mind.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Hey! There's finally some I know! (well, one, Majestic Beast) 

Anyway, sorry I haven't been commenting, but I have been reading, and listening.

[Scorpion]

You know what? Over the course of your last list, I have discovered that I probably prefer the earlier stuff to the Tomi J era. I mean, yeah, the latter is more consistent, and doesn't have clunkers like Far from the Sun or The Karelian Isthmus, but it's much more varied - who'd think that Am Universum and Tales would be the same band? - and with far higher highs. Better Unborn, Drowned Maid, Alone, to only name a few are all better than any track from the Tomi J era, in my opinion.

The ones listed are very cool, though. Majestic Beast is one of my favourites from Skyforger, along with From Earth I Rose and Sampo, so I'm hoping that those two make an appearance as well. I haven't checked out TBOT out yet, since the consensus seems to be that it's more of the same, only slightly weaker.

As with what's still to come, I'm thinking Sampo, Nightbird's Song and Enchanted by the Moon, definitely. I'm sure I'm also forgetting some others that will have me facepalming, but oh well.

[?]

You know what? Over the course of your last list, I have discovered that I probably prefer the earlier stuff to the Tomi J era. I mean, yeah, the latter is more consistent, and doesn't have clunkers like Far from the Sun or The Karelian Isthmus, but it's much more varied - who'd think that Am Universum and Tales would be the same band? - and with far higher highs. Better Unborn, Drowned Maid, Alone, to only name a few are all better than any track from the Tomi J era, in my opinion.

Actually I think I agree with you in a way. Of course I love the new stuff (Skyforger is my favorite album) and its highs are just as high as on the older records, they've stayed really consistent and Tomi J is easily the best singer this band has ever had, but at the same time I kind of wish they could surprise me with each new album, at least slightly. Well, they've found a formula they're happy with and Circle proves that they can still mix things up a little bit, but I hope they won't stop trying new things altogether.

[Kwyjibo]

This is my main gripe when it comes to Joutsen era Amorphis. The singer is better, the songs are not worse, mostly the sound and the production is better, but they have lost the will (or maybe need) to change. Haven't heard Circle yet, so can't comment on that one.

When I look at their discography I see a change after each two records. From the death metal of Karelian Isthmus/TFTTL to the more melodic but still growly Elegy/Tuonela, then on to the least metal and more hard rocking Am Universum/FFTS and a kind of reboot and mixture of all previous styles with Eclipse and Silent Waters.

So after Silent Waters I kind of expected another turn in a slightly different direction but Skyforger and TBOT are mostly the same records with different songs. I get that they found their style that they are happy and successful with, but for me it sometimes feels like they have entered a comfort zone and are not wanting to experiment or take any risks any more. Not that every change brought better songs but at least it kept things interesting.

I know that this is complaining on a very high level because their music is still great and hopefully remains so.

Back to topic: I especially love Skyforger and the ending with the choir and the growls is just awesome.

[?]

This is my main gripe when it comes to Joutsen era Amorphis. The singer is better, the songs are not worse, mostly the sound and the production is better, but they have lost the will (or maybe need) to change. Haven't heard Circle yet, so can't comment on that one.

Circle is a bit different from the previous albums, so it's definitely worth listening to! The changes aren't drastic, but there are songs that I can't imagine fitting on the previous 4 albums. Make sure you also listen to the bonus tracks

I realized I can give you guys one more update before Monday, so here it comes:

16. I of Crimson Blood (Silent Waters)

"Ablaze are my eyes
My soul consumed by woe
My braids weaved by the wind
An image in my mind"

I read a review of Silent Waters where it was said that you can recognize the performer of this song to be Amorphis after the first few piano notes and I think that's true. It's a typical Amorphis song, but not in a bad way: the main melody is great, Joutsen's vocals are passionate and there's plenty of dynamics. I of Crimson Blood also works surprisingly well as a gig opener - before the show I saw in December I thought it would be too slow and not energetic enough, but I was proven wrong.

15. My Future (Circle sessions)

"I heard the call
I knew the form
I ran no more
From what I can't escape"

When I heard My Future for the first time all I could think was "WHY IS THIS NOT ON THE ALBUM?!". It's quite proggy and epic by Amorphis standards and the longest song they've written since Elegy. I love the piano intro and the melodic main part of the song, but the climax is definitely the instrumental section that starts with the cool bass riff, continues with nice female vocals and ends with some awesome soloing and a unison by Esa and Santeri. This is the closest Amorphis have ever got to sounding like Dream Theater! My Future is one of the most interesting Amorphis songs ever and I think it was a huge mistake on the band's part to make it a bonus track. I hope there will be more stuff like this on the next album...

14. Leaves Scar (Eclipse)

"Now I know how to do things
No longer will I listen to any talk
Now I know and it's working
Everything hurts inside of me"

Leaves Scar is the song that introduced Tomi Joutsen's mighty death growl to the world and also showed that Amorphis are metal again. The moment the acoustic guitars and flute get replaced with distorted guitars and drums is one of the most crushing transitions in the Amorphis catalogue! The verses and the chorus are really powerful, but I also love the part where the acoustic guitars come back and Tomi sings in a more fragile way.

13. Towards and Against (Silent Waters)

"Because of treason I now shall leave
Because of my blood burning my soul
And now I raise this flaming sword
Towards darkness, against everyone"

The beginning of Towards and Against may make you wonder if Amo have gone electronic, but soon the delay riff (which reminds me of On Most Surfaces by The Gathering) proves you wrong. Towards and Against is a bit like Leaves Scar in a way, being a very powerful song, but due to its longer duration it's more effective. The heavier version of the delay riff kicks ass, Joutsen proves his versatility once again and the chorus just begs to be sung along to!

[?]

Bumping this in case someone missed the last update.

[MoraWintersoul]

I did! Now that I am exam-free, I can comment:

19. Crack in a Stone (The Beginning of Times)

18. Skyforger (Skyforger)

17. Shades of Gray (Circle)

Crack In A Stone is pretty unusual as TBOT tracks go - sometimes I even skip it, at other times I just throw myself into it. Skyforger is similar really, whenever I play random tracks off Skyforger I almost never play it. However, I love them both to death. I had the exact same experience with Shades Of Gray, except with the "seeing Amo live" part

16. I of Crimson Blood (Silent Waters)

15. My Future (Circle sessions)

13. Towards and Against (Silent Waters)

If I said these are my two favorites off Silent Waters, I'd be spoiling my list... and I just did My Future definitely should have been a part of Circle.

[gazinwales]

Here's my top 20 from the 'old' era, kept the same good format as you did.

20.  Morning Star – (Tuonela)

“Watch to the eyes of morning star
beckon for the savior
but it’s much too far”

This is the song that heralds the new Amorphis sound gone are the growls, the guitars are less metallic and OP bass is high in the mix.

19. Rusty Moon – (Tuonela)

“Bathed in the rust of moon
is the dead bed’s lullaby”

The Tuonela album is a tough album to pick highlights from, as it was my first real taste of Amorphis (after a false start with Elegy, but that is a another story). This song is rather unusual, as the flute pretty much dominates, Pasi’s lyrics are pretty strange (as usual), combined, and this song is almost hypnotic.

18. Summers End – (Tuonela)

“Tread my path to summers end”

Another OP bass driven song, that evokes images of the end of a long hot summer, watching the sunset, drifting off into the night sky and darkness.

17. Day Of Your Beliefs – (Far From The Sun)

“I can hear your yearnings, your anguished cries”

Probably my least liked Amorphis album, but has a couple of songs that stand out. This is one of them, the Hammond like sounds remind me a of Deep Purple a lot. I saw them on this tour, they looked bored, tired and pissed off.

16. Evil Inside – (Far From The Sun)

“Kiss the devil’s mark, like a self-denial without temptation”

Again some very Deep Purple-esque keyboards, with some great riffing in the chorus. Pasi has some strange effect on his vocals, that are almost creepy.

15. The Castaway (Tales From The Thousand Lakes)

“A bird flew out of Lapland
An eagle from the North East”

I actually could never make out the lyrics to this song, until I looked them up for this.  Love the guitars on this one, the melody and the riffs.

[gazinwales]

14. The Brother Slayer/The Lost Son (Brother Slayer Part II) (My Kantele EP)

“Why is there blood upon your feet
my son, my merry son?”

Well technically 2 songs, but often forgotten on the lost gem that is the, ‘My Kantele’ EP.

13. Grief Stricken Heart (Am Universum)

“Your helping hand is killing me
If you see me suffer it's not your victory”

More strange lyrics from Pasi, a lot of his words are very interesting, to the point of I have no idea!

12. Drifting Memories (Am Universum)

“Drifting in your shady memories
Where to go when sorrow breeds”

I am a sucker for metal mixed with a sax and this song is the perfect combination.

11. The Way (Tuonela)

“Since the stars have shone
The devil has shown me the way”

Tuonela, was the first album where Pasi took care of all the lyrics, with this came the change in music too and this opener is perfect.

[?]

I hadn't finished my list yet, but since I need to take a break, I'll let you go ahead. Morning Star, The Brother-Slayer, Drifting Memories and GSH are all really good (especially Morning Star), but I don't like Evil Inside at all. The rest appeared on my list, so it's needless to say that I love them

16. I of Crimson Blood (Silent Waters)

15. My Future (Circle sessions)

13. Towards and Against (Silent Waters)

If I said these are my two favorites off Silent Waters, I'd be spoiling my list... and I just did

You didn't give out any spoilers during my previous list, so that's ok

[gazinwales]

10. Black  Winter Day (Tales From The Thousand Lakes)

“But how do I feel
In my gloomy depths?”

An old favourite, probably a classic, so I have to include this.

09. The Orphan (Elegy)

“The calloo's spirits are low
Swimming on the chill water”

The opening intro to this is just so eerie and perfect.

08. Against Widows (Elegy)

“The Devils weds a widow
Death another's leftovers”

That riff, that melody and the fast part at the end, and some strange lyrics.

07. Elegy (Elegy)

“In the soil she's mouldering
Under the sand my sweet one
Beneath the grass my treasure
The one I grieve for”

The title track from the colossal, ‘Elegy’ album, no doubt my favourite album from the old era.

06. Cares (Elegy)

“Drag my cares away
Carry off my griefs”

This song has it all, the great riffs, growls, disco beats!

[gazinwales]

05. Smithereens ( Far From The Sun)

“this fire hunts the soulless and the weak
bursting out the madness in me”

The final song, on the last album with Pasi, a fitting ending.

04. Song of the Troubled One (Elegy)

Yes another, ‘Elegy’ song, Tomi’s growls here are working well, and I’m not a massive fan of his cookie monster vox.

03. Weeper On The Shore (Elegy)

“I cast my eyes downward upon the seaside
And a fair young girl on the shore I espied”

Pasi and Tomi’s vocals working in perfect harmony here, as is everything else.

[?]

By this point it's pretty clear which album is your favorite The disco beat in Cares is funny and the melody towards the end of Smithereens reminds me of The Phantom of the Opera. The message of the poem used in Against Widows is that it's sinful to marry (or sleep with) a widow and you belong to the devil if you do that.

I think Alone may be in the top 2...

[gazinwales]

02. Alone (Am Universum)

“There are no flowers on your grave
There are no chains
There I keep chanting for the forgotten name”

Floyd influences, some great sax and great vocals from Pasi, love the ‘stand up’ line.


01.   My Kantele (Elegy)

I think that this was the first Amorphis song that really stuck me and made me take notice that this band were pretty damned good. One of my fave ever keyboard solo’s too.

[?]

I was just about to edit my post to add that My Kantele is also a safe bet Lots of good picks and songs that don't get much love (even from me), good job! If the next list progresses as quickly, then I can probably continue mine on Monday as I originally intended.

[gazinwales]

Thanks mate, was pretty tough to pick this list, but the Tomi J list will be even tougher, so many great songs.

[?]

I'll go on a trip tomorrow and another on Thursday, so I need to take a longer hiatus than I expected - I promise I'll give the next update by next Monday. Anyway, this means that Gaz won't have to hurry with his second list.

[?]

What the hell, I'll give you the new update now, so you won't have to wait for so long:

12. Song of the Sage (The Beginning of Times)

"No man nor a god, with a sword he carved
With a feather he conjured
An instrument from the bone of fish
A kantele from the jaws of a pike"

Song of the Sage is a really folky tune with some Tullcore (thanks to black_floyd for the term!). The flute playing is awesome, Santeri's keyboard leads after the second and final chorus are cool and I love the acoustic guitar-driven part in the middle. Too bad this song didn't really work when I heard it live - there should've been an additional vocalist to help with the call-and-response vocals in the verses. However, I love the studio version and that's all that matters.

11. Nightbird's Song (Circle)

"They run beneath the stars
They rush on the road of night
They glide on the glass of time
They ride on a pale and frozen lake"

Nightbird's Song begins like a typical Amorphis song, but the first heavy riff says hello to the land of fjords and even Joutsen's vocals are very black metalish. In one interview Esa said he thought Tägtgren had performed the vocals in the chorus when he listened to it for the first time! Despite the brutality Nightbird's Song also has some Tullcore - it's like an evil twin to Song of the Sage Judging by reviews and fans' comments on the Internet this song seems to be the most popular tune on Circle, but it's not my favorite despite being really great (wink wink!).

10. Battle for Light (The Beginning of Times)

"I’m thrown on barren wastelands
In feverish swamps I’m lost
I stagger through white-rimed lands
I drown in diseased black mire"

Battle for Light is a rather epic piece with a majestic chorus and some crushing heavier parts. It starts The Beginning of Times with a folky melody, just like Day of Your Beliefs kicks off Far from the Sun. There's also an Ukonvasara on the cover of both albums and both are often considered slightly weaker compared to the surrounding records - OMG TBOT IS THE NEW FFTS!!!1111! J/k... Although I absolutely love Battle for Light, I've always thought it was a weird choice for an opening track because of its slow tempo - Song of the Sage would've worked better IMO. That said, the intro tape based on BFL that they used on the TBOT tour was really amazing!

9. Sky Is Mine (Skyforger)

"The sky stirred
The lights of space flared
Beneath my feet
The living earth started to breathe"

By now it should be pretty obvious that I tend to love Amorphis songs with delay on guitars... Sky Is Mine is an up-tempo song, but also sounds pretty spacey thanks to the familiar guitar effect. This combination makes it a very memorable standout song, although the chorus isn't extremely catchy. The solos are great and the ending with the double-bass drumming and the "this sky is mine... etc." backing vocals just rocks. Obligatory fun fact: the main melody/riff was originally supposed to be played on keyboards.

[aprilethereal]

Not the biggest fan of SOTS, but the other three are great choices

Cool to see a Circle song this high on the list, especially considering there's still at least one to come (and I think I know which one )

[Dr. DTVT]

I'm too lazy to make a list, or even comment on them, but as someone who owns all of their albums rest assured I'm reading them.

[?]

8. Into the Abyss (Circle)

"Flowers wither… lights and stars go out
I blindly fall down
Into the abyss of sleep and death"

Amorphis haven't experimented with unusual time signatures too often, which is why the 7/4 verses in Into the Abyss sound really fresh and interesting. The chorus is catchy (thanks to Tägtgren for the great vocal ideas!), but what makes this song truly amazing are the solos: Santeri and Esa are at the top of their game in the instrumental section!

7. A Servant (Silent Waters)

"I'm righteous if I so desire
Until I reveal my worth
And take to myself
What was denied from me"

A Servant is based on just one melody, but it's a brilliant one and gets easily stuck in your head. Although the song is mostly growled, the aforementioned melody is so infectious that I bet people who don't enjoy harsh vocals could begin to warm up to them thanks to this tune, because it doesn't have any overly heavy riffs. Esa's solo is cool and the end of the last growled verse never fails to amaze me thanks to Joutsen's performance.

6. Under a Soil and Black Stone (Eclipse)

"And I was listening
And felt no pain
To the sunrise to east
I'll leave my grief"

Under a Soil and Black Stone has a perfect build-up: the piano-driven beginning is beautiful, the second chorus is just massive and then the delay lead kicks in and the song reaches levels of awesomeness few pieces of music have made me experience.  Esa plays yet another mindblowing solo and I like how the song slows down a bit at the end before flowing into Perkele.

[MoraWintersoul]

Into The Abyss is my favorite song off Circle

[wasteland]

Into The Abyss is extremely catchy and a fine song indeed, but I like Nightbird's Song more, I believe 

[?]

Into The Abyss is my favorite song off Circle

Hmm... Another hint!

I'll be able to finish this list within the following 2 days after all. Gaz, will you start your Joutsen-era list after that or wait for your turn, which is at the end of the waiting list? You started your list so suddenly that I got confused... Milena will be next, unless you're really quick.

[gazinwales]

My list is just about done, only need to add comments.

[?]

Alright, you can begin after my list is over and if Milena is ok with it.

[MoraWintersoul]

I'm totally okay, gooo ooon aheaaad