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Rating: THE REVIEW
What a beauty the first half of the '90s was. Everyone understood that death metal had already said what it needed to, and so it was necessary to contaminate it to keep it alive.
Amorphis, who had already made a name for themselves in progressive death metal with their excellent previous album "Tales From The Thousand Lakes," achieved formal perfection with Elegy. The death vestiges are evident in the vocals (at least 50% are in growl), in certain faster sections, but the rest comes straight from the glorious '70s, in the form of hard, psycho, or prog influences.
Every track is essential and at the same time not trivial, with a rich backdrop of keyboards, and the contrast between the clean vocals and growls (among the lowest ever heard) enriches everything, avoiding the specter of banality or déjà vu. The lyrics are inspired by the Kanteletar, a collection of poems from Finnish tradition, and add an ancient flavor to the whole.
Unfortunately, like many other innovators in the death metal field of the mid-'90s, Amorphis decided to become another rock band like a thousand others, under the guise of maturation and progression. Get yourself "Elegy," and enjoy.
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Summary by Bot
Amorphis's Elegy is hailed as a milestone in progressive death metal, blending growling vocals with rich 70s rock and prog elements. Inspired by Finnish poetry, it offers a unique, non-trivial sound. Though some see later works as more mainstream, Elegy remains essential for its creativity and balance. The album perfectly exemplifies metal evolution from strict death metal to a broader musical experience.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Amorphis
Amorphis is a Finnish metal band known for evolving from early death metal into a melodic death/progressive style often enriched by keyboards and folk elements, with recurring lyrical inspiration drawn from Finnish mythology and traditional poetry.23 Reviews
Other reviews
By MBK1d
"The intro piano forte of the title track is really beautiful, but the rest of the song is frankly bland."
"My Kantele (Acoustic Reprise): beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, I never tire of listening to it thanks to the lovely dreamlike atmosphere created by the organ and accordion."
By Starblazer
Blessed was the day I discovered this great Finnish band, capable of blending death metal, evocative atmospheres, and melody into a devastating mix.
On Rich And Poor: this alone justifies buying the album. Not even Manowar crafted a riff as epic and exhilarating.
