In 1989 Jan Rechberger and Esa Holopainen played in a speed metal band Violent Solution, which Tomi Koivusaari had left the previous year to form the death metal band Abhorrence. Violent Solution slowly withered away as the musicians became interested in other things and styles of music. At this point, Jan Rechberger and Esa Holopainen had the idea of putting together a death metal band. In early 1990, Tomi Koivusaari was asked to be the vocalist and Oppu Laine to be their bassist.
During that time the band asked Tomi to pick up the slot of rhythm guitarist as well as singing, which led to the band dumping all original compositions and starting again. With the band starting to move along, Tomi's other band (Abhorrence) split up and he found himself with much more time to put into Amorphis. The band went into gear and started churning out new brutal music.
Shortly after the band had recorded their first studio demo tape, Tomi got a letter from Relapse Records offering Abhorrence a recording contract. Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal. The deal would later almost destroy the band, due a very long commitment and poor artist relations. They quickly released a death metal classic, The Karelian Isthmus, in 1992 - and would later release the original demo as the Privilege Of Evil EP. The EP featured Abhorrence's original vocalist, Jukka Kolehmainen, as a vocalist on the Abhorrence cover song Vulgar Necrolatry.
The band quickly adopted new ways of making music and started incorporating different styles in with the original death metal aspect, creating a very unique and complex soundscape. This experimentation in elements of folk, doom metal and progressive rock resulted in the melodic death metal cornerstone Tales from the Thousand Lakes in 1994. The shift away from death metal and further into progressive soundscapes (influenced by Finnish prog rock bands like Kingston Wall) became even more apparent on Elegy in 1996, and by the time Tuonela released in 1999 their death metal roots and Kalevala stylings were but a distant memory.
Eventually feeling the need to circle back to how Tales from the Thousand Lakes was formed, the band decided to bring back their Kalevala lyricism and develop their classic, melodic metal sound further. They resurfaced with new vocalist Tomi Joutsen and released the fan favourite Eclipse in 2006 to critical acclaim - another example of their constant musical growth and uncompromising attitude. With renewed vigor, the band explored this modern direction further with equally beloved follow-ups Silent Waters (2007) and Skyforger (2009) - all three albums focusing on one specific character at a time from Kalevala.
Forging The Land Of Thousand Lakes was released in July 2010. It is available as a 2 DVD & 2 CD package (2 digipacks in a box) or as a 2 DVD set. DVD 1, and the CDs, contain a live concert in Oulu (Finland) in 2009. The second DVD contains a shorter set from Summer Breeze Open Air 2009, a 60 minute documentary and all (most?) Amorphis videos plus a photo gallery.
Magic & Mayhem – Tales From The Early Years was released in September 2010. It contains 12 tracks from the first three albums plus a bonus track Light My Fire. They have all been re-recorded with the current line-up. Some arrangements have changed - essentially they are the songs as they have evolved through many concert tours, recorded in a studio environment.
In May 2011, The Beginning Of Times was released and went straight to number 1 in the Finnish album charts and number 16 in the German charts.
Feeling the need to take another short break from the world of Kalevala, they released Circle in April 2013 - featuring an original, self-contained story with some heavier and more progressive influences while retaining their melodic style.
Since 2015, the band has released three more records that continued to gather public and critical approval - Under the Red Cloud (2015), Queen of Time (2018), and Halo (2022) - all leaning towards a more symphonic, grandiose style compared to their previous releases.
Current Members
* Tomi Joutsen – vocals
* Esa Holopainen – guitar
* Tomi Koivusaari – guitar
* Olli-Pekka Laine – bass
* Santeri Kallio – keyboards
* Jan Rechberger – drums
Former Members
* Pasi Koskinen – vocals (1996–2004)
* Niclas Etelävuori – bass (2000-2017)
* Pekka Kasari – drums (1996–2002)
* Kim Rantala – keyboards (1996–1998)
* Kasper Mårtenson – keyboards (1993–1994)
Discography:
1992 The Karelian Isthmus
1994 Tales from the Thousand Lakes
1996 Elegy
1999 Tuonela
2001 Am Universum
2003 Far From the Sun
2006 Eclipse
2007 Silent Waters
2009 Skyforger
2010 Forging The Land Of Thousand Lakes
2010 Magic & Mayhem – Tales From The Early Years
2011 The Beginning Of Times
2013 Circle
2015 Under the Red Cloud
2018 Queen of Time
2022 Halo
Official site: Amorphis.net
Drifting Memories
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blessed to receive
Be modest and forgiving
How does it feel
You can try to hate me
But you're only hurting yourself
Drifting in your shady memories
Let the fear run through
Breath in black and stifling air
All those words they disappear
No need to rest it's too early to die
You don't have to say
Why rue for that day
When you've open up your eyes again
Now it's your fate
Face your heart ache
You wish to make it unreal
Drifting in your shady memories
Where to go when sorrow breeds
Let the fear run through
Breath in black and stifling air
All those words they disappear
No need to rest it's too early to die
The lyrics of Amorphis's song Drifting Memories seem to be about the feeling of being blessed and forgiving despite facing hate and sorrows. The first few lines suggest that the person who has received the blessing should be humble and forgiving even if someone hates them. The chorus talks about how someone is drifting in their memories where sorrow breeds and they feel lost. But there is no need to rest because it's too early to die. The fear runs through you and all the words disappear in the stifling air.
The next verse suggests that someone doesn't have to rue for the day when they face heartache because they just need to open their eyes again. It's their fate to face their heartache but they wish to make it unreal. Overall, the song seems to be about coming to terms with life's challenges and being able to move on from them without succumbing to them.
Line by Line Meaning
How does it feel
The song starts with a rhetorical question, asking the listener to reflect on their own emotions and experiences.
Blessed to receive
This line suggests gratitude for life's gifts and experiences.
Be modest and forgiving
The singer advises the listener to cultivate humility and forgiveness as virtues, recognizing their importance in interpersonal relationships.
How does it feel
The singer poses the same question again in the second verse, bringing the focus back to the listener's emotions and experiences.
You can try to hate me
The artist acknowledges that others might hold negative feelings toward them, but recognizes that those emotions ultimately harm the person who holds them.
But you're only hurting yourself
This line emphasizes the idea that holding onto hate and negativity harms the person harboring those emotions, rather than the target of their animosity.
Drifting in your shady memories
The imagery in this line suggests being lost in negative thoughts and emotions from the past.
Where to go when sorrow breeds
This line implies feelings of helplessness or uncertainty when faced with sadness or difficulty.
Let the fear run through
The singer suggests that instead of avoiding or suppressing negative emotions, it can be helpful to acknowledge them and allow them to be felt.
Breath in black and stifling air
This line conjures an image of desperation or suffocation, perhaps suggesting the feeling of being trapped in negative thoughts or emotions.
All those words they disappear
This line suggests that the negative thoughts and emotions that may have been consuming the listener are ultimately transient and fleeting.
No need to rest it's too early to die
This line could have a dual meaning, with 'rest' either referring to giving up on life or to taking a break from the emotional turmoil. In either case, the singer is encouraging the listener to keep going.
You don't have to say
The singer suggests that the listener need not explain their feelings or experiences to anyone else, perhaps acknowledging that those emotions can be deeply personal and difficult to share.
Why rue for that day
This line questions the point of dwelling on past negative experiences, as they are done and cannot be changed.
When you've opened up your eyes again
This line suggests a turning point, perhaps one in which the listener is able to move beyond negative emotions and experiences and look forward with renewed perspective.
Now it's your fate
This line suggests that the listener has some agency in shaping their future and creating a better outcome for themselves.
Face your heart ache
The singer urges the listener to confront and process their emotional pain.
You wish to make it unreal
This line suggests the desire to erase or escape the pain of past experiences, though this may not be a realistic goal.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind