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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
Escape
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Snares of copper made
They offered drinks that lull to sleep
Of everlasting chains
But I changed my mortal shape
And took the form of a snake
I swam through the nets of deception
Death bestows no wisdom
No might from death endowed
They say there’s no return but I
Made my way back home
Back to life
I was there among the shadows
Who whispered out their screams
I was transformed by the strength
Of my will to live
Death bestows no wisdom
No might from death endowed
There is no return, no way
To ever walk back home
Death bestows no wisdom
No might from death endowed
They say there’s no return but I
Made my way back home
Back to life
The lyrics of the song 'Escape' by Amorphis speak of a person who became trapped in deception, lies, and chains. The singer speaks of finding themselves in a situation where they were offered drinks that would lull them to sleep and traps made of copper and iron. However, they didn't want to be trapped anymore and decided to change their form into a snake. With their new shape, they crawled through the nets of deception and were able to escape and come back to life.
The lyrics are symbolic of the struggles that people face in life. The nets of iron and snares of copper can represent the traps we encounter in life that keep us from achieving our goals or living fulfilling lives. The drinks that lull to sleep can represent the distractions and temptations that keep us from being productive and focused. However, the singer shows that it is possible to escape these traps, to change shape and find a way out. Death may give no wisdom or might, but there is always a way to return home and find life again.
Line by Line Meaning
Therein lie the nets of iron
Trapped in a confining situation
Snares of copper made
Trapped by an attractive yet dangerous force
They offered drinks that lull to sleep
Temptations that lead to complacency
Of everlasting chains
Of a permanent and restrictive bond
But I changed my mortal shape
Adapted to the situation
And took the form of a snake
Behaved in a deceitful manner to escape
I swam through the nets of deception
Overcame the traps and temptations
Crawled back to life again
Recovered from the dire situation
Death bestows no wisdom
One can't learn from death itself
No might from death endowed
No power gained from experiencing death
They say there’s no return but I
Many presume there's no way out of a situation, but I found a way
Made my way back home
Returned to a safe and comfortable place
I was there among the shadows
I was once in a dark and hopeless situation
Who whispered out their screams
Suffering in silence but desperately seeking help
I was transformed by the strength
Developed resilience and overcame obstacles
Of my will to live
I had a strong desire to survive
There is no return, no way
Some situations have no solution
To ever walk back home
To return to a safe and comfortable place
Back to life
Recovering from a dire situation
Contributed by Sadie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.