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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
First Doom
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shall erupt and flames
Of darkland will raise
Hail to one who hails
Blood for one who bleeds
O, you mistress of northland
Queen of darkland
Evil master's blood
For that is no man's doom
Which I bring
That is child's doom
And it shall be the first doom
The song "First Doom" by Amorphis is a powerful and dark piece that explores themes of violence, death and betrayal. The first few lines of the song describe a cataclysmic event that is about to take place - the mountains of the northern regions are going to erupt and unleash a raging firestorm. The lyrics go on to hail those who are brave and strong enough to face this impending doom, and state that "blood for one who bleeds" - meaning that those who are willing to put their lives on the line will be rewarded with glory and honor.
But the song takes a darker turn with the introduction of the character of the "mistress of northland" - a queen who is aligned with the forces of darkness. The singer of the song wishes to wash his hands of the "evil master's blood" - perhaps he is a warrior who has been forced to do the queen's bidding and is now wracked with guilt and regret. The final lines of the song are particularly ominous - the singer describes the "first doom" that is about to befall the world, and suggests that it will be a harbinger of even greater destruction to come.
Overall, "First Doom" is a deeply evocative piece that captures the bleak and brutal nature of Amorphis's music. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery and powerful emotions, and leave a lasting impression on the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
The mountains of north
The majestic mountains situated in the north.
Shall erupt and flames
The mountains will burst and lava will spew out, along with blazing fire.
Of darkland will raise
The blazing fire will rise high and cover the entire area known as the darkland.
Hail to one who hails
Offering salutation to the victor who successfully fought and won.
Blood for one who bleeds
The victor deserves respect and admiration for shedding his blood while fighting.
O, you mistress of northland
Addressing the female ruler who is in charge of the northern region.
Queen of darkland
The ruler is also the queen of the darkland, a murky and unknown area.
I may wash my hands of the
I can cleanse my hands off the impure essence.
Evil master's blood
The blood of the evil master whose actions were harmful and unrighteous.
For that is no man's doom
The fate that is to come is not a mere mortal's fate.
Which I bring
The fate that my actions will bring about.
That is child's doom
The fate that is about to happen is a destiny that's for the next generation.
And it shall be the first doom
This will mark the beginning of the tragic fate that is bound to follow.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ESA HOLOPAINEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind