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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
Forever More
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To bury my hate
I wait till the morning of the mourning
But it's too late
Down to the seashore
Through the illuminous gate
You wait for tomorrow but today is today
No one can understand my pain
Find me the ocean
Where waters stand still
Nothing can befall evermore
Find me the ocean which swallows all that floats
It's time to prevail your conspiracy
It's a whisper of a dead man
I've heard it before
It's yearning my emotions
Before I was born
It was only delusion
Of illuminous gate
'cause today is the day
Find me the ocean
Where waters stand still
Nothing can befall evermore
Find me the ocean which swallows all that floats
It's time to prevail your conspiracy
Calm is the breath that breaks the circle of silence
Like the whisper of a dying man
Who was born in his own funeral
Time is right for the twisted one
Guide me to the center of the vicious goal
You're my prey, kiss my arrow the silver
The lyrics of Amorphis's song Forever More depicts the struggle of the singer to bury his hate and pain. He walks down to the seashore, hoping to find solace in the vastness of the ocean. He realizes that he has been waiting for tomorrow, but today is the day to confront his emotions, and he alone bears the weight of his pain that no one understands. The search for the ocean that swallows all that floats, the darkness of the illuminous gate, and the conspiracy that needs to be revealed - all are an attempt to find a purpose and meaning in life. The haunting lines "It's a whisper of a dead man, I've heard it before, It's yearning my emotions, Before I was born" hints towards the eternal and cyclical nature of life and death.
The song touches upon themes of sorrow, pain, and the quest for meaning in life. The singer seeks to find stillness in the vastness of nature, but he realizes that ultimately, he can only rely on himself to overcome his inner demons. The lyrics remain open to interpretation, and listeners can relate the lyrics to their struggles and search for meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
I walk down to the seashore
I am moving towards the ocean.
To bury my hate
I am trying to release my bitterness and anger.
I wait till the morning of the mourning
I am waiting for the morning of the funeral.
But it's too late
It is too late for me to be able to make a difference.
Down to the seashore
I am going to the sea.
Through the illuminous gate
I am passing through a bright entranceway.
You wait for tomorrow but today is today
You anticipate the future, but it is the present moment.
No one can understand my pain
Nobody can truly comprehend my suffering.
Find me the ocean
Locate the body of water.
Where waters stand still
Where the water is undisturbed.
Nothing can befall evermore
Nothing can happen forevermore.
Find me the ocean which swallows all that floats
Locate the sea that consumes everything that remains afloat.
It's time to prevail your conspiracy
It is the moment to overcome your plot against me.
It's a whisper of a dead man
It is a faint speech from the deceased.
I've heard it before
I previously perceived that murmur.
It's yearning my emotions
It is affecting my sentiments.
Before I was born
Before I even existed.
It was only delusion
It was merely an illusion.
Of illuminous gate
Concerning the bright entranceway.
'cause today is the day
Since today is the current day.
Calm is the breath that breaks the circle of silence
Quiet is the demeanor that interrupts the cycle of quietness.
Like the whisper of a dying man
Comparable to the utterance of a fading person.
Who was born in his own funeral
That was brought into the world at their own burial.
Time is right for the twisted one
It is now the appropriate time for the perverted individual.
Guide me to the center of the vicious goal
Lead me to the heart of the cruel objective.
You're my prey, kiss my arrow the silver
You are my target, embrace my arrow made of silver.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CARL FISCHER, FRANKIE LAINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind