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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
From the Heaven of My Heart
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I also have my king
To north land I was sent
I was cast to distant Pohjola
Enforced by my king's spells
His orders undenied
From the smalls crumbs of earth
From a memory of a single seed
From the flair of a sawn's feather
I let the milk come seeping from the heaven
Heaven of my heart
There my skills were known to them all
They all knew my name
All knew of my might
And I forged a godly device
A machine divine
The gates of plenty opened by me
The lyrics of Amorphis's From the Heaven of My Heart depict the story of a powerful being who was sent to Pohjola, a distant land in the north. This being, who claims to have forged the heavens, was enforced by his king's spells and had to carry out his orders undenied. However, he found solace in the heaven of his own heart.
The second stanza implies that the being created life in Pohjola from very little resources. From small crumbs of earth, a fleece of summer eve, a single seed's memory, and the flair of a sawn's feather, he was able to make milk come seeping from the heaven of his heart. In Pohjola, he was widely known for his skills and might. He crafted a divine machine and managed to open the gates of plenty.
The song talks about the creation of life, the struggles of a powerful being controlled by a higher authority, and the importance of finding peace within oneself. The lyrics are metaphorical and can be interpreted in many ways. One interpretation is that the powerful being can be seen as a representation of an artist or musician who creates art despite the limitations or influence of others. The heavenly, creative force that flows through him is his only sanctuary.
Line by Line Meaning
I who have forged the heavens
I am the creator of the heavens
I also have my king
I serve a higher power
To north land I was sent
I was commanded to journey to the northern land
I was cast to distant Pohjola
I was thrown into the distant land of Pohjola
Enforced by my king's spells
I was compelled to obey my king through magical means
His orders undenied
I could not refuse my king's commands
From the smalls crumbs of earth
I created something great from humble beginnings
From a fleece of summer eve
I used a tender moment to inspire my creativity
From a memory of a single seed
I drew upon a small memory as a source of inspiration
From the flair of a sawn's feather
I found creativity in something seemingly insignificant
I let the milk come seeping from the heaven
I allowed inspiration to flow into me from a higher source
Heaven of my heart
My creative source is deeply personal and meaningful to me
There my skills were known to them all
My talents were recognized by those around me
They all knew my name
I was well-known and respected
All knew of my might
I was powerful and skilled
And I forged a godly device
I created something truly remarkable and divine
A machine divine
My creation was both mechanical and miraculous
The gates of plenty opened by me
I unlocked abundance and prosperity through my creation
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JesterSam75
I who have forged the heavens
I also have my king
To northland I was sent
I was cast to distant Pohjola
Enforced by my king's spells
His orders undenied
From the small crumbs of earth
From the fleece of summer eve
From the memory of a single seed
From the flair of a swan's feather
I let the milk come seeping
From the heaven, the heaven of my heart
There my skills were known to them all
They all knew my name
All knew of my might
And I forged a godly device
A machine divine
The gates of plenty opened by me
From the small crumbs of earth
From the fleece of summer eve
From the memory of a single seed
From the flair of a swan's feather
I let the milk come seeping
From the heaven, the heaven of my heart
From the small crumbs of earth
From the fleece of summer eve
From the memory of a single seed
From the flair of a swan's feather
I let the milk come seeping
From the heaven, the heaven of my heart
@hadronic
This song is ridiculously underrated, it's genuinely one of the best songs I've heard.
@Juzman
One of the most underrated bands on the planet.
@amollu89
thank you from Finland and today is our Finnish Music Day/Jean Sibelius day
@Juzman
@First Name Last Name there is always one bitter, lonely asshole like you on every band's channel, so fuck off.
@Halkidis74
True that! Loved them since 90's
@munajuusto
Nope. Rest of the planet havent heard this yet.
@ponchmonsterstudios
YES
@luliby2309
This is just criminally under-viewed for how good it is.
@mvdrider
The best and the masses don’t go along
@noosense
Literally the most underrated band ever.