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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
Nightfall
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A plague sprang forth of his tracks
Churns ran red when cows milked blood
And famine cracked poor backs
Who would hear a lament sad
Under the bright blue sky
That's sung in hovels dark and low
With eyes too weak to cry
But horror be the nightfall's gloom
For the man upon the road
When moon doth laugh at worthless lives
Twice hard for all promise showed
Empty stare upon his face
Nine fathoms deep
He set upon the road again
On ground that bears no seed
The lyrics of "Nightfall" by Amorphis tell a story of a disastrous event that leads to despair and horror. The lines "As a rot to rape the spring sown seed, A plague sprang forth of his tracks, Churns ran red when cows milked blood, And famine cracked poor backs" describe a situation where a plague has spread and affected crops, cattle, and people, leading to a shortage of food and a difficult, impoverished existence.
The following lines speak of the sadness and despair of those affected by the plague: "Who would hear a lament sad, Under the bright blue sky, That's sung in hovels dark and low, With eyes too weak to cry." The chorus speaks of the horror that falls upon the man on the road when the night descends and the moon shines "twice hard for all promise showed." The final lines speak of the isolation and emptiness of the man who is now walking on barren land, "Empty stare upon his face, Nine fathoms deep, He set upon the road again, On ground that bears no seed."
The lyrics of "Nightfall" are poetic and evocative, offering a powerful vision of despair and hopelessness. The themes of the song explore the pain of loss and isolation, which are universal human experiences. The song is notable for its melancholic tone, which is emphasized by the use of melodic, haunting music.
Line by Line Meaning
As a rot to rape the spring sown seed
The destruction caused by an evil force is likened to the spoiling of newly planted crops during the spring season.
A plague sprang forth of his tracks
The actions of the evil force give rise to a widespread and devastating outbreak of disease.
Churns ran red when cows milked blood
Even the animals suffer from the destruction, as their milk turns into blood.
And famine cracked poor backs
The widespread famine caused by the destruction takes a severe toll on the physical and emotional well-being of the people.
Who would hear a lament sad
There are very few people who would take time to listen to a sorrowful song.
Under the bright blue sky
Even though the sky is clear and bright, people still suffer in the darkness.
That's sung in hovels dark and low
The lament is sung in places of poverty and desperation, where people have little hope.
With eyes too weak to cry
People in these impoverished places have exhausted all of their tears and no longer have the energy to weep.
But horror be the nightfall's gloom
The darkness of nightfall brings with it a sense of terror and dread.
For the man upon the road
The person traveling on the road becomes especially vulnerable to the terrors of the night.
When moon doth laugh at worthless lives
The full moon, which is often associated with madness and bizarre happenings, seems to mock the insignificant and meaningless nature of human life.
Twice hard for all promise showed
The suffering and struggles are made even more difficult because there was once hope and promise for a better future.
Empty stare upon his face
The person's facial expression shows a sense of emptiness or hopelessness.
Nine fathoms deep
The person feels trapped in a deep hole or abyss of despair.
He set upon the road again
Despite the hardships and struggles, the person continues to press on and move forward.
On ground that bears no seed
The road ahead is barren and lacks the potential for growth or prosperity.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ESA HOLOPAINEN, OLLI-PEKKA LAINE, PASI KOSKINEN, TOMI KOIVUSAARI, VELI PEKKA KASARI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind