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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
Shades Of Gray
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aflame with flaring gold
Silhouetted against the eastern sky like a God
The trees now blue under the dusk…
The cooling flood of evening shade
The lights recede, the sounds subdue
Predators emerge from their caves
Chorus:
And the lake’s golden mirror’s dim
The last rays fall into darker shade
The night coils around the day
Shadows turn the light into the shades of gray
The sun bades the world farewell
The queen of the night her attire aglow
Before her beauty I, too bow
These nights I should fear
These lights I should not follow
This road to nowhere leads
I wander around in circles
Chorus:
Grayness holds my mind at stake
And the lake’s golden mirror’s dim
The last rays fall into darker shade
The night coils around the day
Shadows turn the light into the shades of gray
The sun bades the world farewell
The lights recede, the sounds subdue
Predators emerge from their caves
Chorus:
Grayness holds my mind at stake
And the lake’s golden mirror’s dim
The last rays fall into darker shade
The night coils around the day
Shadows turn the light into the shades of gray
The sun bades the world farewell
It controls my mind
And the lake’s golden mirror’s dim
The last rays fall into darker shade
The night chokes the day
Shadows turn the light into the shades of gray
The sun bades the world farewell
The lyrics of "Shades of Gray" by Amorphis explore the transition between day and night, the beauty of nature, and the pull of darkness. The opening lines paint a vivid picture of the sunset, with mountain tops and red clouds ablaze with gold. The beauty of this scene is contrasted with the emergence of predators from their caves as the natural world shifts from day to night. The chorus reinforces the theme of grayness and the dimming of light as the night coils around the day.
The second verse shifts to a personal reflection as the singer considers the allure of darkness and the fear it can inspire. The queen of the night, likely referencing the moon, is described as aglow in her beauty, and the singer acknowledges their awe in her presence. However, they also warn themselves not to follow the lights that lead nowhere and to avoid wandering in circles. The final repetition of the chorus intensifies the sense of control that grayness has over the mind, with the night choking the day.
Overall, the lyrics of "Shades of Gray" use the natural world as a backdrop to explore the complexities of the human experience. The beauty of a sunset is both alluring and ominous, and the shifting of the day into night represents a metaphorical transition between light and dark, good and evil.
Line by Line Meaning
Mountain tops and red, red clouds
The glorious natural beauty of the mountains against the backdrop of a colourful sunset
Aflame with flaring gold
The sky looks as if it's on fire with the golden-red hues of the setting sun
Silhouetted against the eastern sky like a God
The mountains are so grand and majestic that they look like a deity when seen against the backdrop of the eastern sky
The trees now blue under the dusk…
As the sun sets, the trees start appearing blue-ish in colour due to the fading light
The cooling flood of evening shade
The temperature starts dropping as evening approaches and the surroundings are filled with calm and soothing vibes
The lights recede, the sounds subdue
As night takes over, the hustle-bustle of the day dies down and everything becomes quiet and still
Predators emerge from their caves
As the darkness falls, the predators start coming out of their hiding places
Grayness holds my mind at stake
The artist is feeling trapped and uncertain, unable to move forward or backward because of the ambiguous and grey nature of their predicament
And the lake’s golden mirror’s dim
The lake that used to shine like gold under the sunlight now appears dull and lifeless
The last rays fall into darker shade
The remaining sunlight disappears into the horizon and the darkness engulfs everything
The night coils around the day
The darkness of the night envelops and replaces the light of the day
Shadows turn the light into the shades of gray
The shadows created by the darkness turn everything into a greyish, uncertain hue
The sun bades the world farewell
The sun sets completely and disappears from sight, marking the end of the day
The queen of the night her attire aglow
The moon, which is often referred to as the queen of the night, is shining bright and lighting up the surroundings
Before her beauty I, too bow
The beauty of the moon is so mesmerizing that the singer is compelled to acknowledge and appreciate it
These nights I should fear
The artist is aware of the dangers that come with the darkness of the night and feels scared
These lights I should not follow
The artist understands there may be temptations or distractions that lead them down the wrong path and decides not to give in
This road to nowhere leads
The singer is lost and unsure of their direction, feeling as though they are going nowhere
I wander around in circles
The singer feels like they are going in circles, unable to find their way out of their current predicament
It controls my mind
The grey and ambiguous situation that the artist is in has taken over their thoughts and emotions
The night chokes the day
The night has completely taken over and drowned out any remaining light or hope
Contributed by Declan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Retset
I think the contrast between harsh vocals and clean, more melodic, sections are Amorphis' trademark. It's what makes tracks like 'Majestic Beast' or 'Towards and Against' work so magnificently. We both agree it's a great song though :)
@777zan7der777
Awesome song. Never listened to this band before. Boy was I blown away.
@Amorfischo
That chorus... I just love the beautiful pictures that are drawn in the lyrics, and combined with the vocals and the instrumentals, they really manage to bring me into a whole new world. Amazing <3
@BoneBGone
in Finland? ;D heheheheh
@ericsartanahorner
Counting the days til I get this album. great to see bands like Amorphis still around kicking ass. They are a talented, very under-rated band and deserve to be heard more to combat all this crappy "popular" music...Ugh!!!
@oliverjohn5566
I like how they keep their sound throughout their entire career. In modern times and with a big record, these guys, manage to keep a very good sound according to their contract but also please the audience. I love Amorphis.
@shippensbia
Best band ever, nothing they have ever released in their 20 plus years of recording has been anything less than awesome.
@madeofcashrs
The vocals are great. Powerful and deep. Love this song.
@djgibbs7041
I went for a drive with this song literally just so I could blast it and sing at the top of my lungs,"GRAYNESS HOLDS MY MIND AT STAKE, AND THE LAKE'S GOLDEN MIRRORS DIM, THE LAST RAYS FALL INTO DARKER SHADE!"
@roaddogg800
So far my favorite track on the new album!