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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
Shatters Within
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics of Amorphis's song Shatters Within depict a character standing outside looking in, with a smiling face shattering. The pride of an old man, that climbs over understanding, seems to be the source of this character's pain. The character tries to assure that it wasn't their child whom they were hurting. However, they turn their back to the world, indicating a detachment from the environment. They claim they don't care and view the people around them, including those they hurt, as already dead.
The chorus of the song talks about the looming threat of a mushroom cloud, possibly suggesting nuclear warfare, but the character claims to have no fear. They question what is there for them to believe in and criticize the toxicity around them. The crystal heart shatters within, further suggesting the character's inner turmoil. As the song progresses, the character moves inside and becomes vulnerable, crying face shattering. The reference to an old folk's sign taking away one's chastity, perhaps indicates the character's realization of their own vulnerability and innocence being taken away.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I was there
The singer is reminiscing about a past experience.
Standing outside
The singer was not part of what was happening at the time.
Looking in
The singer was observing from a distance.
Beside my window
The artist had a vantage point from their own personal space.
Smiling face, shattering
The artist encountered a pleasant facade that was soon revealed to be false.
It's an old man's pride
The singer perceives arrogance fueled by age and experience.
That climbs over understanding
Arrogance is blinding the person to rational thought and empathy.
It wasn't your child
The artist is trying to justify their actions by claiming it didn't harm someone else's offspring.
That I was hurting
The artist admits to causing pain to someone but doesn't view it as significant.
And I turn my back to the world
The artist is purposely distancing from society.
Well I don't care
The singer asserts that they don't have interest or concern for the world.
What can I say if I see you all as dead
The artist sees others as lifeless and feels disconnected from them.
Under the dying sun it comes
The singer foresees a negative event in the near future.
Weaving fear but I have none
The singer is not afraid of what's to come.
I know that mushroom cloud
The singer specifically envisions a nuclear explosion.
Won't come very near
The artist isn't close to the potential danger.
What do you have to believe in
The artist questions the motivation of others.
And all the poison you breath in
The singer believes people are damaging themselves and their environment.
The crystal heart shatters within
The singer's emotional core is breaking apart.
once I was there standing outside
Repetition of the first line for emphasis.
moving in inside my window
The artist approaches what had been observed from afar.
crying face, shattering
The artist sees someone who had previously presented themselves as happy, now expressing melancholy.
take all that you have and leave the rest for today
The singer is adopting a live-in-the-moment mentality.
it's the old folk's sign
Referencing the same subject as before but with different language.
that took away your chastidy
The singer is condemning a societal norm for causing harm.
(pre-chorus)
Repeated section of the song that sets up the chorus.
(chorus)
Refrain of the song that reinforces the themes and motifs.
Contributed by Tyler I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.