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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
Shining
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel so small
Afraid that this will never end
I can't understand the pain in my bones
I sleep through another trance
Climb over the rainbow
From here you can see so much
But who can you trust
Got so many things to say
But it's something I don't want to be
Gotta get away case it's time to shine
Like a fallen angel I run
I won't ever see the sun
See the circle is now complete
Yet the harvest remains undone
Where hemlock grows and vermin crowl
All dreams descend with fear
Crushed by the darkness that wells inside
That beast I hold so dear
The lyrics to Amorphis's Shining convey a deep sense of despair and pain. The singer's soul is bleeding, and they feel incredibly small and insignificant. They are afraid that their suffering will never end and cannot comprehend the bone-deep pain that they are experiencing. The singer is so overwhelmed by their emotions that they sleep through them, retreating into a trance-like state.
The lyrics take a surreal turn as the singer talks about climbing over a rainbow and seeing so much from atop it. They feel like they need someone to help them down from this dizzying height, but they are unsure who they can trust. The singer has so many things they want to say and express, but they feel like they cannot be who they truly are. They cannot be vulnerable or exposed because they need to get away and shine like a fallen angel. The singer knows that they will not ever see the sun, but they feel like the circle is now complete, even though the harvest is not yet complete.
The final stanza of the song has a chilling quality to it, with imagery of hemlock and vermin crawling. The dreams that the singer had have descended into fear, and they are crushed by the darkness that is growing inside of them. The "beast" that the singer holds so dear is slowly destroying them, and the pain and suffering that they are feeling are almost too much to bear.
Line by Line Meaning
My soul is bleeding
I am emotionally wounded and in pain
I feel so small
I feel insignificant and powerless
Afraid that this will never end
I fear that my suffering will continue indefinitely
I can't understand the pain in my bones
I am experiencing physical pain that I cannot comprehend
I sleep through another trance
I try to escape my troubles by retreating into unconsciousness
Climb over the rainbow
Strive for something better, something beyond the current situation
From here you can see so much
By rising above one's problems, one gains perspective
I need someone to take me down
I require assistance in confronting and resolving my issues
But who can you trust
I question the reliability of potential helpers and confidants
Got so many things to say
I have many thoughts and feelings to express
But it's something I don't want to be
However, I am reluctant to face certain aspects of myself
Gotta get away case it's time to shine
I must escape my current state of being to find my true potential
Like a fallen angel I run
I flee from my former self, attempting to reinvent and rediscover myself
I won't ever see the sun
I fear that I will never achieve my full potential or find true happiness
See the circle is now complete
Nevertheless, I recognize that the hardships and struggles have had a cyclical nature
Yet the harvest remains undone
Despite the completion of these cycles, there is still more to be learned and achieved
Where hemlock grows and vermin crowl
In dark and unpleasant places
All dreams descend with fear
All aspirations are corrupted or overshadowed by fear
Crushed by the darkness that wells inside
Overwhelmed by the negative emotions and thoughts that reside within me
That beast I hold so dear
I am attached to, and possibly even enjoy, this darkness and negativity
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: ESA HOLOPAINEN, OLLI-PEKKA LAINE, PASI KOSKINEN, TOMI KOIVUSAARI, VELI PEKKA KASARI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind