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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
Tuonela
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And tears I drink as wine
Oblivion my happiness
Ground under teeth of time
For cold be the stone
When frost ve devoured the land
Consolation is no gift
[Chorus:]
Upon a crust of snow
I'll lay my broken frame
What steel and iron won't take
I'll give in winter's name
No good a sullen sout no use a simple knave
No groom for brides of plaited hair
This man old and lame
If only I could breathe
To see the sun of may
but still longer are the nigths than days
As I wither away
Came the man of crown
With sound of war drums beat
Said no sword arm's strong enough
Without my two good feet
[Chorus]
But not overlooked am I
In eyes of the maid I'll wed
I'll reap the crops of Tuonela
My bride's wealth in death
The lyrics of "Tuonela" by Amorphis tell a heartbreaking story of a man who is consumed by sorrow and accepts oblivion as his happiness. He has lost everything and has nothing left to live for. His only comfort is his sadness, and he drinks his tears like wine. The inexorable passage of time has ground his happiness under its teeth and left him with nothing but a world of cold stones that offer no consolation, even in winter's icy grip. He is an old, lame man, who has no use for anyone, and nobody has any use for him. He longs to see the sun of May, but the nights are longer than the days, and he feels himself withering away.
Suddenly, a man wearing a crown appears, accompanied by the sound of war drums. He tells the old man that no sword arm is strong enough without two good feet. This seems to be a crushing blow to the old man, who has already lost so much. However, his lack of physical strength doesn't go unnoticed by a certain maiden, who is willing to wed him. She sees beyond his physical limitations and recognizes his worth. The old man realizes that even in death, his bride's wealth will be his, and he will reap the crops of Tuonela.
Overall, the lyrics of "Tuonela" are a poignant representation of a man who has lost everything, and yet finds hope and purpose through the eyes of someone who sees his true worth. It conveys a sense of acceptance of one's fate, but also the possibility of finding meaning and purpose in life in unexpected ways.
Line by Line Meaning
Sorrow is my bread
My life is full of pain and heartbreak
And tears I drink as wine
My constant companion is sadness, and I have become accustomed to it
Oblivion my happiness
The only solace I find is in forgetting my past
Ground under teeth of time
As I grow older, the hardships of life have worn me down
For cold be the stone
Winter is a harsh and unforgiving season
When frost ve devoured the land
The earth is barren and devoid of life during this time
Consolation is no gift
There is no comfort to be found in the cold darkness of winter
Of winter's icy hand
Winter's grip is merciless and unyielding
Upon a crust of snow
My body will be laid to rest in the barren winter landscape
I'll lay my broken frame
My body is frail and weak
What steel and iron won't take
I am willing to give up everything I have, even my own life
I'll give in winter's name
I am sacrificing myself to the harshness of the winter season
No good a sullen sout no use a simple knave
I am not a valuable or useful member of society
No groom for brides of plaited hair
I am not a desirable mate for young women
This man old and lame
I am old and physically weak
If only I could breathe
I long for a better life, one that is not consumed by suffering and hardship
To see the sun of may
I wish for the joy of springtime
but still longer are the nigths than days
My days are filled with darkness and despair
As I wither away
My life is slowly fading
Came the man of crown
A powerful and influential man came into my life
With sound of war drums beat
He arrives with great fanfare and the promise of strength
Said no sword arm's strong enough
Even the strongest warriors are not formidable enough to face the challenges ahead
Without my two good feet
He insists that physical strength is essential in order to succeed in life
But not overlooked am I
Despite my shortcomings, I am not forgotten
In eyes of the maid I'll wed
I have found love and acceptance from a woman who cares for me deeply
I'll reap the crops of Tuonela
I will receive the bounty of the afterlife
My bride's wealth in death
Even in death, my beloved will provide for me and ensure my happiness
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
Александр Войкин
The Way: Progressive Metal
Morning Star: Progressive Metal
Nightfall: Eastern Metal
Tuonela: Doom Metal
Greed: Eastern / Doom Metal
Divinity: Progressive / Blues Metal
Shining: Doom / Blues Metal
Withered: Eastern Metal
Rusty Moon: Folk / Country Metal
Summer's End: Progressive (Depressive?..) Metal
The Hound
Tales, Elegy and Tuonela are my favourite Amorphis albums.
Ailig Immo
This and maybe Am Universum....so many ideas...sucha unique moods....love this era...
Sandro Freire
Skyforger is fantástic
kirkkopalovaroitus
Iam the universe is thö best and all albums are masterpieces!🤟🤘👌👊👍
eworm
@Audrey Caroline Joutsen 's only good work is the queen of time. sry but hi is just nothing before Pasi as a singer , no offensive
eworm
No doubts are the best
KaneRobot
The Tuonela > Greed > Divinity sequence of this album is up there with the best stretches of any album I've ever heard. 14 minutes of perfection.
Sergey Emilov
I really like Pasi's voice and for me this is one of the greatest albums ever. I like in the late 90's and I like it now. For me the four albums with Pasi are their greatest stuff. Maybe new Amorphis is ok too but Pasi's vocals.... Nostalgia hahaha
Audrey Caroline
Nah Tomi Joutsen’s vocals don’t beat anything.
Arun Mohan
Completely agree