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 Since Abhorrence was no longer active, they quickly sent their own demo in the return mail and eventually got signed to a recording deal.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
Veil Of Sin
Amorphis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I leave some of my goodness
I leave the veil of sin
And let go my dreams
[Bridge]
Eternity follows me everywhere
Your words so hollow won't go anywhere
It searches the gate beyond the stars
And there I can see her again
[Chorus:]
Tell me why you have to be so pure and wrong
And I'm alive to be here
Is it just an omen
Is it me walking blindly
I will find the answer
When I wake up from my dream
[Bridge]
Eternity follows me everywhere
Your words so hollow won't go anywhere
Distant shadows disappears
It searches the gate beyond the stars
And there I can kill her again
[Chorus]
Tell me why you have to be so pure and wrong
And I'm alive to be here
The lyrics of "Veil Of Sin" by Amorphis seem to revolve around the theme of sin and surrendering oneself to it. The first two lines suggest that the singer is leaving some of his goodness for the cold pale women, implying that he is succumbing to sin and letting go of his virtues. The lines "I leave the veil of sin and let go my dreams" further emphasize the idea that the singer is giving in to the temptations of sin, and abandoning his aspirations.
The bridge talks about eternity following the singer everywhere and hollow words that won't go anywhere. This could suggest that the singer feels trapped in his sins and the words of those around him provide no solace for him. The next line "distant shadows disappear" indicates that the singer is trying to escape his sins, but it keeps following him. The phrase "searches the gate beyond the stars" seems to suggest that the singer is trying to find a way to get rid of his sins completely.
The chorus talks about the singer questioning why he has to be so pure and the other person being wrong. The line "and I'm alive to be here" could mean that the singer feels guilty for fulfilling his sinful desires but is still living his life with the consequences of it. The last two lines seem to suggest that the singer is trying to find answers to his actions but is currently blinded to it.
Line by Line Meaning
For the cold pale women
Referring to the people who are distant and emotionless, the singer is leaving some of their goodness for them.
I leave some of my goodness
The singer is leaving some of their own positive traits for the aforementioned cold and distant individuals.
I leave the veil of sin
The singer is leaving behind the temptation and wrongdoing that has clouded their mind.
And let go my dreams
The artist is giving up their own personal aspirations and desires.
[Bridge] Eternity follows me everywhere
The concept of forever is constantly with the artist.
Your words so hollow won't go anywhere
The singer is dismissing the empty words of others as meaningless.
Distant shadows disappears
The far-off, mysterious aspects of life become less unclear.
It searches the gate beyond the stars
The artist is describing a quest for knowledge and understanding that reaches beyond the physical world.
And there I can see her again
The artist is hopeful to see someone they've lost again in this spiritual realm.
[Chorus] Tell me why you have to be so pure and wrong
The artist is questioning why something good is being perceived as bad.
And I'm alive to be here
The singer is grateful to still be alive and present in the current moment.
Is it just an omen
The artist is wondering if this experience holds greater significance or meaning.
Is it me walking blindly
The singer is questioning if they are simply stumbling through this journey without direction or purpose.
I will find the answer
The singer asserts their determination to uncover the truth of their experience.
When I wake up from my dream
The singer is likening this experience to a dream, hoping to eventually awaken from it.
[Bridge] Eternity follows me everywhere
The concept of forever is constantly with the artist.
Your words so hollow won't go anywhere
The artist is dismissing the empty words of others as meaningless.
Distant shadows disappears
The far-off, mysterious aspects of life become less unclear.
It searches the gate beyond the stars
The singer is describing a quest for knowledge and understanding that reaches beyond the physical world.
And there I can kill her again
The artist is expressing their desire to end someone's life once more in this spiritual realm.
[Chorus] Tell me why you have to be so pure and wrong
The artist is questioning why something good is being perceived as bad.
And I'm alive to be here
The artist is grateful to still be alive and present in the current moment.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erick Macías
I can only feel sorry for the millions of human beings who don't know this song.
Denisa Patache
This album is such a gem... Brings back tons of memories... I have no words to describe it. I can only be humble.
Enrique Moreno
Feel you bro. X2
Sami Marttinen
One has to FEEL this, no words needed...
SergioGarfield Silva
amazing ballad underrated band ,underrated album...only for brilliant people..
Marlee Merritt
Definitely one of my favorite songs of all time. Brings back good memories and bad ones alike, but every time I listen it is as sweet as the first.
wiltzer1
all the songs in this album are awesome. nice memories
jovino andrade
this song is amazing
Beatriz Elf
Uma das melhores. Amorphis é sem palavras! ♥
Johan S.
Epic sax, love this song!