Amorphis - Eclipse (2006)
©Nuclear Blast Records
Finland
Tracklist:
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Two Moons (3:22)
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House of Sleep (4:10)
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Leaves Scar (3:38)
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Born Under Fire (4:00)
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Under a Soil and Black Stone (4:13)
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Perkele (The God of Fire) (3:31)
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The Smoke (3:39)
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Same Flesh (4:40)
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Brother Moon (4:47)
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Empty Opening (5:48)
Just when you think one Finnish album cannot top another, it happens! Amorphis slams a royal flush down on the table with their spectacular (this word does not say enough) release "Eclipse". From start to finish, one can easily sit down and listen through this album without taking a single break. Each track is packed with marvelous punch and folk styling that make you want learn the Finnish language (although it is clearly not necessary).
The first thing that Amorphis fans will notice is a change in lead vocals. Following "Far From The Sun", Pasi Koskinen decided it was time to leave the band. Tomi Joutsen stepped up to the plate and certainly did not disappoint. His vocals are very passionate at times occasionally presenting mighty growls that piece the tracks together wonderfully - giving an extra blast of energy to these modern classics. Some compare Tomi's singing style a mix between Sentenced’s Ville Laihiala and Pasi Koskinen. What does that equal??? AWESOME! Very powerful!!
Highlights include (which are very hard to narrow down):
"House of Sleep" - This track is a prime example of the emotional/passionate vocals Tomi has bestowed upon the band. The steady rhythm accompanied by keyboard and vocal harmony make this a stunning 'sing along style' song.
"The Smoke" - Wonderful intro. It starts off with keyboard/piano and acoustic. It Kicks in and has a great melody which is almost adventurous. The combination of clean vocals mixed with harsh vocals provides an energetic rush to the song that can easily be a favorite track of all listeners and/or fans.
"Same Flesh" - Right from the start this song will have your attention. The intro guitar riff combined with Tomi's clean vocals builds up into a chorus of epic proportion. It has a really big sound with very little noise (make sense?).
"Brother Moon" - Instantly screams folk style. Add the clean vocals and a very catchy guitar riffs and percussion technique, it too has the potential of being a favorite. It produces an overall good feeling. Even those people I've introduced this song to who normally do not listen to metal, had a hard time not replaying this tune (yes, even when the growls kick in in the last minute and a half of the song).
This is a MUST HAVE album. It is one that I have listened to many times over and have become more and more fond of it upon return. It is a perfect example of one of the extremely rare occurrences where a change of lead vocals meets or exceeds the quality of the previous front-runner. AMORPHIS FANS YOU NEED NOT FEAR! This album will not disappoint you!
-Joel