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AMORPHIS "Borderland"
AMORPHIS "Borderland"
By Dr. Abner Mality
At this stage of their career, Finland's AMORPHIS are pretty much critic proof. They will reach their fans regardless of what I or anybody else says. That happens when you've been around for 35 years or more. Nevertheless, I shall do my duty and forge ahead.
The biggest guessing game when a new AMORPHIS comes out is figuring out which way they will lean. Will it be a more metal album with tons of growls? Will it be more towards the prog side of the ledger? Or will they explore the folkier side of their sound? Well, with "Borderland", they almost seem to have gone AOR. This is the most melodic AMORPHIS since "Tuonela" but still keeping much of their trademark sound. The keyboards and piano are much more prominent throughout. And Santeri Kallio really shows his keyboard mastery throughout. Although there's plenty of lead guitar as well.
Oddly enough, Tomi Joutsen still does plenty of death metal growling here, which sounds odd on such a tuneful and accessible album. Along with Nick from PARADISE LOST and Mikael of OPETH, he's one of the absolute best at doing both smooth cleans and gravelly growls. AMORPHIS has always been a smooth listen and that doesn't change here, but I found the more AOR leaning tracks such as "Tempest", "Light And Shadow" and "Despair" to be rather bland in their pleasantness. Much more memorable are the heavier Middle Eastern riffage of "Bones" and the more folky title track, which also has some cool East Indian type moments. "The Lantern" is a very lush and cinematic song, very well constructed and the most epic thing here.
As far as musicianship goes, that has never been an issue with AMORPHIS. Even on less gripping tracks, that's always top notch. I enjoy the more metallic and progressive side of the band...."Borderland" is just a little too smooth and easy for me to enjoy completely. It may be different for you, depending on what you like. As for the band, they obviously are following their own muse.
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