Band: Amorphis (Finland, lyrics in English)
Venue: Club Red in Mesa, AZ
Date: April 9th, 2017
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I only started going back to concerts on the regular in 2012 when I was 30 years old. Since then, I've tried to go four or five times a year to see groups I really want to see so I can mark them off my bucket list. The only band that held the top spot on my bucket list since I started being a concert regular was Finland's Amorphis.
Besides the fact the group hardly ever visits the US, making an appearance rare and special, they are in my top 5 bands of all time, if not #1 (that is toooouuuuugh, to say the least, to rank). Something about their sound has always entranced me. The majority of it, if not all (even their first album The Karelian Isthmus, a more typical death metal record, has some exotic moments to it), is layered with other-worldly effects (thanks to synthesizers, keyboards and very unique guitar riffs), symbology, magic and the sense of the epic. Having most of their work based on or inspired by Finland's national epic Kalevala only adds to the intrigue and mythical nature.
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| Essa Holopainen, lead guitarist and co-writer. Photo by William Johnson. |
Flirtations with folk, doom, progressive, straight up heavy metal and even rock, led to 2006's Eclipse which not only introduced the world to singer Tomi Joutsen (who, despite entering the fold for the band's seventh album, has become the defining voice for the band) but helped Amorphis create a genre all of their own; a self titled one that merged everything they played before into one cohesive understanding. Not a lot has changed in regards to sound when it comes to an Amorphis record since Eclipse except for Amorphis' mastery of it. As they continue to find their groove, the albums sound more complete, better produced, better written and almost as if not from this earth.
Despite being released in 2015, Amorphis was touring the US for Under the Red Cloud, another master class that is pure Amorphis in sight and sound. I actually bought the tickets about six months in advance but I didn't need to. Sadly, it doesn't appear many people in Arizona know who the fuck Amorphis is and the show was barely attended.
But this was to my advantage: I got to see the band basically ON stage. For the first time in my life, I was on the stage watching fucking legends. I could feel the bass shaking my rib cage and internal organs ... I made eye contact with Tomi and didn't know how to react ... I got to see the band discuss issues with their instruments or curse after they broke a string or dropped a pick. Speaking of picks: I caught one! I was like a nerd in heaven. I also got to high five the band, get a signed sticker from Tomi, and ended up on the band's official Twitter feed.
The wide array of music Amorphis has played in its career was on full display: songs from Thousand Lakes, Elegy, Circle, Eclipse, The Beginning of Times and Skyforger were played alongside hits from the newest album. The highlights were "Under the Red Cloud", the title song from their most recent album, "Silver Bride" and my favorite Amorphis song, "On Rich and Poor".
*Amorphis performing Under the Red Cloud. Video by William Johnson
It was such an amazing show ... ranked up there as probably #1 just for the personal nature of it and how close I feel to the band and their material. I will never forget it. EVER. See below for more pictures from the show.
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All photos by William Johnson except where noted.
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| Tom Joutsen (lead singer) in the middle. Jan Rechberger on drums and Santeri Kallio on keyboards |
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| Left: Tomi Koivusaari (rhythm guitar, occasional vocals) Right: recently departed bass player Niclas Etelavuori |
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| From left to right: Koivusaari, Rechberger, Etelavuori, Holopainen, Kallio |
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| From Amorphis Twitter feed, I do not know who took the photo. Follow Amorphis on Twitter! I'm the dude with the shaved head, turning my head to the left, smiling. Like ... really fucking smiling! |
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