Amorphis - making good metal once again?

[alphaIII]

Here is a track called Leave Scar off the new Amorphis album, Eclipse.

http://www.myspace.com/amorphismusic

This is a pretty good song, bringing back the death metal vocals that have been gone since Elegy, aside from song extremely limited use on Tuonela.

I saw this band live last year, and they put on a hell of a show, playing alot of their older songs. I'm glad to see them bringing back some of the elements of the early albums in this new single. Hopefully, the rest of Eclipse follows suit with this single, and not anything off of their last album, Far From the Sun.

 

[from zero]

Cool track! I might have to look into these guys more.

I remember I had Am Universam for about 5 minutes.

 

[alphaIII]

Cool track! I might have to look into these guys more.

I remember I had Am Universam for about 5 minutes.

Yeah that album was pretty bad. Far From the Sun was even worse.

I like Elegy quite a bit though, so I've been meaning to look some more into some more of the early work, I just haven't got around to it.

 

[richarde1969]

Sorry guys but this is utter crap. I've been playing guitar for over 20 years and remember the first mettalica LP coming out, the first megadeth, and sepultura. This sound has gone, unfortunately replaced with all that Linkin Park bollox but replaced. Bands like HIM are a joke, ripping old maiden riffs and re-jigging them. I went to the link on the first post and listened to all the songs that it links to....................just makes me realise that there is no innovation anymore, no creativity in music............this band Amorphis sound just like another other 3rd rate metal/death band.

Just my opinion.

 

[Flah]

You ever notice that the people that say there's no creativity/innovation in music anymore never dig deeper than predictable radio bullshit?

 

[alphaIII]

Sorry guys but this is utter crap. I've been playing guitar for over 20 years and remember the first mettalica LP coming out, the first megadeth, and sepultura. This sound has gone, unfortunately replaced with all that Linkin Park bollox but replaced. Bands like HIM are a joke, ripping old maiden riffs and re-jigging them. I went to the link on the first post and listened to all the songs that it links to....................just makes me realise that there is no innovation anymore, no creativity in music............this band Amorphis sound just like another other 3rd rate metal/death band.

Just my opinion.

Sorry, but the fact that you brought up Linkin Park and HIM in a post about Amorphis convinces me that your opinion is a valuable as the stuff I just flushed down the toilet. That's like comparing Metallica to Bon Jovi or something.

I find it kind of ironic that you complain about the sound of early Metallica/Megadeath/Sepultura being gone, yet bitch about there being no creativity left. If bands were still playing that sound of 20 years ago, how in the hell would that be creative?

What I really find funny is that this isn't the first time I've heard something like this. It amazes me how so many people say music lacks creativity, is bland, or is just someone else's style with a modern spin, just because they are stuck in their own "glory days." Face it, music evolves, not always for the better, as evidenced by the aural diarrhea on the radio these days..but it changes. And thank god for us, or we'd still be drowning in the monster ballads of the 80's with the glam rock bands all around. In all seriousness though, Linkin Park and HIM are NOT examples of the evolution of metal.

As for Amorphis being another 3rd rate metal/death band....To me, that implies that you think these guys have jumped on some sort of bandwagon and started playing a worn out style or something. This band has been around for quite awhile (10+ years I believe). They incorporate Finnish folk sound into their music like no band other band I've heard. I'm not saying they aren't out there - I might be going out on a limb here, but I bet there are some bands in Finland that play a similar style...it wouldn't suprise me if they're bands who've drawn influence from these guys. They also have progressive rock elements thrown in with, in their early work at least, a death metal backbone. I don't really see lack of creativity here, but hey, that just me talking.

 

[alphaIII]

You ever notice that the people that say there's no creativity/innovation in music anymore never dig deeper than predictable radio bullshit?

Educate them Flah.

 

[richarde1969]

well well well didnt I just get it in the neck????!!!
The point I was making was that you can listen to any 10 death metal bands and its very difficult to hear any difference in their sounds, their riffs and there melodies. I certainly dont appreciate being informed that im into some radio commercial type of metal sound either, but hey everyone's entitled to their opinion.

If you go back some time and please bear in mind death is not my first choice in sounds, I can remember bands with exactly the same sound way back in the mid to late eighties.........which is 20 years ago. All with the satanic vocal sounds that for me only work for a few bands. I think with this type of stuff there has been little advancement recent times. Maybe Slipknot came out with a slightly different angle on things.....maybe?? But we all know that music does'nt so much advance, it go's around in circles and the only thing that sounds different with each passing phase is the technology used to create it.

As far as implementing folk into death or thrash or metal, this was done a long time ago and I cant remember for shit the name of the band that I heard do it for the first time way back in the eighties on some British radio rock show 'Friday Night rock Show with Tommy Vance.

Anyway, Im a guitarist and anyone wishing to hear my syuff just let me know. I'll email you.

 

[from zero]

lol @ "satanic" vocals.

That's a super-educated adjective.

 

[alphaIII]

The point I was making was that you can listen to any 10 death metal bands and its very difficult to hear any difference in their sounds, their riffs and there melodies.

I certainly don't agree with this.

I certainly dont appreciate being informed that im into some radio commercial type of metal sound either, but hey everyone's entitled to their opinion.

I didn't say you're into it, just that using radio "metal" as an example of the a lack of creativity in all of today's metal is obsurd.

If you go back some time and please bear in mind death is not my first choice in sounds, I can remember bands with exactly the same sound way back in the mid to late eighties.........which is 20 years ago. All with the satanic vocal sounds that for me only work for a few bands.

Well, this says to me that you're too quick to label a band "just another death metal" and you need to actually listen to them open-minded. It's also interesting that you say there are bands that sounded exactly the same in the mid-late eighties since, while death metal was around before, melodic death metal really emerged in the early nineties. Bands like At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, and In Flames pioneered melodic death metal in Gothenburg, while Amorphis came about with it's folk/progressive influence style of melodic death in Finland at around the same time.

And way to break out a wonderful stereotype - that all growling/screaming vocals found in this style of metal are satanic. This again makes me think you're a little closed minded when it comes to melodic death just because you don't like it.

 

[alphaIII]

I think with this type of stuff there has been little advancement recent times. Maybe Slipknot came out with a slightly different angle on things.....maybe?? But we all know that music does'nt so much advance, it go's around in circles and the only thing that sounds different with each passing phase is the technology used to create it.

Again, you're comparing different styles of metal. Slipknot did change things -they had a big part in bring about the nu-metal sound - but the nu-metal scene has pretty much died due to the sea of rip-offs and the constant watering down to become more "radio friendly." I don't believe that music never advances and just goes in circles. When bands like Prayer for Cleansing and Shai Hulud hit the scene, they brought about a fusion of hardocre and melodic death that really sparked the metalcore genre. Did they innovate a new style?...Yes. Did they miraculously create riff, melodies, and rhythms that were completely uninfluenced by earlier melodic death and hardcore bands...No, but tell me any band has no musical influence from earlier bands. Bands like Killswitch Engage took metalcore further with incorporation of singing vocals and more polished sound. Unfortunately, they also really brought metalcore into the open and sparked a ridiculous amount of scream/sing metalcore rip-offs, much like what happened with nu-metal.

Anyway, my point is that yes, there a alot of bands out there that bring nothing new to metal, but there are also alot that have since the days of Metallica and Megadeath. There are alot of bands that use harsh vocals like that found in melodic death, but play a very different style of metal. Unfortunately from what you've said so far, it seems like you just lump them all into the same group.

As far as implementing folk into death or thrash or metal, this was done a long time ago and I cant remember for shit the name of the band that I heard do it for the first time way back in the eighties on some British radio rock show 'Friday Night rock Show with Tommy Vance.

Well maybe the fact that they were playing on a British radio rock show in the 80's is part of the problem.

 

[richarde1969]

Ok, I respect your comments. I have recorded quite a few tracks on my PC using Cakewalk Guitar Tracks. I play all the guitar and bass lines. The drums unfortunately are samples but at least from an acoustic kit. There are no vocals just riffs and melodies. From your comments so far I would at least accredit you with an understanding of music and a decent guitarist when you hear one. I still satnd fast with my own opinion on thrash metal however. We can agree to disagree.

In respect to what you said about me not liking thrash or death, well I'd have to say thats not strictly true. I do however listen to music from a musicians perspective which I accept is not always the best ear in which to evaluate it.

Let me send you some of my stuff. I would value your opinion.

 

[Flah]

I certainly dont appreciate being informed that im into some radio commercial type of metal sound either, but hey everyone's entitled to their opinion.

Coming from the guy that cited Slipknot? C'mon now, let's not lie to ourselves here. I'm just saying that if you listened to more music, you wouldn't say that it's lacking in creativity in the here and now. Simple as that.

 

[alphaIII]

Ok, I respect your comments. I have recorded quite a few tracks on my PC using Cakewalk Guitar Tracks. I play all the guitar and bass lines. The drums unfortunately are samples but at least from an acoustic kit. There are no vocals just riffs and melodies. From your comments so far I would at least accredit you with an understanding of music and a decent guitarist when you hear one. I still satnd fast with my own opinion on thrash metal however. We can agree to disagree.

In respect to what you said about me not liking thrash or death, well I'd have to say thats not strictly true. I do however listen to music from a musicians perspective which I accept is not always the best ear in which to evaluate it.

Let me send you some of my stuff. I would value your opinion.

Fair enough. I don't expect everyone to agree with my views. I just wanted to point out my opinion that there is plenty of creative metal out there, it's just not something you typically come across on the radio/tv these days, and that the bands you mentioned are NOT indicative of what modern metal has to offer.

Sure, I'd be willing to give it a listen. Check your PM.