AMORPHIS — Eclipse (review)

Album · 2006 · Progressive Metal

3.5/5 · 2010-10-18
UMUR

"Eclipse" is the 7th full-length studio album by Finnish metal act Amorphis. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in February 2006. Since the release of the band´s previous album "Far From the Sun (2003)" there´s been a significant lineup change as lead vocalist Pasi Koskinen has been replaced by Tomi Joutsen. The lead vocalist spot is probably the most vulnerable part of a lineup, and especially for established artists it can sometimes prove to be a very unpopular decision to make a change on that position. Tomi Joutsen came from a stint with Sinisthra and was not one of the over 100 hopeful singers who send in demos to Amorphis to apply to become their new lead vocalist. It was a word of mouth arrangement and Joutsen was hired after a successful audition.

The music on "Eclipse" is melodic and epic metal with some harder edged parts. There´s also a strong traditional ethnic element on some tracks. The addition of new vocalist Tomi Joutsen is a positive feature in my book. He has a strong voice and he is able to vary his vocal style greatly, which gives Amorphis an extra dimension in the vocal department. There are even some death growls on the album which is something Amorphis otherwise had abandoned. The tracks on the album are all very well composed, melodic and memorable. Some are even a bit adventurous (slightly progressive) but most are simple vers/chorus structured compositions. The lyrics are from a play based on the "Kullervo" legend which is told in the "Kalevala" (Epic Poem about Finland), written by Finnish poet and playwright Paavo Haavikko in 1982.

The musicianship are very strong. In addition to the strong vocal performance by Tomi Joutsen, the rythm section is powerful and tight, the guitars are heavy and melodic and the keyboards provide some epic polish. "Eclipse" is also packed in a professional and well sounding production, which suits the music well. "Eclipse" is in other words a quality release through and through. If I have to mention a slight issue it would be that the album sometimes become a bit too polished and nice (lacking bite). Keyboards have a tendency to do that to music though, so I´m sure it´s a conscious choice by the band. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

more than 2 years ago
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UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Thanks. I actually haven´t listened to Amorphis a whole lot since "Elegy", but I had the chance to loan a couple of the newer albums from my local library and I was really positively surprised. Especially the vocals by Tomi Joutsen stand out. He is a really strong lead vocalist IMO. The music is generally a bit too polished for my taste, but it´s quality stuff.

Pekka wrote:

more than 2 years ago

And obviously, good review! Got me interested :)

Pekka wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I should hear some of the new era material, I actually haven't heard a single song from the three albums with Tomi Joutsen. I've heard him guest starring on a Swallow the Sun album and gig, and he does have a great voice. I had a period when I was interested in Amorphis about ten years ago, but it cooled down, so it could be a time for a new chance.