AMORPHIS — Skyforger (review)

Album · 2009 · Progressive Metal

5/5 · 2011-05-28
Diogenes

In my never ending quest to free my peeps from the mainstream mumbo jumbo that plagues their music libraries, I often lend them whatever I'm listening to that week, if nothing more than to get a reaction of "This is all noise! I can't understand what he's saying WAAAA". Now, Skyforger already holds a special place in my heart for getting the most positive reactions from these little experiments. You might say, "But Diogenes, if people who listen to mainstream hip hop think this is good, doesn't that mean it's really BAD?" Nay, my friends. This is the best release of 2009. This might even be the best release in the past decade.

At this point in their careers, Amorphis had Amorphed from their death metal roots a long time ago and now play an extremely unique hybrid of many different genres. It's melodic, it's proggy, and has a hint of folk influence (with pianos and flutes and what have you), all while maintaining a streamlined, radio-friendly sound. There are still death growls (well-executed ones at that), but those are pretty much all that remains of the band's br00tal beginnings. As such, it's difficult to pigeonhole Skyforger into one metal subgenre, and to do so would be selling the album short anyway, unless you want to be a smartass and say this is "GOOD metal" or something like that.

With Skyforger, Amorphis have done something incredible and made a killer album just by writing good songs. A novel idea! There are no 22-minute wankfests, blast beats, or overly complicated lyrics that make you go, "What?" And yet every song here is sweeter than honey. There is no filler to speak of; from the piano intro in "Sampo" to the final lead of "From Earth I Rose", Skyforger is one thousand percent well-written material, with layers upon layers of musical craftsmanship. You know how it is when you hear a song you like, and then you listen to it again and find something else that you didn't hear the first time? That's what I'm getting at here. Any one of these songs could have been made into a single, or had a video shot for them, or whatever. What's impressive is that Amorphis are able to pull this off while making each song fresh and different from the last. The variety is such that it's impossible for me to pick favorites. If you want a sample, try "From the Heaven of My Heart" (much better than it sounds), or "Highest Star", but really, I'd rather start at track one and go from there.

The Amorphis lineup has remained stable since 2006, and being the third go with this group of musicians, Skyforger gives the impression that the entire band was feeling it and worked together as one to achieve this product. Tomi Joutsen in particular is just fantastic; his voice is one of a true man, both deep and emotive, with a thick and gutteral growl to boot. He does a remarkable job conveying feeling, especially during the refrains, and telling the heartfelt stories that the lyrics outline. The guitar duo of Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari lay down the folky melodies that Amorphis is known for in spades. The solos flow from their instruments like, well, you can use your own liquid simile here. However, the most important contribution this time around might have come from keyboardist Santeri Kallio, providing an unforgettable atmosphere that soars high above the chaos lower in the mix and tying the music together with a bow. The synth leads are nothing to scoff at, either.

There isn't really much more I can say, other than buy this album if you don't believe the hype. I hate to be the guy that brings up cheesy crap in his reviews, especially since I think I've done enough praising of this album by now, but since I have no real conclusion...There is a line that is crossed when metal becomes music, and when music becomes art. Picasso, eat your heart out; you're looking at it. Skyforger is more than metal. It is perfection. 5 stars and beyond