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| drbunnig said: I quite like Amorphis, although for some reason I've never fully got into them. I saw them live when they were touring for Skyforger, and have listened to every album they've done since then. None of them have ever really fully clicked with me - I always get a bit of a 'been there, done that' sort of vibe with their material nowadays. I know they've got a new album out soon though, and had planned to revisit their catalogue, so perhaps your post will be what finally spurs me on. I will say, there's a distinctly Finnish vibe to their melodies - can't put my finger on it, but there's something about the melodies Finnish bands / artists play that are so distinctive (don't know if it's to do with their musical education or what). Would be curious to hear what you think of the stuff before Tomi Joutsen joined on vocals, as I know they experimented a little bit on some albums. |
Yeah, I guess they're not for everyone. They're not quite perfect for me either, but aside from maybe individual songs, nothing else really works better for me. They're an interesting band in that they seem to get a lot of praise for trying out new stuff, all the while being criticized for not trying out new stuff. I think I can understand both sides here. Halo, for example, got a lot of critique for being more of the same. At this point, I feel it's quite distinctive, but it's missing that final touch that would make its songs stand out more. But to each their own even regarding distinctiveness, I suppose.
I'm not sure what's with the Finnish vibe. I read that our musicians tend to be quite skilled, so maybe it's education or something, which would perhaps make it easier to try out stuff others don't think of? Or maybe it's just something about Finnish culture and the kind of music we've been doing. Finland sits between the West and Russia, and while we'd like to think of us belonging to the West, maybe there is something about being kind of in between that also has an effect? Not to mention our language, which is kind of its own thing compared to most of Europe (including Russia). But I'm just speculating, I don't know for sure.
I like even earlier music from Amorphis, excluding the first album, which was pure death metal. Anything after that is at least OK in my books. I'm not a huge fan of Tales from the Thosand Lakes, Elegy, or Tuonela all that much, but I don't really have anything bad to say about them either. They don't particularly click with me, but I still find them good. I know a lot of people like those albums though. Of the older stuff, I really like Am Universum, which on the other hand isn't as well-liked. Far from the Sun also has its moments. So... I like all of their earlier stuff as well (except for the very first album, which is not at all my thing), but to a varying degree.
| drbunnig said: Back to the subject of distinctive melodies in Finnish bands, it's something I also hear in Poets of the Fall. I first came across these guys when I stumbled upon their cover of Chris Cornell's Bond theme (You Know My Name), which then led me to their song Dreaming Wide Awake. I haven't followed too closely for a few years now, but I really enjoyed their album Jealous Gods (and saw them touring that album as part of what I think was their first batch of UK shows). |
Never heard that cover, but that's a bit of a surprising way to discover them. Makes sense though. Skilled guys they are, even though not all of their music clicks with me. Sadly I've never seen them live myself, which is a shame.
| drbunnig said: Machinae Supremacy is a name I haven't heard in a fair while - I saw them once as the opening act on a four band bill headlined by Children of Bodom about 15 years ago. Not much to say except that I have the title track from A View to the End of the World on a playlist - really good song. And I never knew they were still active - could've swore they broke up. I must be thinking of someone else (probably Machine Men). |
That's probably in part because they haven't released a new album since 2016, which is a bummer. They've been 'rarely active' otherwise (at least on their YouTube channel), so I think they're still kind of doing music, but clearly it's not exactly a priority at the moment. We'll see if we ever get another album from them. A View from the End of the World was actually the other album I was considering for my list, I think. If you've liked anything from them, you might want to check out Rise of a Digital Nation (the song) from them as well.
