11/04/2021 19:47

Amorphis

Amorphis: new album 'Halo' announced

New album from Finnish metal legends Amorphis album, 'Halo', will be released on February 11th, 2022 on Atomic Fire Records.

"It really is a great feeling that we can still produce very decent music as a band," says Esa Holopainen. "Perhaps a certain kind of self-criticism and long experience culminate in these latest albums." To the songwriter himself, 'Halo' sounds both familiar and different. "It is thoroughly recognizable Amorphis from beginning to end but the general atmosphere is a little bit heavier and more progressive and also organic compared to its predecessor," he elaborates.
Tomi Joutsen adds, "To me, 'Halo' sounds a little more stripped down compared to 'Queen of Time' and 'Under the Red Cloud'. However, don't get me wrong: when a certain song needs to sound big, then it sounds very big."

That's of course also thanks to producing renaissance man Jens Bogren who harvested the thirteen final tracks from a batch of thirty songs Amorphis offered him. "Jens is very demanding, but I really like to work with him," says Holopainen. "He takes care of the whole project from start to finish, and he allows the musician to focus on just playing. I may not be able to thank Jens enough. Everything we've done together has been really great, and this co-operation has carried Amorphis significantly forward."

No Amorphis album would be complete without the imaginative and poetic storytelling of renowned lyricist and "Kalevala" expert Pekka Kainulainen. "From day one, Pekka has always been an enthusiastic and prolific lyricist for Amorphis," says Joutsen. "It is a slow process of translating archaic Finnish poetry into English and adapting it to our progressive rhythms. Fortunately, Pekka does everything on time and with great care."
"'Halo' is a loose themed record filled with adventurous tales about the mythical North tens of thousands of years ago," Kainulainen explains. "The lyrics tell of an ancient time when man wandered to these abandoned boreal frontiers after the ice age. While describing the revival of a seminal culture in a world of new opportunities, I also try to reach the sempiternal forces of the human mind."

Track listing:
1. Northwards
2. On the Dark Waters
3. The Moon
4. Windmane
5. A New Land
6. When the Gods Came
7. Seven Roads Come Together
8. War
9. Halo
10. The Wolf
11. My Name Is Night

(source: Amorphis)