Amorphis have done it again. The long-running Finnish sextet have been virtually unstoppable ever since vocalist extraordinaire Tomi Joutsen came aboard for 2006’s stunning Eclipse, and on their fourteenth(!) album Halo they show absolutely no signs whatsoever of letting up or tiring out, delivering yet another progressive metal masterpiece for fans to sink their teeth into.
As I stated in my review of 2018’s Queen of Time, Amorphis’ originality and craftsmanship are their greatest assets, and both are on full display throughout Halo; tracks such as “On Dark Waters” “Windmane” and “The Wolf” are mini-epics that move from strength to strength. Indeed, the songwriting throughout Halo is nothing short of phenomenal; mixing elements of prog, death metal, power metal, folk metal and straight-up hard rock, Amorphis prove once again that they’re more than capable of weaving these various elements together flawlessly to create something utterly unique. By turns driving, uplifting, beautiful and crushing, the album’s eleven songs comprise everything that makes them such a special band.
In addition to being expertly crafted, Halo might be Amorphis’ heaviest album since 2013’s underrated Circle. Joutsen continues to make more use of his harsh vocals to excellent effect; the contrast between his deep death growls and soothing croons adds yet another facet to the band’s multi-layered approach, while guitarists Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari peel off some pretty damn thunderous riffage, particularly on “When the Gods Came” “Seven Roads Come to Together” and “War.” Of course, even at their heaviest, Amorphis never lose their sense of melody and these songs are far more likely to get stuck in your head than to smash your skull.
Produced by Jens Bogren (Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquility, Opeth, etc.), it should come as no surprise that Halo sounds absolutely fantastic. While previous Amorphis albums have been far from lo-fi, the production here takes their sound to a whole other level; this is the musical equivalent of Lawrence of Arabia or The Last Emperor, sweeping in scope and glorious to behold. More so than ever before, the expansiveness of Amorphis’ sound has been captured on tape, making it that much easier for listeners to fully immerse themselves in the total musical environment they so effortlessly create.
Unfortunately, the digital promo I received did not include lyrics, and while Joutsen’s vocals are easy to understand, I would hate to speculate with regard to the album’s themes without having the printed lyrics in front of me for reference. The press materials indicate that the band continues to mine the Kalevala for subject matter, once again collaborating with longtime lyricist Pekka Kainulainen and I have no doubt that there’s plenty to dig into here for anyone with a taste for the myths and legends of Finland. I can say that as always, the lyrics fit perfectly with the epic songwriting on display throughout Halo and I look forward learning about the stories behind them.
I realize that I’ve been gushing for nearly five hundred words at this point, but Amorphis have simply become one of those rare bands that can do no wrong. In spite of being over thirty years deep into their career and having nothing left to prove, they continue to refine their sound and release music of the highest possible quality. Halo is yet another wonderful chapter in the band’s legacy of excellence; one of the best albums in their storied discography and one of the best overall metal albums of 2022.
THKD 