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The first question on everyone's mind will be, of course, is this as
good as Elegy, and while in time it may prove to be, for now, my
answer is simply, no. That said, you can either leave now, or
finish the review to see what fantastic journey Amorphis has decided
to take us on this time. No longer are they the folk-death band who
spun the world with Tales from the Thousand Lakes, or the pop metal
sensation who blew open doors with Elegy. Instead, the band has now
morphed into a quasi-alternometal unit, almost completely leaving the
death at the door, choosing to chance both old and new fans by
incorporating such "kiss of death" tactics as layering saxophone and
sitar over thick distortion (Dream Theater, King's X, anyone?).
Yes, some of this doesn't work, but most of it does, and when it does,
it all kicks into place. Keyboards are kept to a minimum except for
the aforementioned monstrous overdubs (ironically, the only "metal"
instruments played on the album), providing reinforcement in contrast to
the guitar/synth symbiosis present on Elegy. Pasi's clean vocals are
stronger here, and amazingly, those growls of doom which work so
well on Greed are his, Tomi opting to focus solely on guitar duties
this time through. So while it doesn't have the same initial impact as
earlier works, and the band appears to shop at Wet Seal now, I'll
still follow these guys wherever they go, for while it may not
always be spot on, you can be guaranteed that the ride will be
an interesting one.
7 out of 10
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