Amorphis begins to form their own brand of metal here. Still the same death grunts, but the underlying keyboard lines, and sense of imagery really set Amorphis apart from many other bands in the genre. This is a good starting point to see where they were, and what direction the band was taking. Unfortunately, no songs really stand out here, but there are a multitude of cool riffs to be found.

Here's where things begin to really get interesting. A nice transition from The Karelian Isthmus, Tales has some really interesting songs on it. Based on old Finnish Mythology, the songs are heavily accentuated with keyboards, and have an almost dreamy death metal sound that is really effective. The sound is a little flat, and this deadens the effect some, but overall, a great metal album and very recommended.

This is an incredible album, armed with a new drummer, keyboard player and clean vocalist, Amorphis take center stage to display an awesome fusion of rock, traditional and metal music. These songs are catchy as hell, and I swear this disc didn't leve my player for a full month after I got it. The new vocals are really powerful, and form a nice contrast to Tomi's death metal grunts. I've got On Rich and Poor going thorugh my head again just by writing this. A truly stunning achivement sure to please those that appreciate the experimental side of metal, such as Therion or old In Flames.

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.