If you are someone who perhaps hasn't listened to Amorphis in a a few years, Far From the Sun might just shock you a little. While the band has slowly changed its sound over time since their inception in the early 1990's, this latest release sees the band sounding more accessible than ever. Gone are the death metal grunts and doom laden slabs of thunderous guitar sludge that permeated their earlier albums, replaced here by modern, almost alternative/nu-metal vocals, heaping amounts of symphonic prog-rock keyboards, and aggressive hard rock guitars.
Do these changes sound interesting? Well, as long as you are a fan of either progressive rock or modern mainstream metal they should. A song like "Evil Inside" has MTV2 or alternative radio written all over it, a real anthem for 2004 that has a catchy hook to go along with its bursting power chords and raging keyboard attack. "Day of Your Beliefs" features some neat synths and organ work from Santeri Kallio, who seems to really be stepping into a major role in the band. The lead guitars of Esa Holopainen slice across the mix on the raging "Mourning Soil", while Kallio''s organ work on the commercial "Far From the Sun" would certainly not sound out of place on a Uriah Heep or Deep Purple album. There's some atmospheric Pink Floyd-gone-metal moments on a few numbers here as well, where crunchy guitars meet haunting keyboards and arrangements dripping with melancholy, as on "Ethereal Solitude" , as well as the completely spacey "Smithereens."
But fear not heavy rock fans-Amorphis have not give up heavy metal to turn completely into a prog rock animal. "Killing Goodness" is a bone crunching rocker with thick slabs of guitar crunch to go along with Pasi Koskinen's strong vocals, while Kallio also makes sure to leave his mark with some wild Rick Wakeman-ish synth solos and Ken Hensley sounding Hammond tones. Thunderous Middle Eastern motiffs can he heard on "Higher Ground", a powerful track littered with shimmering guitar chords, a pounding rhythm section, and catchy vocal hooks.
Like I mentioned earlier, Amorphis have come a long way, and Far From the Sun has a certain amount of "breakout" potential given the right opportunity. The band has injected the perfect amount of guitar power, keyboard majesty, and radio friendly vocals, into a formula that can and should easily please a wider audience.
Track Listing
01. Day Of Your Beliefs
02. Planetary Misfortune
03. Evil Inside
04. Mourning Soil
05. Far From The Sun
06. Ethereal Solitude
07. Killing Goodness
08. God Of Deception
09. Higher Ground
10. Smithereens
11. Shining Turns to Grey*
12. Follow Me Into the Fire*
13. Darkrooms*
14. Dreams of the Damned*
15. Far From the Sun (acoustic version)*
* Bonus Tracks
Bonus Video-Evil Inside
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