Amorphis - Skyforger 2009

I have been a fan of this band for a very long time. Like what their name signifies, they are ever changing and ever progressing with each passing release. The evolution of this band from brutal death metal to the addition of Finnish folklore and melodies and now even delving into a bit of psychedelia thrown into the mixture has been astounding. Much like other bands I hold in such high regard (Opeth, Gojira and Trouble), Amorphis defies a genre label.

Over the years they have gone from only growling vocals to a mxture of clean/growl and then only clean. Then with Eclipse they brought them back, which I feel greatly improved the band. I had almost lost hope after hearing Far From the Sun. It has truly been an epic journey for Amorphis.



Finally Amorphis has released their ninth full length album, Skyforger. I have to say I have been looking forward to hearing this album for ages now, and when I received my advance copy of Skyforger I was quite ecstatic. I had to listen to it immediately. The opening track. "Sampo", is Amorphis at its most catchy. The chorus will be stuck with you for hours. “The days they blend into the night.” This song also has some very catchy guitar work. It reminds you that Amorphis is a metal band and not the Prog rock group some people accuse them of being. There is also some nice piano work that adds good contrast to the crunching guitar and even a little of Amorphis’s signature keyboard work from the olden days of albums like "Tales From The Thousand Lakes".



I can go on and on and dissect each and every track for you but I wont. This is one of those albums that is a gem and the listener needs to find these treasures on their own. It will not be hard as there are literally NO songs on this that are mundane.

Go out and buy this disc. Support the band. They deserve it.


Band: Amorphis
Album: Skyforger
Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Prog Metal/Folk Metal
Country: Finland
Download: Here
Torrent: Here
Rating: 4.25/5

By Bez

Dark The Suns - All Ends In Silence

Dark The Suns is a Finnish melodic death/doom/gothic metal combo. Like quite a few other bands from the region, they play a kind of Gothic metal but have delved deeper into the aggressive side of the genre in the aspect that they use alot more in the way of growling. It's in now way a progression of the genre but is very pleasing and will surely satisfy anyone who loves this style of music.

All the songs on this release are depressive and dark in nature, with mid tempo beats being the general theme. It is really a melody driven album and I think that is what is so captivating about it as a whole. Do not get me wrong, nowhere on the album are they reminiscent of HIM or To Die For and it does not lack character or energy. This is a metal band, make no mistake about it. In fact, at points it reminds me of a faster paced Swallow the Sun or Funeral album.



Overall, it is a good album in the genre style and extremely appealing to those who even are not fans of Melodic Death Metal. Comparisons will be drawn to Eternal Tears Of Sorrow or older Theatre Of Tragedy by some as well. Dark The Suns is even a bit like a really melodicMoonspell,their influences are vast and it shows in the crafting of this disc.

If you like Swallow The Sun, Moonspell and (new) Paradise Lost and are not afraid of dark Melodic Finnish Metal, this release was made for you but of course if you're looking for something dark and really heavy I'm afraid that it will be too melodic for you. Have a listen to "All Ends In Silence". Without being perfect, I think that some of you will like it a lot. I know I do.

Band: Dark The Suns
Album: All Ends In Silence
label: Firebox Records
Genre: Gothic/Melodic Death Metal
Rating 4/5
Rapidshare: Here
Torrent:Here

By Bez