?Classic? of metal: AMORPHIS - Tales From The Thousand Lakes (1994), listens #1-2

Before I start my next long-term metal blogging project, I'm experimenting with formats here.  The shtick is, describe the experience of listening to an accepted metal classic for the first few times as neither a pure first-listen where I can barely remember what I heard (like in the National posts) nor waiting to say anything at all until after I've fully assimilated it (like in the Eluveitie posts).  Hopefully that'll let me show my evolving reaction, from early listens to later listens, whilst actually having something to say each time.  We'll see.  Let's test-drive this and provide a total newb's early impressions about Tales From The Thousand Lakes, the second record from legendary progressive death metal band Amorphis.

 

At first, with the moody intro of "Thousand Lakes" into the smooth introduction of the chugging riff of "Into Hiding," I'm feeling this record.  Atmosphere in spades, a central sound that could be a slower track from ealy Metallica, all seems to be good.  And then we first hear from lead vocalist Tomi Koivusaari, kind of growling what actually sounds like the word "growl," somewhere in the background, and my heart sinks a bit.  "Into Hiding" rocks otherwise, establishing a solid two-guitar attack that doesn't let up in generating solid riffs.  It just has no tune and except for the brief part with clean vocals.  Without having yet looked up the lyrics, I quite seriously have no idea whether he's singing in English or Finnish.  Why can't they have put more singing in the song?

And that's basically my initial impression of the record, in addition to the main explanation for the overall distance I've felt when briefly dabbling in Amorphis's stuff before, despite the interesting soundscapes on some of their later work.  I mean listen to "The Castaway."  DA, dadadadada, DA, dadaDAdada... that is quite a riff.  Especially paired with that woodwind sounding keyboard note. So straightforward and powerful that it's hard to believe nobody had come up with it prior to 1994 (unless they ripped it off from somewhere, heh).  The intro descending part is great too, as is the counterpoint section with the bass and the funereal keys.  And then there are the vocals, a monotone growling noise whose best feature is that it's at least on the beat.  I can't help but imagine what "The Castaway" would sound like with a singer.  Not even someone I consider a "good" singer, even, just someone who sings in a metal band!  Imagine what Snake could do with that riff!  Imagine what Hansi Kürsch could do with it!

Look, I'd really like this ramble to be about something more interesting than "(relative) normie doesn't like death-metal vocals!"  It's true that I'm not a massive fan of death growls.  But it's a little interesting being on the other side of the fence, given that, well, I don't categorically hate all music without clean singing.  Gorod's 2023 record made my top fifteen list last year, and (spoiler or something), Necrophobic's 2024 release is one of many strong candidates for this year's list.  One will also notice that I have written an absolute fuckton on this blog about a little band called Eluveitie, who may have been known to incorporate just a few unclean vox over the years.  When I play Eluveitie songs for loved ones, the main reaction I get is "I don't understand why anyone would voluntarily listen to that kind of 'singing.'"  And then I feel disappointed that someone would find one element of a song so much of a turn-off that they couldn't even start to engage with the incredible music.  Yet here I am, attempting to "review" a death metal record by basically saying that I don't really like death metal.  To reiterate, I think that Tales From The Thousand Lakes does a lot of things very well, and there are quite a few things that I like about it.  Why, then, do I find one element so much of a turn-off that I'm not willing to engage more readily with the rest?

I imagine the advice that many fans would give is that one shouldn't expect the vocals to carry the melody; instead, treat the vox as just another instrument.  Thing is, I can't.  In my mind, most metal instrumentals tend to basically be riff - counterpoint - riff - breakdown; most bands don't have the ability to craft a dynamic piece of instrumental music the way the classical masters did.  The thing that draws my attention and makes a song something I'll actually remember, pay attention to, seek out, etc is a human voice singing something, ideally catchy, as a complement to something that sounds good.  In a metal song in particular, I want to love the riff and then I want to love the chorus.  Hell, I want there to at least be something recognizable as a chorus!  In that light, it makes perfect sense that the death sub-sub-genre with which I'll roll on occasion is melodeath - melodic death metal, with an emphasis on the "melodic."  Put the Amon Amarth guy on these songs, and the vocal might get a little campier, but it'll at least have some passion, and a discernible tune.  It makes me wonder: even if it's clearly possible for neophytes can learn to love death metal, is it possible for me personally, as a person who prioritizes vocal melody, to learn to love death metal?

Getting back to the record and the vocalist we actually have... overall Tales as a listening experience I'd describe as a "monotonous chug."  That sounds more insulting than what I'm actually trying to say, which is just that most of the songs sound similar.  So even when "Black Winter Day" starts with an intro that sounds like it'll go somewhere different, or "In The Beginning" starts with the back-and-forth vocals, the songs end up slotting back into their usual template.  There's barely even an organic reason for why "Forgotten Sunrise" ends where it does, as it goes right into "To Father's Cabin," which could just as easily be its outro rather than a separate track.  I'm assuming that this choice is deliberate.  Knowing that Tales is a concept album of some sort, presumably the intention is to make the songs sound like they all belong together.*  I think that if Tales From The Thousand Lakes does end up winning me over in the end, it'll be as a mood piece - e.g. the record being able to draw me into its overall vibe, and work as a single piece of music.  I don't know if that'll happen, but there's an outside chance that I'll end up a much bigger fan of the record than I am at the moment.  I can't deny that these are rock solid riffs, pretty much all the way through.  The playing, including both guitarists and the rhythm section, certainly seems to be on a level with the greats of thrash. 

"Black Winter Day" was apparently the big single from Tales, and it's the choice that probably makes the most sense for that role - it has that one orchestrated part, and it has that one part with the clean vocals (I believe from Ville Tuomi), and it has a few words in fully enunciated English... so it's Amorphis but very slightly more accessible to the uninitiated.  However, on early listens, the standout track for me until almost the very end (more on that in a sec) was actually "Drowned Maid."  I would come up with a fancy sounding explanation about how the main riff sounds a little more classic metal in a bit of a higher range than the other tracks.  But honestly, I think what I'm responding to is that the song just has the vocal line that fits best in the groove, and thus most resembles that vocal melody I keep desperately trying to find.

Kasper Mårtenson's presence on keys definitely makes itself felt; a cursory look tells me that the band didn't have a dedicated keyboardist on their first record, so this was a new direction for them.  It still kinda feels as though they're a four-piece band with a guest player popping in and out of the studio.  What that means, though, is that Kasper can sparingly dole out the funeral/organ noises, the circus-style prog keyboard work, and the orchestral swells in small chunks, and they rarely fail to be a welcome highlight of whatever bit of music they're paired with.  Then the keys abruptly come to the fore on closer and obvious album highlight "Magic And Mayhem," with a lively electronic coating suddenly decorating all the proceedings.  Where'd that come from?  On first few listens, it can only be described as delightful. 

Other thoughts:

I'm only casually messing with the additional tracks included on most streaming versions of Tales that come from something called the "Long Winter Day EP."  I do have to note disappointment that their blackened take on the Doors' "Light My Fire" is basically the radio version.  Do they not recognize that a metal band with prog leanings ought to dig into the extended keyboard breakdown from the album version of the original song?  That's what the audience** wants from an Amorphis cover of "Light My Fire."  Was there limited space to keep things to the length of an EP?

Favorite track (prelim):  "Magic And Mayhem"

Runner up (prelim):  "Drowned Maid"

Least favorite track (prelim):  "First Doom"

Updated thoughts after more time with the record whenever I get around to it!

 

*Sorry to keep complaining about this, but it's always hard to do a concept  successfully when the lyrics are completely incomprehensible.  I'm catching a few phrases so I know some of it at least is in English, but I can't even say that for sure.

**Me.