Taipei Metal

Interview: Amorphis - Lore, Legend, and Death Metal

For most metal fans, Amorphis is a band that needs little introduction. Just over two decades ago the Helsinki, Finland-based group got its start as a straight ahead death metal band before embarking on a more progressive path with its second album, the much lauded Tales from the Thousand Lakes. This was the album that first saw Amorphis incorporate clean vocals along with folk and quasi-psychedelic elements into a concept record focused on the Kalevala, a 19th century work of epic poetry centered on Finnish and Karelian folklore and mythology. Since that release, just over a decade and a half ago, Amorphis has forged its own way in the metal world, further exploring the ever blurring edge between folk and metal music, deftly treading between the two worlds on many an epic offering. Today, the band is touring in support of its tenth studio album, The Beginning of Times, which once again delves into the Kalevala for more musical and lyrical inspiration. The album capped off a busy past couple of years for Amorphis, which saw the band release a CD/DVD retrospective set called Forging the Land of Thousand Lakes in 2010 before hunkering down in the studio for The Beginning of Times sessions. Band founder and guitarist Esa Holopainen spoke to Taipei Metal about his band's new album, which was just released in May in Europe and June in North America, and his experiences in the metal scene over the past two decades plus when Amorphis played in Taipei alongside Children of Bodom in June.

Taipei Metal: The Beginning of Times is a concept album focusing on Vainamoinen, a central hero in Finnish mythology. What drew you to this subject?

Esa Holopainen: The last couple albums we've been dealing with stories for certain characters from Kalevala, and Vainamoinen, as you said, he's a central hero and character of this book. Mostly the ideas came from our lyricist, Pekka Kainulainen—he's the ghost member of Amorphis. He is the guy who's been writing lyrics for the last three albums. The idea actually came from him. It must be challenging because it's something we haven't wanted to touch at all mainly because it's too obvious because this is the main dude. It's a little weird to try to explain it because it's that close to Finnish people and how to try to explain it to people over here. He's sort of like Jesus from Bible, so Vainamoinen is like Jesus from Kalevala.

TM: You often do concept albums or deal with mythology, which as you said can be quite challenging. What are the main challenges involved when you tackle such big subject matter?

EH: When we knew what the theme was going to be it was really challenging to start to write music based on this theme. This time we came up with 16, 17 tracks before went into the studio, so it was a lot of songs. Then we had to pick up the ones for this album which fits the theme and  so on. We were sort of thinking about what kind of album this will be, and at the end of the day we came up with 12 songs for the album. I think it's the longest album we've done for a long time. It's easy to make albums that last eight or nine songs. It's easy to make an order how it looks like. But when you have 12 to 13 songs it's really hard to make the right order because in our case we really care about the lyrics, the music, the order of the songs, so they really follow a theme, so it has like a drama.

TM: 2010-2011 have been very busy years for Amorphis—you had the DVD, the retrospective album, and now the new album. These days, with there being so many metal bands, how important is it to keep giving the fans something new?

EH: I think so, because that's one thing that we've learned throughout the years. We've been around 20 years and there's been a lot of...I can't say we've had certain breaks, but to be honest we've been quite lazy with the albums sometimes. That's something we've learned, if you're inspired, if you have the mood, why waste it? I think that's the spirit we have now within the band. Every time we have some spare time we go to rehearsal to check out new things and I think that's how the albums usually come out.

TM: This new album has the death metal stuff, it has the progressive stuff, it's got all the different parts that make Amorphis what it is. When you went to write the album, what was your mindset in terms of style?

EH: How it started we just went to rehearsal and start to hear and look what kind of songs we have in our mind. For example I brought some songs, our keyboard player Santeri brought some songs. Then we started to rehearse and play. Then you know from there what kind of direction it's heading to or generally what kind the songs are. That's how it usually starts. Then we start to rehearse more tracks, more tracks, more tracks, then you get the little picture of what the whole album is going to be like. But it's still...I think it's because Tomi does the vocals always, he's the last man who does anything. So he rehearses vocals, he comes up with the vocal ideas, and we as the songwriters come up with some ideas for him. But it's always the last thing. We go to the studio and record all the music, then he starts to work with the vocals. So at the end of the day you know the result when you hear the vocals and the finished results. It's impossible to say when you're at the studio how the album's going to be like, or when you're rehearsing a song how the album's going to be like. It all depends on the vocals and how they turn out. Then you can start to think about the bigger picture.

TM: This album went to number one in Finland and was also top 20 in Germany, so what do these kinds of honors mean to the band?

EH: It's great. But we've done this so many years and I strongly believe in the fact that you should never keep things obvious. So if the good things happen then they happen. If not, then you have to work harder or think other way. At least follow your heart, what you enjoy to do. If that succeeds, it feels great. That's definitely one thing that I've learned within the years. You should never see things like certain. If they come, they come. Of course our vocalist, Tomi, he's been in the band now for four albums. He's the great front man of the band, and I'm sure he's one of the main motivations why Amorphis has succeed.

TM: Amorphis is booked from now until January 2012 at least. Do you enjoy being on the road so much, or has it become kind of a grind?

EH: I do like to be on the road. Now it's been hectic these couple last days. What I hate is when you don't get sleep. It's the worst. Well, you can imagine if you don't sleep at all for a couple days you start to feel physically bad. But on the other hand I really like it, especially to come to play places where we haven't played before like Taiwan.

TM: How is touring now different for you guys as opposed to the early days of the band?

EH: It's not different that much. We know what to expect, so you know what to pack with you when you go on a tour. Touring becomes a way of living. It takes a couple days, then you get used to it. We just go with the flow. Sometimes it's difficult, sometimes not. I think the best thing is try not to think about too much. Try not to worry too much. Because at the end of the day it's great.

TM: This Asian tour with Children of Bodom, how has it been for you?

EH: It's been amazing. I think it's a good package, and we've been friends for ages. We used to share the same rehearsing room and we've been knowing each other like, I don't know, 15, 20 years, so it's great. We did tour with them in South America a year ago, which was also a very good package. I think this offers people a lot. With C.O.B. I think we both are extremely melodic bands, but we both have our own thing going on.

TM: After these Asian shows you go back to Europe for the summer festival season. For someone who has never been to these summer metal festivals in Europe, how would you describe the atmosphere?

EH: It's like a tradition that people celebrate, especially Scandinavian people celebrate, Midsummer's Eve, so the next shows are next week after a couple days. We play in Finland. There's a lot of these midsummer festivals and it's the old pagan celebration where people burn these big fires, and that's the old belief, common in Europe, when people burn these to get all the evil spirits away. So that's something that's still in our culture even though we're living in a very religious country. It's something we still have left from the old beliefs. In a way it's funny. But there's a lot of festivals for these special evenings. It's usually what we wait a lot for, these huge festivals in the summer. Usually the main thing is that it's the period of time in Scandinavia and in Finland when the sun doesn't go down at all, so 24 hours it's daylight. It's pretty amazing and it's another night we don't sleep, but it's something I think people should experience at least once in their lifetime. It's great to go to the festival where you have daylight all the time.

TM: Amorphis just passed its 20th anniversary as a band. What accomplishments are you most proud of over the first two decades?

EH: I think there's always been uphills and downhills within our band, and within every era of the band there have always been little highlights. I don't know. I'm more happy with this band than ever before. We had bad experiences before in our last period with our old singer, Pasi (Koskinen). He was not that motivated anymore during the last years, so it was a difficult time for the whole band as well. I think everything gets flowing again when Tomi joined the band. Only good things happening now.

TM: So it's like a second life for you guys now.

EH: It is, I think. That's how I see it. Or the third life.

TM: Lastly, what do you foresee for Amorphis for the next decade?

EH: I hope we keep continuing this. I'm totally happy. I don't have any high expectations or any high hopes about how this might end or whatever. I think it's like an ever flowing stream when you go somewhere. But if we can keep the thing going like it is now, I'm totally happy.

TM: Like An Ever Flowing Stream, like the Dismember album.

EH: Exactly! One of the best death metal albums ever!