The Beginning Of Times Cd Review

I am glad I gave this album time to percolate a little. Every now and then one is presented with an album and it doesn't grab you immediately. When I first listened to this, the tenth studio album by Amorphis, The Beginning of Times, my initial reaction was that it was pretty much the same as you'd expect from these stalwarts of Finnish Metal, without really capturing the imagination or engaging the listener immediately. But after numerous listens, it has proven to be one of those rare albums that gets more and more embedded in your subconscious with time, slowly winding its wonderfully warm and haunting melodies around your heart and taking root.

On The Beginning Of Times, Amorphis is doing what Amorphis does best, blasting their folk tinged progressive metal directly at your soul with a driving and decisive delivery. It is also once again a concept album. From their wiki site: The central character of the songs is Väinämöinen, described by the band as "the iconic hero of Finnish mythology".

They consistently combine traditional heavy metal rhythms and riffs to underpin their incredibly strong and strikingly insistent melodies - melodies which remain as central themes throughout the songs they so cannily thread together. Their ability to create these catchy hooks – that form the basis of all the songs on The Beginning Of Times – presented on a variety of instruments and in constant conjunction with a rock solid rhythm section or chord progression, make for a richly textured tapestry of sound from beginning to end.

The first single, “My Enemy” is an absolute gem of a song, at once mesmerizing the listener with its momentous melody and storming the barricades of your senses with an audacious aural assault as the sheer force of the guitars and drive of the drums beat you down and build you up.

Other stand out tracks are the opener “Battle For Light” and the subtle, yet searing “Three Words”. It is however hard to isolate particular tracks, as this is a solid collection of hypnotic hymns that is sure to win over even the most jaded listener and leave an indelible mark.

It is interesting to note that this album entered at Number 1 on the Finnish album charts, another telling testament to their enduring and endearing appeal, not only within the metal community, but also their home country.

All in all, although not an instant classic, “The Beginning of Times” is sure to grow into a great album, like so many others that require time to mature on the listener’s ears and, eventually, heart.

Reviewed by Malcolm Burger

The Beginning Of Times Tracklist

01. Battle For Light
02. Mermaid
03. My Enemy
04. You I Need
05. Song Of The Sage
06. Three Words
07. Reformation
08. Soothsayer
09. On A Stranded Shore
10. Escape
11. Crack In A Stone
12. Beginning Of Time
13. Heart's Song (Bonus track)

Amorphis Line-up

Tomi Joutsen – vocals
Tomi Koivusaari – rhythm guitar
Esa Holopainen – lead guitar
Santeri Kallio – keyboards, synthesizers, piano, organ
Niclas Etelävuori – bass guitar
Jan Rechberger – drums, percussion

Guest musicians:

Netta Dahlberg - additional female vocals
Savotta Choir - backing vocals
Iikka Kahri - flute, clarinet and saxophone

Amorphis Weblinks

Buy/Downloads