Borderland

Amorphis have been around for a long time and Borderland is their 15th studio album since the 1992 debut. Evolving from old school brutal death metal, the band have over time developed a more sophisticated sound. Borderland is the 9th album with 'new' singer Tomi Joutsen. He breathed new life into the band when he joined and is still delivering a strong performances. The right mix of clean singing and more rough growls and his impeccable timing for the right mix of both style. What is slightly different on this album from the previous three? New producer and given the album a more smoother sound, but the songs are definitely more polished and keyboard driven, this is due to the majority of the songs written by keyboardist Santeri Kallio. The songs are pretty much what you'd expect from Amorphis if you are familiar with their sound and recent albums. Even with the slightly less-aggressive sound, there is plenty of heavy sound, guitar riffs and brutal vocals to satisfy fans of the band from all era's. I've given it 4/5, while it's not quite up to the standard of more recent albums like 'Queen Of Time' and 'Beyond The Red Cloud' it's not far off. Plus some of the songs may remind you of older tunes, but that is now the bands style and there are a few variations to keep listeners interested. The exclusive Japan bonus track is a throw back to a purer heavier death metal sound and an ultra rare song written by drummer Jan Rechberger. If your already a fan of this band, then you won't be disappointed, if new to Amorphis then you will enjoyed some heavy melodic progressive tinged metal that will have you banging your heard and tapping your foot.