Amorphis Folk Things Up

Posted on May 28th 2009 4:00PM by Amy Sciarretto Comments

Folk-tinged metal, sometimes dubbed "pagan metal," is lava hot nowadays. But Finland's Amorphis, viewed as an OG folk-influenced metal band, isn't really following the current wave of the style they helped draw the blueprint for.

"I'm not following that scene that much, so I'm not an expert," guitarist Tomi Koivusaari told Noisecreep. "But with the bands that I've heard, there are some very interesting sounds. It's funny to hear folkish influences, which [is something] we kind of started in the death metal scene back in the day. Some bands have taken these folky elements quite seriously, taking it to an extreme level, meaning clothes and everything. On the other hand, some of them sound like they aren't too serious. But for us, it was more like an influence for melodies. Also, it was and is important to create atmospheres and what I can call a 1970s progressive rock feeling. I guess 'organic' could be the right word for it, which I do not hear too much with bands nowadays. But like I said, I've probably missed lot of bands in this genre since I'm not following it. But when a band is finding its own sound someway, it's always interesting."

Amorphis just released 'Skyforger,' which thematically ends the trilogy of albums that includes 2006's 'Eclipse' and 2007's 'Silent Waters.' Koivusaari concluded, "Musically, it continues where the previous record ended." Even more impressive is the fact that the band has had the same line up for three consecutive albums, which is a first in their revolving door membership history. "The band's spirit is great because of that," he said.
Filed under: Interview

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