Amorphis is an extraordinary band. For the new fans they have gained with their recent releases let me tell you that Amorphis was at first a melodic death metal band. A style which they have gradually moved from, however leaving us with amazing albums, that I have been listening to for years now and everytime their genius seems to astonish me all over again.

Their previous works to this album, including their first full release "The Karelian Isthmus" could by no means be described as relaxed, melodic, beautiful, and soul-filling. In fact the brutality in their previous releases is definitely present. The step from that to this album (their second full release), is indeed a great one, but the band has leaped from one style to another with every release and even though it might shock you , let it not bother you as Amorphis is a band in a category of its own.

"Tales From The Thousand Lakes" is very well titled. The album is evolved around ancient Finnish Poems which dwellers of the land of Karelia (West Finland and Russia) sang and have passed on orally from generation to generation until collected and released to us in a book called "The Kalevala". Finland is also known as the land of a thousand lakes, hence the title of this amazing album.

The album, unlike its predecessor is slower and the intensity of the songs is low. It is a very melodic album. It starts off with an instrumental song "Thousand Lakes" which sets the mood to the album. Now, all the songs in this album are brilliant. Any heavy metal musician would agree with me by saying that every song possesses amazing riffs which with melancholy guitar leads give us an amazing journey into the history of every day lives of the Kalelian people.

"Into Hiding" is a really good opener. From the beginning you will realize that these are really talented musicians. One if the album's best track as is the next song "The Castaway". One cannot begin to comprehend the genius in these songs just by reading this review. They seem to enter your soul and inflict you with peace and tranquility. A quality very rare in this kind of music. "Black Winter Day" is the most famous song here, a beautiful tune that only makes you yearn for more of this perfect music. "Drowned Maid" is another outstanding song and my favourite. Pure emotion is embedded in this song. What can I say it is a masterpiece of an album this one. "In The Beginning" and "To Father's Cabin" are so good that you will ask yourself, how can such a beautiful album full of godly music be present and available to us mortals.

This album is that good. A journey that is only carried on by the next album "Elegy". These two albums have made such an impact in my life. They are truly beautiful.

I don't want to recommend you to listen to this album as well as "Elegy" because after you hear this there is no turning back, you would realize how pitiful everything else you had been listening to is. So it's up to you, you listen to it, you will be exposed to something not meant for this world, you will dwell on cloud nine (if they still say that) and everything else you are bound to listen to on the radio or anywhere else will fill you with anger and resentment. Indeed we are damned.

Why do I always end up reviewing after Sunshine The Werewolf? Anyways...

As most of us know, this is a major centerpiece in the Melodic Death Metal universe. While the Holy Trinity between In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and At The Gates was forming over in Sweden, Amorphis had already reached perfection with -Tales From The Thousand Lakes- in Finland. Months ago this album caught my eye with its glorious cover. I knew that these guys had immense potential, but at the time I didn't know and was too lazy to listen.

Vocalist/guitarist Tomi Koivusaari, my favorite member of Amorphis, does the growls/cookie monster vocals, which I think mixes very well with the music. Amorphis hired Ville Tuomi to play the clean vocals for a sense of variety and so that Tomi's doesn't get dull. Anyways this was my introduction to Amorphis and their greatness. They have their own style I see, which massively changes with -Elegy-, the next album. This would be their last step as a Melodic Death band, as they would go on to achieve musical greatness while having more folksy, rock-oriented riffs and less aggressiveness. My theory behind the appeal that this album holds to so many people is the atmosphere it creates when you let it fully absorb you. I do find the production to be rusty on some tracks more than others, especially when compared to -Elegy-. Though we should be thankful such sound was produced.

All the songs are their own art. -Elegy- does put light on things, but the mood and vibe of this record pours out with each one you hear. The monster vocals are easy to take in, but the clean singing at first will appear shallow, which is probably the reason why they hired Pasi to handle them on later records. Songs like "Into Hiding" and "Black Winter Day" will have memorable passages that will automatically hook you. You know just as much as I do that the tune on "Black Winter Day" is unforgettable.

My personal favorites will always be "In The Beginning" and "Magic And Mayhem" because they are majestic in all aspects. The former starts out with a solid riff and a duet between Ville and Tomi which ends with a slower riff and Esa letting loose a beautiful passage. Here...is where it becomes the best song on the album along with "Black Winter Day", or in my opinion even better. Esa unleashes the perfect guitar solo that sounds so epic it makes Lord Of The Ring look like going to the grocery store. This part alone is worth the purchase of this legend.

The latter begins with a melodic instrumental passage that you would expect from a track under an album cover like this. After roughly over a minute, it starts to chug its way into your head with a pounding riff atop Tomi's beastly vocals. A very sweet riff starts at 2:30, just before picking up the pace. No clean vocals make this one a pleaser. After this short pick up, it goes back into an instrumental passage with electronic beeps, that is, before actually having electronic beats and tunes flash everywhere. Tomi and the gang break it up with their powers and end the record superbly.

Of course the battle will always rage between this and -Elegy-. It is really a hard decision, but I truly find -Tales From The Thousand Lakes- reigning supreme in my book. As for this, pick it up, one way or another. The Karelian is waiting for you.

At the risk of sounding like this album's detractors, let me start by saying that this album is really not that heavy at all. It is melodic and very VERY accessible. It is NOT death metal, but rather a doom-death hybrid (though it does NOT sound anything like Anathema, My Dying Bride, and bands of such ilk). Nor is it very fast or evil. Being a black metal fan, that usually disqualifies a metal release for me. But this album is one of the greatest metal CDs ever recorded.

Amorphis have done something very unique here, and I for one have not heard anything like it in my thirteen years of listening to metal. Beautiful, VERY catchy melodies, lots of rock sounding riffs and rhythm structures, low, guttural death metal vocals, and an overall gloomy depressing mood. For some reason, it works really really well. It basically feels like what the cover art looks like.

I will say again, this is not heavy death metal, so don't expect that. But coming from someone who loves fast and furious almost all the time, I can say that if I'm going to listen to something catchy and melodic, this is going to be it. It's beautiful, it gets in your head, and it works. Buy it, you shan't be disappointed.

P.S. Not all Amorphis albums sounds like this; they have opted for clean vocals exclusively on later releases and from what I have heard of them they are really not that good.

When you want the type of album that is not very long and something that sound's like NATURE then this is always the trick!! I must have listened to this album a million time's!!

The follow up to the GODLY ''Karelian..'' AMORPHIS kept the DEATH grunt's..but put much more of a ''rock'' style in the song's this time, we even get some opera like vocal's, not many though!!

BLACK WINTER DAY!!! now this is one of my all time FAVE METAL song's...few song's are this moving and full of a depressing atmosphere!! MOVING!!

The ''Black winter Day'' ep is included on here as well, just adding to the PERFECTION!!

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST ALBUM's EVER MADE!!!! TAKE MY WORD!!! !! FLOW's TOGETHER LIKE NO OTHER!!!remember a time when Amorphis were Pagan's..not Pink Floyd wannabe's!!

BEYOND MANDATORY FOR THE DOOM FAN!!!!!

''THIS IS HOW THE LUCKY FEEL..''

Depending on how your tastes run, you will probably find either "Tales from the Thousand Lakes" to be your favorite Amorphis disc, or "Elegy." I will take "Tales" any day.

While the British doomdeath movement was well underway by the time Amorphis put out this album, this outshone all that came before and compares favorably with another 1994 doom release, "Turn Loose the Swans" (My Dying Bride's high point). The music is moody and entrancing--though I am not generally a fan of digital keyboards they work well here in carrying the atmosphere and harmonizing with the guitar leads.

No less than three of the best metal riffs of all time, in this writer's opinion, can be found on this CD, in the songs "The Castaway," "Black Winter Day," and "Forgotten Sunrise."

In sum, this album is a must for all metal fans, except those who are truly repelled by gruff vocals, and it will earn a special place in the hearts of those who have a space reserved for quality melancholic doom metal.