This disc isn't just another Amorphis album, it's a full listening experience. The whole album is inspired by Finnish folk tales, both lyrically as well as musically. It's been out for a decade now, and I still listen to the disc in it's entirety on a regular basis. This disc will grow and grow on you. You will not have a favorite track, you will fall in love with the entire disc. As far as I'm concerned, the best Amorphis disc ever released.

Every Amorphis album is great, from their early death metal beginings to their newer more progressive rock sound. But if I had to choose my favorite from them, without a doubt I would choose Elegy. Elegy is the first album that Pasi joined the band, bringing the best voice in metal along with him at that. But unlike the follow albums, the band hasn't given up using death vocals all together yet. And the two different types of vocals work extremely well off of each other. Reminicint of Opeth in a way.

The music it self borrows a lot of 70's progressive rock ideals and mixes it with some metal, folk, a little classical, and even some surf music (Cares?). The use of sitar is used very well for instance, gives the atmosphere of the album a very folkish feel.

All in all this is Amorphis' crown jewel. A perfect bridge between Tales From The Thousand Lakes and Tuonela.

Following in the footsteps of their previous album, the hybrid Tales From the Thousand Lakes, Amorphis continues to blend staple death-metal fanfare with melodic Scandinavian folklore and melody. With new "clean" singer Pasi Koskinen, the band expands their sound to acoustic guitars, spacey keyboards, and a beautifully clean production.

The opening track (though the weakest, still impressive) is no doubt inspired by Middle-Eastern melodies (a la Therion) with an aggressive touch. "Against Widows" is a gem; Esa Holopainen's harmonizing guitars, changes in pitch and a double-bass rhythm throughout make this a stand-out track among a unanimously impressive selection. "The Orphan" is exceptional: an atmospheric keyboard/guitar intro and not a single grunt in the song's 5-minute run, half of which is instrumental. The album is stunning. Like its predecessor, the album was inspired by the Finnish companion to the Kalevala, the Kanteletar (?).

Even with the new additions and expansions, the album is never soft or mainstream. Powerhouses "Song of the Troubled One" and the instrumental attack of "Relief" keep the death-metal in Amorphis (without, of course, ignoring the amazing sonic keyboard accompaniments). Signs of musical evolution are, no doubt, apparent. The keyboard interludes in "Cares" and the all-acoustic "My Kantele (reprise)" foreshadow the radical shift in sound that Amorphis would undertake in subsequent albums.

As a band whose albums are clearly individual and unique (much like Ulver), Amorphis peaked with Elegy, a perfect union between the power of guitars and the keyboard's sonic edge. An instant classic.

See also: Amorphis - Tales From the Thousand Lakes, Vanitas - Das Leben ein Traum

Amorphis takes its name from the word "amorphous" which means "lacking definite form, shapeless". Looking at their huge back catalog, it should be easy to see that they've lived up to their name, as no album sounds like its predecessor or follow-up. Amorphis started out as a fiery death metal band evolving into a keyboard-supported midtempo death metal band and then into a more progressive band with folk and classic rock influences.

Elegy is their 1996 release and in many ways their most ambitious work. The album features two new members whose impacts make it perhaps Amorphis' most amazing album to date. Vocalist Pasi Koskinen is the new clean singer alongside former rhythm guitarist/vocalist Tomi Koivusaari's occasional death growls. This is their transition from their earlier extreme metal roots to a more folky, progressive rock soundscape. Koskinen's clear vocals are very emotive and provide a nice contrast to their former singer's brutal delivery on tracks like "Better Unborn" (with a sweet Arabic guitar melody), "Against Widows", and "On Rich and Poor". New keyboardist Kim Rantala (whose debut with the band was the previous Black Winter Day EP) brings a very progressive edge to the band's music mining the melodic veins within Elegy. It's a shame he didn't stay with Amorphis for another release, as his analog keyboard work meshed very well with the awesome guitar themes. Rantala's playing often lends itself to 70's Floydian atmospheres, such as on the ballad "Orphan" where the keyboards function as a lucid texture below folky guitar melodies; or on the powerful "My Kantele" adding complex harmonies and a very well played synth solo. This is one of the finest tracks on this disc with timeless guitar melodies, excellent clean and death vocals, and a balanced guitar and keyboard duel. However, Rantala's curious keyboard work is mostly noticeable on the experimental cut "Cares" featuring plenty of electronic samples and a very Floydian synth solo contrasting Koivusaari's brutal singing.

The songs on Elegy are based on Finnish literature and draw their inspirations from the traditional Finnish work The Kanteletar which is comprised of hundreds of poems reflecting Finnish people's philosophical and religious beliefs. This is what is written in the booklet: "Inspired by the intensity of the poems and their ability to communicate everyday simplicity with such vigor, Amorphis have created the music of Elegy to reflect the honesty and majesty found within the Kanteletar's legendary verses..."

I guess this also explains where the heavy Kingston Wall-inspired folk melodies come from. The folk motifs on "Weeper on the Shore", the title track, and the instrumental piece "Relief" have also mined the band's next release Tuonela, which is basically a testimony to folk rock with Koskinen doing all clean vocals except one song. The title track, also the longest song, conjures a variety of moods with lots of guitar and keyboard interplay, some interesting sitar and tambourine elements, and intense vocals from both singers to match the dark mood built by elaborate keyboard work. There is a very catchy guitar theme on this song that soars passionately over the track during the choruses and it's easily one of the most beautiful songs Amorphis have penned. Elegy is the highlight of their career along with Tales from the Thousand Lakes, though I'd have to give Elegy the edge. Given its release date, this disc easily transcends all expectations, perhaps only rivaled by Opeth and Edge of Sanity at the time.

Elegy is the best metal album out there! It has everything. Heavy, melodic riffs, perfect death growls, beautiful clean vocals, and just an awesome all around sound that will consume you from start to finish. It's fast and heavy in parts to get you moving, and it's slower and beautifully melodic in others, to entrance your soul. This album is so complete and wonderfully orchestrated, it will leave you craving more. I never get tired of listening to this masterpiece. If you love metal, and love being entranced by music, you HAVE to buy this CD!