Written by:	Ivor
Published:	October 25, 2014
Event:	Amorphis: European Northeast Fall Tour 2014 (Website)
Location:	Rock Café, Tallinn, Estonia
Galleries:	Amorphis - Rock Café, Tallinn, Estonia, 09.10.2014 by Ivor (34)

Amorphis seem to swing by Estonia regularly enough in recent times that I'm slowly starting to lose count of how many times I've seen them play. With a little jog down memory lane, I've come to the conclusion that this concert was the 5th for me, and my 4th in Estonia. However, since Amorphis have put on a good show every time so far, I saw no real reason to skip. If nothing else, it would've made for a fine evening out, despite the lecture at 8 the following morning.





So far, Amorphis have stepped up in Estonia in various conditions. They've played with and without support as well as made a festival appearance. Last time I saw them, they had Leprous playing warm-up who were almost but not quite out-performing Amorphis. That surely was a close call. So, naturally, I was hoping for a similarly intense gig and hopes, though frail, were laid on Goresoerd to match the headliner.

To be frank, I've no real idea what Goresoerd were doing there. Supporting the local scene I can understand, but given the music, it didn't really fit. Of what I know, they started out about a decade ago as a sort of grind/death band and evolved into something more melodic, but so far I've been able to inadvertently avoid their performances. Technically these guys are good and I could see myself trying out their stuff if not for those vocals... that puts me off their music in no time. Something about the mix of it all doesn't sit right with me. Props for doing it in Estonian, though.






When Amorphis hit the stage, I was having two-fold feelings about it. On the one hand, it was the same Amorphis I've seen a number of times. It seems that just like their recent albums are coined by following the same high-quality formulae, their shows also seem to have a lot of the same flavour all over again. I mean, without fundamental changes to the source not much is going to change in the end result on stage; similarly sounding albums are going to produce similar emotions on stage that don't change from show to show or tour to tour.

You might say there's a certain lack of novelty about this show as far as recent material is concerned. Some songs stood out more, some less. I admit that I'll always be partial to Eclipse, as it was what got me into Amorphis, but "The Wanderer" from Circle isn't far behind. The most surprising moment came just six songs into the set when the band suddenly left the stage. I remember thinking back then that if this was the pause before the encore, it's turning out to be one lousily short set. However, the brief interlude was done to emphasise the 20th anniversary of Tales from the Thousand Lakes, with the following "Drowned Maid." Frankly, I actually welcomed the older songs as I'm far less familiar with those and they introduced a change in the overall dynamics and sound of the show.

Set list:
1. Hopeless Days (Circle)
2. Narrow Path (Circle)
3. Silver Bride (Skyforger)
4. The Smoke (Eclipse)
5. Brother Moon (Eclipse)
6. The Wanderer (Circle)
7. Drowned Maid (Tales from the Thousand Lakes)
8. Weaving the Incantation (Silent Waters)
9. Against Widows (Elegy)
10. Majestic Beast (Skyforger)
11. Silent Waters (Silent Waters)
12. My Kantele (Elegy)
Encore:
13. From the Heaven of My Heart (Skyforger)
14. Sky Is Mine (Skyforger)
15. House of Sleep (Eclipse)

As I said, on the one hand it was the same Amorphis - the power of the band and their music was present in the show. On the other hand, though, it was lacking in the intensity department. There were moments when it came across quite a bit flat. It's not the kind of flatness that you find when the musicians are utterly bored. No, that's not the case with Amorphis. I think it has something to do with routine. When the performances are run in well, the band can enjoy their presence on stage but sparks can go missing. Maybe it's like with their albums; it's all too settled in the comfort zone.



So, while the show was good, I'm left with a somewhat sour impression. One of the reasons is that I've seen them deliver a performance with a lot more intensity and power, even if I can't really pinpoint what exactly was the difference. However, a couple of times I was thinking: "Ah, man, Tomi used to swing those dreads in full circles!" These were the "grass-was-greener" kind of thoughts but there's a grain of truth to them; the level was just not as high as in some previous shows.