Amorphis - Silent Waters review
| Band: | Amorphis |
| Album: | Silent Waters |
| Style: | Melodic death metal, Folk metal, Progressive metal |
| Release date: | August 29, 2007 |
| A review by: | Dream Taster |
01. Weaving The Incantation
02. A Servant
03. Silent Waters
04. Towards And Against
05. I Of Crimson Blood
06. Her Alone
07. Enigma
08. Shaman
09. The White Swan
10. Black River
11. Sign [Digipak bonus]
There is no need to say much about Finland's Amorphis anymore. Yes, they use to play Melodic Death until 1997 then turned into a one-of-a-kind skillful heavy metal/rock band. Silent Waters is only the second album since vocalist Tomi Joutsen joined the band to replace Pasi Koskinen, following 2006's Eclipse, which was an album that surprised a lot of people by its versatility.
Following the same winning formula, Amorphis' latest effort varies very little from its predecessor in essence. Despite that fact, Silent Waters emanates a level of confidence that in my opinion surpasses anything the Finnish band has ever released. Full of breathtaking choruses and enthralling melodies, it becomes very hard to push the stop button once the album has started. The vocal work alone is worth buying this album. Rarely has a singer grabbed me within a few seconds and did not let me go until the very last note.
Keeping this powerful heavy rock ambiance sometimes helped by soft death vocals, Amorphis has created another great piece of music. While clean vocals take the cake nowadays in their work, the songs would not be the same without those death vocals here and there. And here is another reason why I absolutely love this band. They are not afraid to put out a song as bizarre as 'Towards and Against', which clearly carries an underlying disco-like rhythm but works at all levels.
Overall, I would say that Silent Waters is a better album than Eclipse solely based on the fact that it holds more outstanding songs. If you liked the best songs of their previous record, imagine this new one as being like this on pretty much all tracks. "Filler" is not a word that comes to mind at all. Far from the clichés of Metal, Amorphis found its niche by playing a dark and serene, memorable type of heavy metal/rock that cannot leave listeners indifferent.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 10 |
 |
Written on 08.03.2008 by
Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as: "A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?" I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math. |
Comments
Comments: 28
Visited by: 499 users
| Katatronik Angel of Lust Posts: 1018  |
This is my favourite Amorphis album since Tales of A Thousand Lakes... amazing songs and vocals, one of the best 2007 albums IMO...
---- "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." Howard Phillips Lovecraft
Loading...
|
| POWERvsHAPPINESS Posts: 3680  |
Loading...
|
| Stigma Account deleted |
Loading...
|
| Talvi Posts: 825  |
One of the best 2007 albums, and an amazing Amorphis album.
---- My account on other musical pages: http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/ http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
Loading...
|
| bodomroy Posts: 56  |
totally agree with the review. one of the best albums of '07. grat songs like towards and against, a servant and weaving the incantation, it's just addictive. 
Loading...
|
| Ereinion Account deleted |
Ereinion
Account deleted
Hmmm .. its has its good moments but this album has not grown on me like Eclipse has done dont know way...But it is nice to se that Mr. Joutsen is a really good songwritter Sign is my favorite track on this album 
Loading...
|
| atrox Posts: 133  |
Hmm, "death vocals here and there"? To my mind there's at least 50% of them  And it's good indeed!
Loading...
|
| enumaelis Posts: 266  |
Good but not better than Eclipse at all
---- http://enumaelis.blogspot.com/
Loading...
|
| Promonex Cathemeral Elite Posts: 9720  |
I've never really got into Eclipse and never got what the hype about the album was about. As a matter of fact I've never entirely got into Amorphis at all save for a few songs from each album. The more I was surprised when I gave Silent Waters a try and got totally blown away! I still can't get into the opening track, but DAMN, everything afterwards just totally owns! Especially "Her Alone" is such an utterly beautiful song and "Towards and Against" might just be the best tune I've heard last year. Definitely a 9!
---- All life begins with Nu and ends with Nu... This is the truth! This is my belief! ...At least for now. - The Mystery of Life, Vol. 841 Ch. 26
Loading...
|
| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023  |
If we have the same opinion about good songs I have to get this album (found like half of the songs on eclipse amazing)
Loading...
|
| Draggtor Posts: 2  |
The album is good, same style than eclipse, but not better. If you like it and haven't listen eclipse, give it a try! 
---- Haeliev & Ez-Rechiel...
Loading...
|
| Thought. A Dying God Posts: 90  |
For i while i couldn't pallet Pasi Koskinen's vocals. Even on legendary tracks like Against Widows, Pasi was the only factor that I never fully grasped. Where I still prefer to listen to the karelian isthmus melo-death era, I still love amorphis for their incredibly distinct sound, progressive takes on genre, and captivating melodies. I thought both eclipse and silent waters were great albums.
---- There is no God but the one that dies with me. I have no life but the one I take with me to the grave. We come into this world alone. And we will die on our own. I live. I die. Ain Elohim.
Loading...
|
| Arrwyn Posts: 104  |
Despite having a doomish feeling in a few of their songs (particularly Weaving The Incantation), I enjoyed this album a lot. Good review.
Loading...
|
| Tristaniac Account deleted |
Loading...
|
| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698  |
Loading...
|
| Enissa Posts: 816  |
i didn't hear this album fully yet but i listened to Black River & Silent Waters and they are definitely great songs
Loading...
|
| Tenho Karite Account deleted |
|
| EddieGunner Valkoinen kuolem Posts: 2239  |
well i don't agree that Silent is better then Eclipse but it's proly taste anyway review is ok, nothing special Rating could be higher then it is
---- On pirun vaikea selvitä hengissä hautaan saakka It is damn difficult to stay alive till the grave Erno Paasilinna :devil:
Loading...
|
| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437  |
Nice review, this album is very good! Great melodies, production and totaly perfect vocal-work!!!!
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
Loading...
|
| DanielViking Posts: 163  |
IMO, the best album of 2007 great riffs, great growlings, nice passages with melodic elements and an innovating sound only Amorphis know how to do... 10!
Loading...
|
| Eeric Account deleted |
Eeric
Account deleted
Thought that eclipse was "the" album from Amorphis, but no, it's Silent Waters. 
Loading...
|
| Powerslavex Alexskywalker Posts: 777  |
Loading...
|
| +{Jonas}+ I R Serious Cat Posts: 4955  |
Written by POWERvsHAPPINESS on 08.03.2008 at 16:55 I agree, even in the "accoustic" tracks like "Enigma". Speaking of it, is it based on a Kalevala story? They're dark btu they're still epic, and they're still catchy, and full of strenght. I've been relistening to this album this week and it's amazing, TBH I hadn't listened to it carefully enough.
---- "Nobody wants to be the weird kid, you just end up being the weird kid. You don't know how you ended up getting there" - Rob Zombie http://jonas-bs.deviantart.com My dA, mainly photography, go check it out!
Loading...
|
| giok99 Posts: 85  |
Amazing album. Voices are just perfect. And the melodic side is really nice. Nothing to say about the prod. It's heavy, melodic, sometimes death, in a word, beautiful. 9/10
---- Nothing is real
Loading...
|
| Heart_of_METAL Posts: 40  |
In my opinion it´s the best album of 2007 and best of Amorphis ever!
Loading...
|
| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955  |
Not much different from the already successful Eclipse. But its true, this one presents more memorable songs. One of the best in Amorphis discography since the early days.
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
Loading...
|
| Panterica Posts: 341  |
I loved Eclipse, so I guess there's no way getting around this, I must listen this one too...
---- Li'ed - Prog-Metal from Jerusalem https://open.spotify.com/artist/7aZWDrAAvDSLMaSmDSE8zA https://www.facebook.com/LiedBandMusic http://lied-band.bandcamp.com/
Loading...
|
| CobiWan1993 Secundum Filium Posts: 1365  |
Silent Waters is an incredible and magical album. Every song shines with a beam of confidence, wonder, and enchantment. Tomi Joutsen's vocals are elegant and breathtaking, The keyboard and acoustic guitar work are phenomenal, I am proud to own this album on CD. Best album of 2007 next to Ulver's Shadows of the Sun. 9/10
---- Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe (Lao Tzu).
Loading...
|
Hits total: 11925 | This month: 3