The career path of Finland's Amorphis has been an interesting one. The band started with defining the sound of a country's death metal scene (The Karelian Isthmus) to a couple of certifiably classic albums in Tales from the Thousand Lakes and Elegy that mixed death metal and Finnish culture/history, then went through the down turn of the largely panned trio of Tuonela, Ad Universum and Far From the Sun. However, a change of vocalist from Pasi Koskinen to Tomi Joutsen seemed to re-invigorate the band and with the release of 2006s Eclipse, the band has been on the steady upswing and return to the band's glory days atop the Finnish metal scene. The band seemed to get better and better after that, with Silent Waters, Skyforger and 2011s The Beginning of Times, each being better than the last and each seemingly the best album since Elegy, the band's arguable apex. There were some rumbles that Circle might be a step back after the release of a couple of tracks that seemed to hint at a more stoic, melancholic Amorphis, but I'm here to tell you the band has once again improved from their previous offering and again cemented themselves atop the Finnish metal, if not international metal scene as they did in the 90s. Consistency is the key for Amorphis. With Joutsen firmly settled into a balance of his svelte, soaring clean vocals and familiar Finnish death roars that the fans clamor for, delicate, slightly proggy keyboards and guitarists Pasi Koskinen and Tomi Koivusaari seemingly capable of penning their now trademark style in their sleep, every riff and track is immediately recognizable as Amorphis (i.e "The Wanderer"). It's a comfort level that some might call laziness, but on Circle, the veteran band that knows their style, but add just enough for it to still hold long time fans attention and garner new ones.
Case and point, the album's fourth track (and my personal favorite) "Narrowpath" features a delicate, almost Civil war sounding flute backing the addictive, bouncy riff. The band also knows their fan base, delivering some of the band's heaviest post Koskinen moments both vocally and musically such as opener "Shades of Gray"opens with a surprising hefty bellow and lurch along with the down right heavy "Nightbird's Song" and "Hopeless Days" with its very stern opening riff, despite the track developing into one of the albums most emotional cuts. And speaking of emotion, some of the pre release criticism appears somewhat warranted as the band does seem more introspective than ever. Amorphis have always had a somber hue, and Circle seems to reflect a wiser and more weary Amorphis. The likes of "Mission", "Into The Abyss" and "Enchanted By the Moon", with its ethereal synth lines just seems a little more downcast, and rife with classic doom tinged tones and pacing. That all being said, the album closes with "A New Day" a simply classic, prog tinged Amorphis track with Hammond drenched elegance, glorious female choirs and a seeming new found outlook and positivity ("The Sun will rise again " croons Joutsen) that could have come from Elegy. For a band that was once on life support on the early 00s , the band continues to respond to the naysayers and improve with each album since their reboot. And while these albums will never quite have the legacy of their early albums (what does?), the fact Amorphis are now just as relevant and consistent as they were in the 90s, with a saturated scene and quality challengers (Insomnium, Rapture, Noumena, Dark Suns, etc ), and they have responded with such excellent consistency is a testament to be admired. I'll be curious though, if after 5 albums of "their best since Elegy" if they can keep it up. I think so.