Progressive metal masters Amorphis have trimmed the symphonic fat on their new, 14th album, Halo, and revealed something… almost poppy, but only how they can do pop. Rhythm guitarist Tomi Koivusaari talks to Prog about their streamlined anthems, sourcing inspiration from Finnish myths and how they built their unique death metal and folk music-flecked soundscape.

Words: Matt Mills

Amorphis: men of myth-tery.

Images: Sam Jamsen

Many great bands have a magnum opus: that album that catapulted them to superstardom and, years later, remains a creative apex. Metallica have Master Of Puppets. Nirvana have Nevermind. Rush have 2112.

Amorphis are undoubtedly another great band. They’ve experimented with almost every heavy subgenre under the sun and reaped acclaim time and time again for 30 years. That said, what’s their magnum opus? Is it 1994’s Tales From The Thousand Lakes, which revolutionised extreme metal by integrating Middle Eastern guitar harmonies? How about Skyforger from 2009: a collection of wonky power/prog metal tracks driven by majestic melodies? Or maybe it’s their last album, 2018’s Queen Of Time, which danced between death metal, hard rock and synth-prog so fluidly that it lifted their popularity to new levels?

It’s an inconclusive debate thus far, but any arguments scribbled together will be fed through a paper shredder once readers have heard listened to Halo. Amorphis’ 14th long-player is just as eclectic as its predecessor, but has been streamlined into 11 direct, episodic anthems. Every song is a short, heavy, catchy thrill, de-emphasising the electronic and symphonic flair from before without compromising the band’s long-running prog inclinations.