Amorphis – Borderland - Teeth of the Divine

Amorphis
Borderland

I kinda feel like I’m getting punked here at this point.

Listen, I’m not naive. I didn’t come into Borderlands thinking that, just because the Under the Red Cloud/Queen of Time/Halo trilogy of album was wrapped up, that this new Amorphis record was suddenly gonna sound VASTLY different. The band has more or less been sticking to their distinct formula for making music for getting on about two decades now since Tomi Joutsen took over vocal duties, and though some may complain about the lack of progression or innovation from the band, I’ve always chosen to take it as an “if it ain’t broke” kind of situation, a mark of unmatched quality and consistency most bands could only dream to sustain over the course of their career.

But now… is Amorphis in on the joke? Or is this just fan service to celebrate the band’s history or something? Because the callbacks and similarities to the band’s back catalog found on Borderland are making me feel like maybe I’m the crazy one? Start just with the album art, which pulls clear inspiration from Tales from the Thousand Lakes, Silent Waters and Magic and Mayhem simultaneously. Shit, even the brick pattern on the bridge and the little symbol representing the “o” in Borderlands make me thing of bits and pieces of their last three records. AND THEN, the first goddamn track? It’s titled “The Circle.” THE FUCKING CIRCLE. Then there’s “Bones” (remember 2015’s “The Skull”?), “Light and Shadow” (2011’s “Battle for Light?!?”). I’m not insane, right???

Furthermore, once you get around to actually listening to the record, you’ll be forgiven if at times you don’t find yourself asking, “haven’t I heard this before?” Opener “Circle” comes right out of the gate sounding every bit like another Esa Holopainen-led record with very pretty, if familiar guitar work and Joutsen’s always top-notch range, clean vocal delivery, even if the vocal melody (particularly in the chorus) again feels like we’ve been all kinda been here before. The aforementioned “Bones,” while boasting a nice, relatively heavy (by Amorphis standards) main riff, also showcases some of those vaguely Egyptian/Arabic vibes strewn about the previous trifecta of albums, making one have to wonder if maybe the band hasn’t really quite closed the lid on that whole story.

And yet… I dunno, Amorphis still have a way of making the really familiar sound effervescent and alive? This album will face the same “rehash” criticism faced by every Amorphis record for decades, and somehow I still find myself getting drawn in to every new release. There’s an indelible energy attached to the band’s sound that I cannot help but be drawn to every single time I listen to them. The synth-led into the last part of “Dancing Shadow” genuinely gives me life, leading the way into the excellent “Fog to Fog,” with it’s simple but highly effective main riff and drumming that makes the song feel almost ritualistic, building up to yet another soaring chorus that brims with infectious light and energy I cannot help but get swept up in.

That lighter, more life-affirming kind of energy and vibe definitely dominates the front end of this album. There’s a brightness, particularly with the high-flying and dynamic synth work on display throughout Borderlands, that permeates the entire album and makes it feel fresh and exuberant. The aforementioned “Dancing Shadow” is a prime example, along with another of the album’s first singles, “Light and Shadow,” both of which let Tomi’s cleans carry the day and set the tone of each track. But the back half definitely carries a bit more of a mysterious, if somewhat darker edge to it. On a record about the thin precipice between life and death, this is super clever and helps to tell a really vibrant story. While Tomi’s clean vocals take control in the first half, his amazing lows start to take charge over the latter, with tracks like The Strange” and “Despair” both offering a bit more of an edge to them. The former has a really catchy, chugging riff that balances nicely with Holopainen’s otherwise epic lead work.

“Tempest” offers a really nice change of pace, slowing things down a beat and bringing in a layer of really nice acoustic guitars that give the song some really warm depth that I really dig, especially as they lead up to one of the albums stronger choruses led by Joutsen’s bellowing harsh vocals, which still sound like some of the best in the game. The song also features a really beautiful bridge featuring more of those pretty acoustics, layered with some gorgeous strings that build up and up to a really epic synth/guitar solo tradeoff, marking one of the album’s true high points (this is, far an away, my favorite track on the album and one of the cooler songs the band has produced, in my mind). “The Lantern” also picks up some of those more progressive elements that add a really neat sense of wonder and mystery, emblematic of the album’s focus on navigating between the lands of the dead and the living.

At surface level, after the first initial listens of Borderlands, the easy conclusion is that this is just another Amorphis record, not much dissimilar to anything they’ve released in the last twenty years. But after repeat listens, you really start to hear all the little details and decisions that show a band making a concerted effort to make Borderlands it’s own unique listening experience. The other big difference with this record I’ve noticed after sitting with it for quite a bit (full disclosure, we received advanced streams of this one MONTHS ago), this is such an easy record to listen to. While Halo in some ways really challenged the listener with a heavier progressive presence, Borderlands instead relies on more simplified song structures – very much to its own benefit. It’s an album that begs repeat listens and encourages you to really sit with it from start to finish, allowing us to all really take in the full scope of what Amorphis set out to accomplish with this record without growing fatigued and overstimulated. Honestly, despite all odds, Borderlands is one of the band’s finest efforts, delivering everything we’ve all come to want and expect from Amorphis, but in a tighter and more complete package than maybe ever before. Somehow these guys keep ketting better, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.