Tag Archives: tomi koivusaari

Amorphis Announces New Album “Halo” On Atomic Fire Records

November 4, 2021 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

The Press Release:
Rock and metal music have always been a haven for those who have bigger stories to tell; who have grander emotions to convey. For more than thirty years, Finnish figureheads AMORPHIS have done their best to carve their very own niche in heartfelt yet aggressive, melancholic yet soothing tunes. On Halo, their staggering fourteenth studio effort, the Finns underline their trailblazing status as one of the most original, culturally relevant, and rewarding acts ever to emerge from the land of the thousand lakes.

Halo will be released on February 11th, 2022 on Atomic Fire Records.
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Features, Tours and Festivals

Nightwish Reveals Updated 2021 European Tour Dates

January 29, 2021 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

Let’s face it. Nowadays the words “cancelled”, postponed” and “rescheduled” are an almost hourly part of the discussion with many artists and entertainment prospects forced to use them. This brings me to the latest information from the mighty Nightwish who have moved some European dates a little farther ahead than was originally planned.

The Statement:
Some of you already saw this coming but due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic we are forced to move our European tour dates to late 2021. Previously purchased tickets will remain valid for all rescheduled dates. On top of this, we were able to announce a new date in Dublin, Ireland! 🇮🇪 This will be the second time in Nightwish history that we will play here! AMORPHIS will be our Special Guests on this tour with support by TURMION KÄTILÖT.
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Events, Reviews

Amorphis @ B.B. King Blues Club (9/29/2008)

December 17, 2008 Ken Pierce 2 Comments

Artist: Amorphis
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Opener: Samael, Virgin Black
Date: 9/29/2008
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

If you live in a city like New York and are a big supporter of any genre’s music scene then you are truly a very lucky person because there is seldom a night where you find yourself with nothing to do or nothing to see – especially when it comes to live music. The city offers up countless bars, venues, and theatres where music across a wide-genre scope is delivered almost nightly and if you are thinking there is no downside to this, well there is when two major events are scheduled for the exact same night. For me, this particular show would conclude the “Finnish Invasion” that I spoke of in both my Apocalyptica and Sonata Arctica commentaries. Sadly, Nightwish had indeed cancelled their appearance based on the illness of singer Anette but we did get a killer set from Sonata. Tonight’s fun at B.B. King Blues Club would also find a killer show that featured Kataklysm, Keep Of Kalessin and Eluveitie going on at the same time over at the Blender Theater and this was really going to make the Metal heads choose because all of the bands combined had the same loyal fan base. For me the choice was simple and locked on Amorphis because the band has not been over here since early 2005 by my recollection and since that time have released two more albums. The show tonight would bring along label mates Samael and Virgin Black from Australia. Here is how the night went down if you had missed it.
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Music, Reviews

“Silent Waters” by Amorphis

June 4, 2008 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

Artist: Amorphis
Title: “Silent Waters”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 9/11/2007
Genre: Progressive Dark Metal
Rating: 4.5/5

When Amorphis released “Eclipse” back in 2006 they pretty much silenced the pundits who had felt that the band was now over given that long time singer Pasi Koskinen had decided to move on. If they wisely remained on board and helped to spread the new gospel of Metal being preached by the band with singer Tomi Joutsen firmly in place, then the Metal community could continue to move forward in positive fashion and all would be as it should. This state of mind is important because with the bands newest release “Silent Waters”, the journey and tales that were begun on “Eclipse” continue on and grow darker with each step that is taken. The album tells the tale of the Kalevala hero Lemminkainen and the album is nothing less than stunning as it draws you in from the moment it begins with “Weaving The Incantation”. The great thing about the bands newest member Joutsen is that he is singing with both dark and clean vocals which in the end present an incredible dynamic in the material. The return to this aspect of singing was a good move based on this style not only being so prevalent in Metal today, but more so in the fact that Joutsen very simply excels at both of them and ups the bands game in terms of powerful delivery. As the album gets more underway with “The Servant” the listener is treated to a driving number that demonstrates there will be little time to rest with this one if it starts out this strong. The title track comes next and while heavy is a little more solemn in its tone as the hero of the recording sings of his lost son. “Towards And Against” keeps the momentum building and there is so much in the way of melody and vocal changes that one would think the band had a number of different vocalists as opposed to the one. The band has not lost their skillful ability at crafting a solid batch of tunes and if one pays close attention they will find how good all of the albums tracks work with each other. It’s no wonder they had been referred to as such an influence upon the Metal scene for such a long time.
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Music, Reviews

“Eclipse” by Amorphis

March 4, 2006 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

Artist: Amorphis
Title: “Eclipse”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 3/21/2006
Genre: Progressive Hard Rock/Metal
Rating: 8.5/10

Following no set trend, Amorphis continues to morph musically and has given their fans “Eclipse”. It’s a great follow up to their last album “Far From The Sun”, which was received with mixed opinion by many due to its failure to follow a certain expectation the fans had. “Far From The Sun” was a drastic change in direction and there was no blazing Metal across the piece; instead, it was loaded with solid and Doom-laden riffs. It had a certain appeal and showed a level of growth based on their influential status as a band. Those that chose to pass on it missed out, as there were some great numbers on the record. With “Eclipse”, Amorphis have expanded the realms explored by this release and have given us an even wilder ride this time around. The band continues to progress into a level of psychedelic Metal, it would seem, with some trippy riffs and solid keyboard work. There is also a return to the heavier aspect as singer Tomi Joutsen sings not only in a melodic clean style, but delivers levels of darkness by mixing Black growls in as well. I think Joutsen has turned out to be a smart choice as replacement for singer Pasi Koskinen; and this could not have been easy, for not only was he in the band for nine years, but also had a strong fan following. The rest of the band remains the same with Esa Holopainen (guitar), Tomi Koivusaari (guitar), Santeri Kallio (keyboards), Niclas Etelävuori (bass), and Jan Rechberger (drums). The group plays some great music and it’s diverse enough to extend the band’s reach ever further.
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