Tales from the Thousand Lakes

by Amorphis

Overview

Bolder than The Karelian Isthmus and conceptually superior to later attempts at progressive but radio-friendly '90s metal, Tales From the Thousand Lakes might just be Amorphis' best recording. This record is heavy, yet never succumbs to the inane extremes common to the melodic death metal genre. The guitars and drums are in ample supply, and a rare attention to arrangement and production really sets this disc apart. The guttural vocal work isn't for every metal fan, but the neo-prog instrumental work and overall heaviness should impress those turned off by the throaty rants. In a possible attempt to widen the band's appeal, Tomi Koivusaari briefly sings, which doesn't exactly work out. These moments of confusion are short-lived, though, and they hardly blemish the release. The subtle addition of keyboards is a nice touch -- Amorphis' captivation with the instrument would soften later efforts. So even though Tales From the Thousand Lakes heralded a shift toward later, inferior recordings, the new and old are balanced precisely on this 1994 Relapse offering. ~ Vincent Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	03/20/2001
Label:	Relapse Records
UPC:	0781676650026

Tracks

1. Thousand Lakes
2. Into Hiding
3. The Castaway
4. First Doom
5. Black Winter Day
6. Drowned Maid
7. In the Beginning
8. Forgotten Sunrise
9. To Father's Cabin
10. Magic and Mayhem
11. Fork of the North
12. Moon and Sun
13. Moon and Sun, Pt. 2: North's Son
14. Light My Fire

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Amorphis   Primary Artist
Esa Holopainen   Guitar
Kasper Martenson   Keyboards,Moog Synthesizer
Jan Rechberger   Drums
Olli-Pekka Laine   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Tomi Koivusaari   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Rhythm)
Ville Tuomi   Vocals,Guest Artist,Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part

Technical Credits

Amorphis   Engineer,Arranger,Producer
Traditional   Composer
Jim Morrison   Composer
Esa Holopainen   Composer
Robby Krieger   Composer
Ray Manzarek   Composer
David Shirk   Mastering
John Densmore   Composer
Tomas Skogsberg   Engineer,Producer
Matthew F. Jacobson   Executive Producer
Kasper Martenson   Composer
Keith Bosley   Translation
Olli-Pekka Laine   Composer
Tomi Koivusaari   Composer
William J. Jr. Yurkiewicz   Executive Producer
Wes Benscoter   Artwork
S.V. Bell   Cover Art
Darius Ramazani   Photography