Finland, as of recent years, has been touted online as the ‘musically heaviest country’ in the world, with more heavy metal bands per 100k people than anywhere else in the world, and has some really signature names in the fold, even without bringing up the other Nordic countries and neighbours to the west. Amorphis has to be in the upper echelon of the best that Finland has to show off musically to the rest of the world. Founded in 1990, this is the impressive fifteenth album to be released with a stable lineup for the last three of fifteen albums. Amorphis was one of the first bands I got to capture at a concert with a photo pass back in 2019, and I was instantly hooked from that night forward. Even getting to do a written review for their performance in Toronto last year, I was really looking forward to reviewing the new album.

If you have been following Amorphis over the course of the last three or four albums, this album continues the pattern established in their previous releases. The band is here to tell a story throughout the album, starting with a wonderful melody of notes that prepares us for the rest of the album through the song ‘The Circle.’ This intro would be an excellent warm-up or wake-up song to start the day. The guitar solo in the middle of the song is terrific, not overpowering, but the notes are where they need to be for Tomi to erupt into growling from previous clean singing. The layered backing vocals are also a nice touch to round out this song. ‘Bones!’ is the second single from this album to be released with a music video. I swear this song was made for a large venue; there’s an immense feeling and atmosphere to this song. I could see a sold-out crowd, fists in the air, just screaming ‘Bones!’ The folk melodies scream through this song, which is very catchy, very melodic, and impossible not to headbang to—definitely a favorite of mine from this album.

‘Dancing Shadow,’ the most recent single and music video, reels us back into a consistent melody and a cadence pace of instruments with a fresh circadian BPM; at moments, getting lost in the riffs throughout the song, I understand entirely why this was released as a single. ‘Fog To Fog,’ an odd name for a song, the slow intro would make me believe a ship is sailing into a port. The guitar work on this song is some of the best on the album, and I would be very remiss to not bring up the “5 count” of music after about a minute and twenty-five into the song. Holy shit, the Terminator 2 theme—this would ring through multiple times in the song, even leaving me to believe the song was over in the middle of it. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but my jaw was on the floor. Tomi has his work cut out for him, alternating effortlessly between cleans and growls. The strange instruments shine more on this song, and I’m not sure if it was meant this way, but the vocals take a step back, but still shine throughout. It was particularly noticeable in this song, with numerous references to nature, culminating in an emphatic “the emptiness.”

‘Tempest’ is a much, much, much slower song, as if it were climbing down a mountain. There is a lot of talk about rebirth in this song, and the guitar work is at its peak with this song on the album. “The curses turn to blessings.” This lyric came up on a very dark day in my life and rings true. ‘Light and Shadow,’ the first single released, announced the album. If I were asked to show someone a “textbook” Amorphis song, this would be it, literally the audio definition of the band today and its current incarnation. The little vocal touches from Tomi on this song are not found on any other song on the album. ‘The Lantern’ brings a slower and more melodic approach to the album; at this point, it just shows the sheer offering of the band, sprinkling in the folk notes here and there. This song leads us into the light with the almost 90-second solo and the return of Tomi’s vocals to close out the song. ‘Borderland,’ the title track, has a very serious tone to start the song. I feel that this song and its structure would make another beautiful song for a live show, especially with everyone singing the chorus, “in the borderland!”

The final song on the album, ‘Despair,’ opens with the feeling that someone has passed away. The song flirts with speed and no real cadence—slow, fast, slow, fast, alternating throughout the song. Another solo comes towards the end, and the closing moments of the album come to a crash of instruments and a fade-out to end the album.

Amorphis has maintained a consistent style in the last couple of albums; fans will either love or hate the album for this reason. It would be hard for any fan of the band to find the whole album to be a miss. I think it’s a beautiful extension in the discography of the band, with a stable lineup in this ever-changing life. To have been around since 1990 is a blessing, and surely nothing in any of the six members’ lives is the same as it was then. The evolution from then to now, into this album, has taken them around the world. Clocking in at just under 50 minutes, excluding bonus tracks, this album flows seamlessly on its own or in conjunction with previous albums, all the way to the beginning. Amorphis remains a leader in blending genres and incorporating new elements into songs and albums alike, while teaching the world about Finnish legends and lore. I can’t wait to see them again on stage and discover which songs from this new album will be incorporated into their already incredible setlist from previous visits.

Release Date: September 26th, 2025
Reigning Phoenix Music
Reviewed By: Miles George
Review Score: 7