Amorphis deserves the award for Scandinavian rhythm kings. As if their back catalogue wasn’t brilliant enough, they turned the tables around in 2006 with a new vocalist and kept on moving with Eclipse. With 2007’s Silent Waters, Amorphis shows the world just how powerful they are.

Silent Waters is significantly better than Eclipse. Seriously. It’s a lot better. Eclipse left me feeling unsatisfied for some odd reason. It was a solid album and a huge step forward, but it sure didn’t last long in my rotation. I popped this puppy in and I was suddenly surprised by how much more aggressive the band has gotten. If for any reason you felt something was missing with Eclipse, you will be fully satisfied by this album.

With that said, Amorphis have stepped up the song writing. That’s impressive considering how this band has played in the past. This act takes you on a journey. They tell stories and the music is something to experience with full attention. Silent Waters showcases a more aggressive sound for the band. “Weaving The Incantation” leads us off with powerful riffing and slamming drums. Keeping a steady pace Amorphis still holds a strong doom-laden sound at times. Track five, “I Of Crimson Blood”, is a prized piece of music nonetheless. The song starts with a melancholic piano passage and soon enough drums lead into soaring epic whole notes that make this a triumphant tune to raise your fist to. It’s songs like this that bring back the old Amorphis we love.

New lead man Toni Joutsen is a seriously underrated vocalist. This guy has a massive set of lungs on him. His clean vocals are perfect and lean towards a more mainstream sound, but that will never take away from his colossal death roars. Toni has proven that he can hang with the best when it comes to death metal vocals. I’d put this guy in the top ten at the very least. Quite a feet for a band to find someone this talented after having a man like Pasi for close to 15 years. With Toni Joutsen at the front of the stage Amorphis are leaders yet again.

The happier upbeat aspect of this band is still there. That’s just Amorphis. They can be heavy as hell, super melodic, psychedelic, and Maiden like victorious all at once. The Maiden appearance is quite relevant in Silent Waters. At times you can really hear it.

If you visited Eclipse I’m positive you will love Silent Waters. For fans of Tales of a Thousand Lakes and Elegy, don’t even hesitate to check this out. Amorphis are on top of their game yet again in an almost 20 year career. Much respect.

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