How did you discover Amorphis?

[EddieGunner]

im still discovering

 

[gaz]

I remember spotting a cardboard sleeve promo of 'Elegy' in a local record shop in 1996 or 1997, now I'd heard about Amorphis, but never actually heard a note of their music.
Much to my horror when I got home and played the CD, those growling vocals from Tomi, I remember hating them and I don't think I played the whole thing.
Took me a good few months to fully appreciate, what went on to me a great album for me.

 

[Sampy Arctica™]

Few years ago, maybe around late 2009, crashed at my friends place one night and when he drove me home in the morning, he said, "You have to listen to this band. They have a track called 'Sampo', it's like they wrote it for you!" I lol'd, and then fell silent as Skyforger started playing. And I've loved them ever since, although I've never ventured into this forum before now.

 

[Brother_Moon1]

from an old girlfriend.Girlfriend gone,amorphis stayed,win win situation

 

[zombiestench]

When Tuonela had just come out, they were on the cover of Metal Maniacs with a spread inside. 98/99 some time, I believe.

 

[Nokkakolari]

Simple: Listening to foreign radio station.
Some time last December I was in need of finding a new radio station, but couldn't find anything decent in Germany. I ended up listening to RadioRock Helsinki, though I don't understand any Finnish. Since then I keep stumbling over new bands (or at least new to me) or resurrect the memory of old ones. I knew the name AMORPHIS, but never really looked into their music. Then I got hooked onto "Silver Bride" through RadioRock a few weeks ago. I started looking their music up... "Sacrifice"... "House of Sleep"... "The Wanderer"... Crashed through 4 albums... Smoking hot singer... Darn funny guy on the lead guitar... They had me.

 

[requiem]

It was in 1995 when a friend at school (I was 15) loaned me his copy of the 'Black Winter Day' e.p. This was the time when I was just getting into Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, so I was really amazed by the keyboards and melodies Amorphis have on that e.p. I ended up trading my friend some other c.d (I wonder what the hell it was?!) and I still have 'Black Winter Day' to this day.

Naturally I bought 'Tales from the Thousand Lakes' the same year, and then in 1996 'Elegy' came out and we all lost our shit.

Amazing times, when every new c.d and band seemed to be world class. A great era for dark and melodic music.

 

[CiG]

If I remember correctly, my introduction was through that Monsters Of Death dvd that came out back in 2005, filled with music videos of different bands. Black Winter Day's clip was on there and I was sold.

 

[Summer Ewe]

Even though I already had the Tales album three years ago, I really discovered them when they opened for Nightwish in Amsterdam last year. I liked Tales, but it couldn't really hold my attention, so I forgot about them pretty quickly.

...Then there was November 19th, 2015. BAM. There was intro of the very first song, and the mesmerizing stage presence of the band (especially Tomi Joutsen), and the arrow was shot.

And the Tales album? Love it now (with Joutsen on vocals that is. I'm one track minded like that).

 

[Brell]

I've been utterly obsessed with Amorphis for over 20 years. The first time I heard the name was in 92, I saw a Relapse Records ad in a metal magazine (Metal Maniacs, I believe), and Karelian Isthmus was one of the albums advertised. I remember thinking, "I have no idea how to pronounce that album title...", but I also thought Amorphis was a really cool band name. I never actually got to check them out at that time.

I finally heard them in 94 (or maybe 95). There was a public access cable show called "Mind Melt", and they played the Black Winter Day video on one of their episodes. I was blown away. I bought the Tales album and fell in love with it. Soon after, I picked up Karelian, and loved that album as well. But the album that really made me a diehard Amorphis fan was Elegy. During the entire year of 1996, Elegy was one of only two albums I listened to (the other being Desultory's Bitterness album). It was on constant rotation. I would come home from school and listen to the entire album everyday.

I had only one friend that liked Amorphis, but he defected when Elegy came out, he wasn't into the clean vocals or progressive musical style of that album. I tried getting people into them, and was mostly met with indifference & hostility. My brother, and all my other metalhead friends, made it clear to me that they thought Amorphis was awful, and that I was annoying for trying to get them into the band. So for a very long time, pretty much up until 4 or 5 years ago, I never talked about Amorphis at all. They were like the secret band that only I knew about, even though I thought they should be bigger than Metallica.

I continued being a huge fan when albums like Tounela & AM Universum came out, even though I thought those albums didn't quite reach the level of greatness that Elegy did. When Far From The Sun came out, I actually started to lose faith in Amorphis. It's the one album in their discography that I just can't really get into. It's got some decent songs, but the production is terrible. I almost don't even consider it an Amorphis album. Those were dark times, my friends. I thought Amorphis was going to keep going in that direction and I would have to write them off.

Thankfully, Joutsen's arrival signaled a new era for the band, and Eclipse returned to form quite nicely! And I've only become more of a hardcore Amorphis fan boy with each new album! And ever since "UTRC" came out, I've been completely insane about Amorphis! It's been out for over a year, and it's still in regular rotation on my commutes to work! And it seems like other US metalheads are finally starting to come around, and other Amorphis fans are coming out of the closet! My wife has even become a huge fan, and I've managed to make several of my friends into believers (still holding out on my brother giving them a shot lol!). There seems to be a lot of excitement about the upcoming US tour next year, and I'm finally getting a chance to see them live!! Going to see them two nights in a row, and I am over the moon about it!

Ok, that's my story!!

 

[requiem]

But the album that really made me a diehard Amorphis fan was Elegy. During the entire year of 1996, Elegy was one of only two albums I listened to (the other being Desultory's Bitterness album). It was on constant rotation. I would come home from school and listen to the entire album everyday.

Your entire story matches my own in nearly every detail, even down to listening to 'Under the Red Cloud' constantly on the way to work! Luckily my best friend back in the 90s was really into 'Elegy' too so I had someone to bounce the brilliance off.

The only thing that really differs is that 1996 still remains my favourite year for music. Most of my favourite albums today came out in 1996, I was totally spoilt. Type O Negative's 'October Rust', My Dying Bride's 'Like Gods of the Sun', Anathema's 'Eternity', Cradle of Filth's 'Dusk and Her Embrace' and 'Elegy' totally changed my life. What a time to be alive. I was 16!

Loved your story man.

 

[Brell]

Your entire story matches my own in nearly every detail, even down to listening to 'Under the Red Cloud' constantly on the way to work! Luckily my best friend back in the 90s was really into 'Elegy' too so I had someone to bounce the brilliance off.

The only thing that really differs is that 1996 still remains my favourite year for music. Most of my favourite albums today came out in 1996, I was totally spoilt. Type O Negative's 'October Rust', My Dying Bride's 'Like Gods of the Sun', Anathema's 'Eternity', Cradle of Filth's 'Dusk and Her Embrace' and 'Elegy' totally changed my life. What a time to be alive. I was 16!

Loved your story man.

Wow, that's so awesome!! I was 16 in 96 as well!! God damn!! I never really knew that there were other die-hard Amorphis fans out there! So happy that I discovered this forum!! You guys are my Amorphis Family!!

I really liked MDB's Like Gods Of The Sun also, still my favorite from them. I hated Type O at the time, I didn't start to appreciate them until about 6 years ago. I love all their albums. What I always say about October Rust, is that it's the best fucking album, pun intended haha!! My daughter was conceived to a mix of October Rust, and old Tom Waits, and she was born with Type O Negative blood. Coincidence? I think not!!

 

[requiem]

Wow, that's so awesome!! I was 16 in 96 as well!! God damn!! I never really knew that there were other die-hard Amorphis fans out there! So happy that I discovered this forum!! You guys are my Amorphis Family!!

I really liked MDB's Like Gods Of The Sun also, still my favorite from them. I hated Type O at the time, I didn't start to appreciate them until about 6 years ago. I love all their albums. What I always say about October Rust, is that it's the best fucking album, pun intended haha!! My daughter was conceived to a mix of October Rust, and old Tom Waits, and she was born with Type O Negative blood. Coincidence? I think not!!

I have a daughter as well - two of them!! Can't believe you didn't love 'October Rust' the minute you heard it. For me it's probably in my top 3 albums of all time. 'Bloody Kisses' is a great album too, but a lot of the other Type O material leaves me a bit cold and cynical.

I also left out Moonspell's 'Irreligious' which was also a 1996 classic.

But yeah, back when 'Elegy' came out, I couldn't believe that album, and still can't to this day. It also helped get me into the literature of Middle Ages Europe and folk writings etc.

 

[tuonelan]

1996: Edge of Sanity - Crimson, Katatonia - Brave Murder Day, Opeth - Morningrise, Tool - Ænima

 

[requiem]

1996: Edge of Sanity - Crimson, Katatonia - Brave Murder Day, Opeth - Morningrise, Tool - Ænima

'Brave Murder Day' and to a lesser extent 'Morningrise' have since become some of my favourite albums but I didn't hear them until about 1999. Same with 'Down' by Sentenced. God I love that era of music.