New Amorphis

I was really unsure what to expect vocally. I saw them on their FFTS tour in the US last year, and although the song selection was incredible I had a hard time hearing Tomi's clean vocal tone. As far as clean vocalists go, Pasi was amongst my very favorite, so it was big shoes to fill. So...I made an effort to not compare the two singers, but judge how his vocals fit with the actual songs. So, I just bought it yesterday and have listened to it twice fully, but I must say I'm happily relieved. He does not sound like Pasi, but sounds good nonetheless. Did anyone else notice though how much vocal layering there is on the clean parts? It doesn't detract though, I'll say that.

The album does sound like a hybrid of Elegy and Tuonela. Yeah, more growls would have been cool, but at least it's a step in the right direction. The music definitely has much, much more folk influence which is what attracted me initially to the band. Overall, "Perkele (The God of Fire)" is the standout track on the record, though "Two Moons" is no slouch, and many other melodies pervade. I'm still getting to know it, but I'll say it's better than the last two for sure (although Far From the Sun I liked for the most part).

Good album, that's for sure.:kickass: