Amorphis is one of those constellatory equations that have always stayed peripheral to my auditory vision. Despite tens of albums over the past (almost) three decades there has been little staying power to me in their admittedly well crafted style of progressive death/doom turned more accessible melodic heavy metal. Latest outing Under The Red Cloud (2015) sported a few decent selections, as have all of their efforts that I’ve given the time of day. At first glance Queen Of Time, the band’s thirteenth studio effort, seems like it might be able to break that spell. Epic melodies soaring over distinct progressive anthems and a majestic blend of coarse death metal vibes envelop this release in a dark veil pierced by what is undoubtedly great songwriting and musicianship equal to that. Jumping in at the deep end with Amorphis’s discography might not be the greatest way to go about it, however, as Queen Of Time proves a lot to swallow.

Amorphis is one of those constellatory equations that have always stayed peripheral to my auditory vision. Despite tens of albums over the past (almost) three decades there has been little staying power to me in their admittedly well crafted style of progressive death/doom turned more accessible melodic heavy metal. Latest outing Under The Red Cloud (2015) sported a few decent selections, as have all of their efforts that I’ve given the time of day. At first glance Queen Of Time, the band’s thirteenth studio effort, seems like it might be able to break that spell. Epic melodies soaring over distinct progressive anthems and a majestic blend of coarse death metal vibes envelop this release in a dark veil pierced by what is undoubtedly great songwriting and musicianship equal to that. Jumping in at the deep end with Amorphis’s discography might not be the greatest way to go about it, however, as Queen Of Time proves a lot to swallow.

Still, as strong as the album starts out, with the behemoth of a catchy, mountainous track that is lead single The Bee, it also gradually loses momentum. Each song sees less of the great qualities from the previous one, and by the end it’s devolved into something that carries semblance to the awe striking beginning, but not reaching its heights. However, the album is ambitious and delivered with a great potency and a big dose of confidence, and it does retain a high quality throughout, with great delivery from all the members, each having their own standout moment and being an integral part of the whole. While there are a few tracks that don’t quite fully engage, the album never seizes to be and feel exactly how it needs to be. In that, Amorphis has done it once more; their quality as songwriters and builders of their own world, based on that of Finnish mythology has never been in question, even to an outlier, and as such, Queen Of Time does not fail.

Standout tracks: The Bee, Daughter Of Hate, The Golden Elk