loading . . . Amorphis – Borderland Review I’ve been an **Amorphis** fanboy since I first heard _Tales from the Thousand Lakes_. That album captured a special kind of magic, and to this day it remains a “desert island” release for **Yours Steely**. I loved them through their early days of perpetual evolution and was thrilled when Tomi Joutsen brought them new fire and force when he joined for 2006s _Eclipse_. Tomi’s first 3 albums with **Amorphis** resulted in what is perhaps one of the most potent trilogies in metal history, and though their output has been less consistently amazing since then, it’s hard to dislike anything they do. That said, I liked but didn’t love 2022s _Halo_ effort despite really wanting to. Sure, it was **Amorphis** , but it felt a bit tired and like they were spinning their wheels at times. Obviously, I wanted _Borderland_ to reignite my love and affection for one of my favorite bands of all time, but is it fair to expect **Amorphis** to churn out another _Silent Waters_ or _Skyforger_ at this point? With cold logic tempering heated expectations, I approached the border, hopeful but world-weary and cynical.
Lo and behold, to my great delight, the first half of _Borderland_ is primo modern-day **Amorphis** , leveraging all their charm and guile to recapture the joyous hook-factor of the early Tomi days. Opener “The Circle” is classic **Amorphis** fare and exactly what I want from them. It’s comfortable like an old t-shirt in that it’s what the band has done since 2006, but that formula can still produce bangers that let Tomi drop his vocal magic. He does exactly that here on a big chorus supported by that bouncing, airy guitar work we all love. His croons and death roars are still vital and fit the melodic songcraft perfectly. And for a while, at least, the hits keep coming. “Bones” delivers excellently deep, crushing death vocals paired with uber-melodic and folk-inflected rock leads, and it’s like a follow-up to “Death of a King.” The album highlight comes early on with “Dancing Shadow,” which is the best example of the **Amorphis** magic in full effect. Those twinkling guitars pair so well with Tomi’s clean vocals, and he drops the death croaks into the mix as killer accents. This one reminds me why I’ve had a love affair with these guys for so many years.
You get five top-notch songs to kick _Borderland_ off, and by the time “The Strange” is over, you’ll be excused for thinking this is a big return to form after the somewhat somnambulistic _Halo_. While _Borderlands_ never falls off the tracks, the back half is less stacked with goodies than the front. There are winners to be sure, like “Light and Shadow,” which feels like something from _The Beginning of Times_ , and the title track, which delivers their classic sound very well. Yet a few songs like “The Lantern,” and to a lesser extent, closer “Despair” offer smaller amounts of sizzle and pop. They aren’t bad, but they lack the primal hooks that the earlier ones flaunt. Luckily, the balance is in favor of the very good, and _Borderlands_ is a consistently entertaining platter.
All the usual stars are present and delivering what the people want. Tomi is his usual awesome self, charming and beguiling with his vocal prowess as he slips back and forth between clean vocal hooks and booming death roars. He’s one of those special vocalists who make everything he touches better, and **Amorphis** was blessed to find him since he’s still paying dividends 20 years later. Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari continue to refine and polish their otherworldly guitar style, blending metal, rock, and folk in a way no one else does to forge their signature sound. Their bright, open leads swarm all over the material, rarely dropping into heavy, beefy riffs, opting instead to soar above it all with glimmering beauty. Their lush noodling is accentuated by the melodic keys of Santeri Kyösti Kallio, and together they create the **Amorphis** experience and a collection of new hits.
When _Halo_ hit, I had concerns that the **Amorphis** magic was slowly seeping away and we would eventually be left with recycled ideas and faded glories. _Borderland_ partially allays that fear, showing **Amorphis** can still summon their specialized sorcery when needed. _Borderland_ may be front-loaded, but the overall quality is there, the highs are high, the lows aren’t too low, and most songs leave an imprint on the ear. What more can an **Amorphis** fan ask for?1
<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>
* * *
**Rating:** 3.5/5.0
**DR:** 7 | **Format Reviewed:** 320 kbps mp3
**Label:** Reigning Phoenix
**Websites:** amorphis.net | facebook.com/amorphis | instagram.com/amorphisband
**Releases Worldwide:** September 26th, 2025
Show 1 footnote
1. MOAR death metal vox! ↩
### _Give in to Your Anger:_ https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amorphis-borderlands-review/
