Amorphis - Am Universum (2001) (Japanese VICP-61329)

Heavy Metal isn't known for producing music to fuck to, or at least not in a contemporary sense. True, some may get off while having sex to Cannibal Corpse most of us don't. With the exception of Type-O-Negatives' magnum opus 'October Rust', there really haven't been that many, if any, Heavy Metal albums to copulate too. Thankfully, either by design or by accident, Amorphis gave the Metal community a second choice to consider with the release of their 2001 album.

Amorphis has been and is many things to many people. For the most part, they've been a Doom Metal band since their inception, and still are at their core. This album however broke the mold and in the process beat the hell out of the mold maker. In this we don't hear Doom, or Metal for that matter. What we do hear is a sleek and stylized sample of what Progressive/Darkwave should sound like. This is without a doubt what Deep Purple would've sounded like had they been created in Scandinavia around the latter half of the 90's. The production is excellent and only enhances the sultry vibe the music evokes. The guitars are full of expression and effects, sounding as if they were created by an unholy union of 70's Prog and 90's Goth. They are melodic about 98% of the time with the other 2% (being used towards the end of the album) used for the heavy parts. There is almost no palm muting in this album what so ever. The guitars are a mixture of open chorded and individually played notes, floating seamlessly around the more traditional rolls of lead and rhythm interplay. As per usual there are no solos but loads of leads. It sounds as if the guitars were tuned to standard as well.

The bass is a little funky and it works. It fills the few gaps that the guitars and keyboards couldn't. The drums are solid in both their delivery and style. They are relaxed but tight and share the bass’s funky feeling. The keyboards are pure 70's Prog. They are spaced out and lush while always remaining relevant to the songs. They are the atmosphere and on a few occasions, drown out the guitars. There are even a few saxophone leads/solos on two or three songs as well, adding a semi Jazz vibe to the album as a whole.

The vocals are possibly Pasi's best with the band. He doesn't really growl, with the exception of the beginning of every bridge of the first song. He vocals are clean and potent mixing whispered tracks with more straight forward singing. The lyrics are perhaps a little more personal and philosophic than on the bands prior efforts. This is an emotional roller coaster as the songs go from melancholic to more upbeat and promising. Its sad that "Alone" was the only hit from this as just about any song on here could've been. The songs are very catchy and to the point musically, where as lyrically they require a little more though. The music's beauty is refreshing and soothing. This is something you can listen to several times and pick something new out each time.

Once again, from the beginning notes of "Alone" to the last fading notes of "Grieve Stricken Heart" there is just something erotic about this recording. Whether it was intentional or just happenstance is unknown, but in any event this is something you're girlfriend and/or wife can't bitch about when you're about to get down. Is this Metal? No, not by a long shot, at least not from a musical point of view; but the attitude however is. This is highly recommended to all.

~ www.metal-archives.com