2026 Anniversary Series 061: Amorphis – Elegy

Scribed by Sandre the Giant Released: 14th May 1996 Finnish death metallers Amorphis had begun their considerable career a few years before this, with the incredible ‘The Karelian Isthmus’ and of course their iconic ‘Tales from the Thousand Lakes’, but in 1996 the winds of change were blowing through the death metal scene. Not all was to be well, and almost seeing the writing on the wall early, Amorphis began the metamorphosis into the progressive metal monster we know today. ‘Elegy’ was their third full length record, and saw a new vocalist, Pasi Koskinen, expand their palette into richer, cleaner territories. Drawing once more from Finnish epic poetry, Amorphis were doubling down on this unique approach that thirty years on seems incredibly influential on bands that followed. Still fully entrenched in their early progressive death/doom era, you’ll still feel loads of modern Amorphis lurking throughout ‘Elegy’, from the sleek middle eastern tones of opener ‘Better Unborn’ to the…