Amorphis – Queen Of Time

When a band manages not only to avoid the recording of the proverbial "below average" album, but to consistently release great albums one after the other, you always fear that the next will be it: the "meh" album that every band releases at least once in its active lifetime.

Now, for some strange reason, Amorphis is one of the very few bands that have avoided this momentary (at best) fall from grace.

And this was confirmed in 2018 with the release of the last (to date) studio recording from the band, the outstanding 'Queen Of Time'.
From start to finish, this is a majestic beast (pun intended!) of an album, with the Amorphis' trademark sound somehow even refined, shaped into a flawless string of songs where it's really difficult to highlight specific moments, though 'The Bee', 'The Golden Elk', and 'Amongst Stars' (again with the amazing Anneke Van Giersbergen on vocals) would definitely be part of my hypothetical 'Amorphis Greatest Hits" playlist.

I honestly can't find a single average moment in here: the melodies are soaring high as always, and the heaviest moments (Joutsen's growls in 'The Bee' still give me the goosebumps!) are up there with their best.

Overall, another masterpiece by a band that appears to be unable to miss the target.
Hopefully, this state of grace will be (even more!) long lasting!

I've SUPER enjoyed this beauty splatter edition! I don't know ANY other LPs from this band but I WILL get more!! i try not to play my super limited ed.'s but this one - side 1 get's LOTS of play! I enjoy the heavy tempered with the melodic classical & this delivers vocally, harmonically & ALSO in intensity & "heavy". A super romp in the metallic re-invented - like Symphony X & Dream Theater but with much MORE of a HEAVY edge & clearly MORE aggressive approach keeping some beautiful vocal arrangements as Kamelot, Sonata Arctica but also plunging into more of a Death Metal drum & vocal sound of Behemoth, Make Them Suffer, Monolith Death Cult...

Sounds good but looks wise not a great pressing. Renders look far better.

This version is jewel case with the 2 bonus tracks included, though both are unlisted anywhere on the booklet.

I suppose at some point I should stop being surprised when Amorphis serves up yet another album of the year contender. The Finnish metal band has delivered one exceptional album after another for more than a quarter century, after all. Still, it always comes as a shock when a band that’s been around so long puts out an album as impactful as their latest effort Queen of Time.

Honestly, I didn’t think Amorphis would be able to top their last album (2015’s essential Under the Red Cloud), but Queen of Time is just as good, if not better. It’s the perfect representation of the Amorphis sound since they moved past being simply a death metal band (albeit a great death metal band) back in 1996. The haunting melodies, the progressive elements, the very effective mix of clean and growled vocals, and the inclusion of folk and gothic touches all combine for something uniquely Amorphis. It doesn’t hurt that super-producer Jens Bogren is once again on hand to put the perfect finishing touches on the album.

Queen of Time, like Under the Red Cloud, brings to mind the best parts of classic Amorphis releases like Elegy, Tuonela and Skyforger. Advance single “The Bee” was the perfect introduction to the album, pairing fierce vocals with exquisite keyboards and haunting, poetic lyrics. The same themes – Viking past, Finnish legends and contemplations of nature and the universe – come up again and again, giving Queen of Time an epic feel even when the songs are at their catchiest and most accessible (see “Wrong Direction”). “Heart of the Giant” (ridiculously effective mix of thundering rhythms and epic choral sections on that one), “Grain of Sand” and “Pyres on the Coast” are other highlights, but literally every song here is a highlight. “Amongst Stars is worth special mention though, as it pairs Tomi Joutsen with the one and only Anneke Van Giersbergen (Vuur, ex-The Gathering) to great effect.

So yeah, Amorphis has done it again. Queen of Time is a flawless heavy metal album, and even with their impressive legacy it’s arguably the best thing they’ve released. Unless you’re one of those crusty old fans who thought they “went soft” after The Karelian Isthmus, there’s really no way you won’t love this album. You’re not going to find a better marriage of death/progressive/melodic/folk metal sounds than Queen of Time.

Format Notes: The deluxe CD version of Queen of Time comes in a digipack and includes a pair of bonus tracks – “As Mountains Crumble” and “Brother and Sister” – that are as good as any song on the main album.

I have a Clear with Orange and Black splatter variant.. I'm assuming this is different from the Orange splatter one listed here?

What's with all the separate music styles, which ones are correct and which are not? See confusion between submissions, nothing makes clear sense.

Was this really only pressed in 200 items? I'm pretty sure it was 400 or 500. What's the official word?