It says something when a band can survive seventeen years in the music industry. Amorphis are one such band. They have had their ups and downs and line-up changes like many other bands that started out in the early nineties and yet through it all they have managed to keep growing musically and their creative potency has remained intact.

“Silent Waters” is the latest release from the band and follows on from their excellent album “Eclipse” (2006). Once more they have dug deep into the Finnish national epic Kalevala to produce music that is dark and yet still full of melody enabling them to paint stirring musical images.

Vocally the band blend straight rock vocals with powerful growls. At no time does one style outweigh the other and I would say judicious use of both has enabled the band to get the balance just right.

The album opens with “Her Alone” and this track demonstrates in one fell swoop the current vocal blend that the band have to offer. Soaring and effortless choruses temper crushing and forceful verses and the combination is focused and impressive. The arrangement has some nice uses of light and shade and by taking the musical intensity down a notch midway through the song the band give themselves room to rebuild the song towards the end and so get the album off to a fine start.

“Weaving The Incantation” strides out and uses simple melody lines with dense backing to create a real rallying cry. The song even has a nice classic rock guitar solo drenched in wah, which really swaggers and hits the spot. The growling vocals however leave one in no doubt that this is very much an Amorphis song.

“A Servant” is a great mid-tempo number which uses more “straight” vocals than the previous tracks. The melodies and arrangement are straightforward and its power comes from its relentless surging forward movement.

The title track “Silent Waters” is without doubt one of the highlights of the album. It adds new textures to the mix from some modern sounding musical instrumentation. The guitar riffing brought to mind Ozzy’s “Bark At the Moon” at its chugging best and the song is blessed with a big chorus.

“Towards And Against” has a wonderful musical and melodic introduction before breaking into typical full on Amorphis territory. The band keep returning to the opening melodies and arrangements which gives one the feeling that the band knew they had something special on their hands.

“I Of Crimson Blood” feels like a natural extension of “Towards And Against” but is blessed with a little more musical development especially towards the end where a fat and full riff is milked for all its worth.

“Enigma” shows a more melancholy side of the band. Piano and acoustics are the bedrock of this song and I couldn’t help hearing a heady mixture of Led Zeppelin, Metallica and Kansas in my minds eye. There is a sing a long quality to the music and the track blended effortlessly into “Shaman”. This track rocks out and mines folkloristic melodies. Musicaly “Shaman” shows a real sense of adventure as the band brings in flutes and pushes the piano up in the mix.

“The White Swan” is a brooding epic right from the start as like “Her Alone” growling and straight vocals dance around each other.

The final track “Black River” once more uses piano and acoustic to set the scene and as the band enter in their full-blown grandeur everything gels into a very satisfying listen.

“Silent Waters” is an album demonstrating Amorphis are still a creative force with lots to offer. One has to smile in wonder when looking back and remembering that they started out as a Death Metal band playing extreme music before gradually experimenting with progressive folk metal, psychedilia and electronic soundscapes with Pink Floyd like atmosphere. The new album seems to show us a band happy with where they currently stand and yet I think maybe some fans will feel they could have been even more adventurous still. The album flows along and everything feels maybe just a little bit too comfortable which stops me from really falling for this release. Amorphis fans new and old will be happy but I feel that just around the corner Amorphis still have a killer album waiting to get out. For the time being however this album more than satisfies as it does show the band still know how to write stirring stuff.

Let us know your views on One For All

Track Listing

Her Alone
Weaving The Incantation
A Servant
Silent Waters
Towards And Against
I Of Crimson Blood
Enigma
Shaman
The White Swan
Black River

Line Up

Tomi Joutsen - Vocals
Esa Holopainen - Guitar
Niclas Etelävuori - Bass
Jan Rechberger - Drums
Tomi Koivusaari - Guitars
Santeri Kallio - Keyboards