Amorphis - Interview

I had the pleasure of interviewing Amorphis, just before the release of “Circle,” via Nuclear Blast.

What is it like to work with the legendary Peter Tägtgren? And how did Peter’s talent intertwine with Amorphis’ characteristic sounds in your latest work?

— This time we wanted to do things in a different way from what happened with the previous four albums that were all worked in a very similar way. Peter had already told us that he was interested in producing Amorphis, so we decided to go that route. He was in Finland for five weeks, we worked intensively at Petrax Studio and 5k Studio, I think we only had one day off. Still, it was pure fun, and it turned out to be great to have the opinion of someone outside the band throughout the process. After five weeks in Finland, Peter went on tour, as soon as the mixing was completed at Abyss in Sweden. We were there two days, at the end of November, to finish the mix. We are the ones who play our songs, but he brought a panoply of new dimensions to our sound, I think it is much more “in your face”

I was eagerly following all your studio video reports. By the look of it, there was a glimpse of weird paranormal activity, some snoring, a lot of sheep hugging, huge meals, and I’m guessing (for PETA sake) no sheep were harmed from all the massive drumming and outstanding guitar work? Would you please share some details (feel free to amaze us) about those days (and the recordings) in Petrax and, afterward, at the 5K studio?

— They are both great studios. Petrax has a paranormal drum room, the drums just sound great there and it’s on a farm so there are not many distractions around. 5K in Helsinki we used for most of the rest. It has a convenient location and great gear for bass, guitar, and vocals. On the albums guitars are really strong, we had a chance to experiment quite a lot to find the right sounds, we tried probably every amp on the market. Santeri also did some authentic church organ in a cathedral and a lot of other authentic and organic keyboards. There are also some really cool guest appearances.

“Hopeless Days, “the first single out of “Circle,” has just been released, and it sounds massive, with crisp production, loud guitars, and clean, sparkling vocals. What can you tell us about this particular song, and does it provide good insight into the other tracks and the album as a whole?

— It’s a cool song, it has probably the hardest riffs on the record but the most sensitive vocals. The sound of the album is there but the songs are all different, there’s a lot more to offer on the album.

“Circle” cover Tom Bates created the artwork, and I wonder if it has a profound esoteric/spiritual connection with the music inside and the album concept as its whole? I remember Tomi stating: “The mystic, androgynous person on the cover represents a spiritual guide.” Would you please guide us through that connection and the album concept?

— It is a survival story, a circle in the persons life where all kinds of things can happen. Tom Bates did the artwork after we did the music so the connection with the artwork is singular. I think he made wonderful artwork and you can find links to the songs in them. He made a really nice booklet, not just the cover.

The circular form has a dimensional, temporal, spiritual, and ancestral symbolic meaning found in various cultures and forms, for example, the Buddhist Mandala, the Chinese Tao, the Egyptian Eye of Horus, or the Ouroboros. So, what is the meaning of your “Circle”?

The circle can be a lot of things, life itself is a circle which is made of smaller circles. Some go around fast and others take a lifetime. One day is also a circle and this album is more about surviving one day.

We know that “Circle” has also been the work of Amorphis lyricist — Pekka Kainulainen. How was the songwriting process for this new release?

Pekka wrote a story in Finnish first, the original was changed a bit to suit us better. When it was complete it was translated to English and finding the right music/lyric combination. Once that was done we still had to edit the story a bit just to make it fit in. It is a pretty complicated process and it takes a lot of time but it also brings uniqueness to the lyrics of the album.

Talking about live acts and tours, 2012 was a great year for Amorphis, with US concerts, a couple of South American shows, a Japan Tour, and a Finnish Tour late in December. Looking back, what memories do you cherish the most? And how was it?

It was great fun as always; after BoT, we toured more than ever in 1 year. I cherish it everywhere we go; I think it’s amazing that people in so many places want to see us. Although I think 70000 tons cruise was the most mind-blowing thing that I didn’t expect during that time. On that ship, everything was nice.

Amorphis will celebrate the release of “Circle” with a special show, in Helsinki, on April 25 (a special date for all your Portuguese fans: the day of our freedom revolution, 1974). What have you planned for that show?

So far, we have planned to play the entire “Circle” with some old songs. We will get some new stage scenery and stuff we will see; I’m excited about it; we never did anything before; sometimes, some songs never get to be played live now they all will at least once.

What will the future bring for Amorphis? Any chance of catching you guys playing on a Portuguese stage?

The albums are out just before the festival season, so we do festivals around Europe in the summer. In early autumn, we will go far away places, and in November, we are planning a tour that will hopefully bring us to Portugal.

Last but not least, a message for all your Portuguese fans?

Thanks for your support; we will see you soon; I hope you enjoy “Circle.”

Rui Carneiro is a teacher and life-coach specialized in strategic communication and self-development. Before his experience in Project Management for The European Commission, he was a decorated Army Sergeant.

Rui is a senior partner of Rock n’Heavy and a graduate of the University of Porto, Faculty of Letters.

We can meet and discuss this or any other topic on Twitter.