Review: Amorphis (Under The Red Cloud Tour Edition Bonus) “An Evening With Friends At Huvila”

Amorphis (Under The Red Cloud Tour Edition Bonus) “An Evening With Friends At Huvila”
Nuclear Blast Records

Over the years, Amorphis have received a lot of love in this household. For me, Tales From The Thousand Lakes and Elegy are two of my favourite albums of all time, and she who must be obeyed loves Am Universum, as well as most other Finnish bands.

But somehow, Amorphis have gradually dropped off of our radar the past decade. The same applies to My Dying Bride, so the mighty Finns are not alone… pun intended

So when this came up on the review list, I saw it as a chance to rekindle the romance, so to speak.

So here we have a live album, available as a Tour Edition with 2015’s Under A Red Cloud, and I know you can buy the digital version as a stand-alone, but I’m not sure if that applies to a cd version.

Anyway, the concert was recorded in their homeland in August 2016 and Amorphis performed a very special setlist with guest musicians and friends.

The first thing that strikes me is that the vibe is very laidback and that they have a saxophone player… as I’ve not kept up with the last few albums, I have no idea if it’s a new edition to their ranks… but it does take some getting used to. At other times it sounds like Amorphis jamming with Jethro Tull, which is fine with me.

And then there’s classics like My Kantele… that acoustic intro still sends chills down my spine and this is why I have loved Amorphis for so long… and it makes me feel sad that I’ve not kept up with them for a number of years, because let’s be honest, they are an amazing band and for me, one of the originators of the mid 90s wave of bands that transformed the Extreme Metal scene in Europe, as well as my own musical journey. And seeing them at Dynamo 97 is still one of my live highlights.

This album has taken me a few listens to get into, but I am definitely getting there, as is my reconnection with the band. So I have three albums, (possibly four) to discover and a mighty fine back catalogue to play to death once again.

You can watch the gig in a 360 degree video via You Tube. It includes the finale of Her Alone, featuring Anneke Van Giersbergen, which ends in the gig in a very classy way.

https://www.facebook.com/amorphis/