It’s undeniable that Amorphis turned more than a few heads supporting Nightwish at their Wembley show back in December. The Finnish metal legends swiftly return for a full UK trek to present their latest record ‘Under the Red Cloud‘ in it’s full, vibrant glory.
[date]23rd March 2016[/date]
[venue]o2 Academy Islington[/venue]
[city]London, UK[/city]
[support_bands]Textures, Poem[/support_bands]
Support band Textures took the stage just before Amorphis to allow us to basque in their progressive brilliance once again after playing a full headline show only a couple weeks ago. Not much more is to be said than what was covered, so I’ll just leave this link here to give you a gist of it. Bottom line – they are a phenomenal band.
Tonight however is about a band that stunned a sold out Wembley crowd back at the end of 2015. They gained a lot of UK attention with the universally acclaimed release ‘Under the Red Cloud‘, which saw the band gain numerous album of the year awards from media outlets throughout Europe. But it’s the curiosities in how the band can deliver such multifarious music on a live stage that bring the audience in tonight.
With full reign into the direction of the show, Amorphis harmoniously walk on stage and let their 25 years of live experience do all the talking. Starting with the album opener of ‘Under the Red Cloud‘ it appears the band have already won over this chilly March evening.
The academy is packed, and the levels of appreciation for this band are soaring throughout the venue. Having seen this band a couple of times before, it is the first I have managed to see them in a more intimate environment, and it has a massive contribution to what can arguably be considered as more of a musical journey than a simple live performance.
The band thread together an epic setlist that includes the winners of the ‘Under the Red Cloud‘ album and their entire career. Tracks like ‘Sacrifice‘, ‘Dark Path‘ and ‘Silent Waters‘ add to a neat story of music, brought to life through the perfect array of lights that touch on the lyrical palettes of each track, helped with the pragmatic stage presence of Tomi Joutsen.
The music of Amorphis has gotten more complex as their time as a band has gone on, but their veteran status has allowed them to absolutely perfect their mix on stage. It’s tracks like the heavy ‘Hopeless Days‘ that bring an eerie atmosphere with Santeri Kallio’s keyboards, and the crystal cut of Esa Holopainen’s guitars in ‘Death of a King‘ that stand out as a force in terms of musical production.
Amorphis are so natural in what they do, their entire performance was flawless. Even if it was presenting some new tracks that differ from what they have done in the past, the effortlessly execute all the intricacies on the live stage. There was not one moment of the 90 mins where I looked around and fans attention was not completely fixated on the band. It’s a special moment that where you can revel in the fact that this music and performance is a true work of art.
