Finland's Chaoszine recently decided to start new series on their official YouTube Channel focusing mostly on Finnish bands and their history. The new episode is now out and the featured band is Amorphis. Check it out below.
For nearly 35 years, Finnish heavy metal legends Amorphis have been steadily building their unique brand of progressive folk metal with the odd nod to the gurgling death metal scene. It was 1994’s epic Tales From The Thousand Lakes that made the music world stand at attention and there’s been no looking back. Their latest album Halo, released last year, hit #1 on the Finnish charts and they recently tied a bow on their incredible career by releasing the English version of their mighty tome, Amorphis: The Official Story Of Finland's Greatest Metal Band. BraveWords founder Metal Tim Henderson caught up with longtime friend and main composer Esa Holopainen for a career-encompassing chat
BraveWords: So, after 30-plus years, what do you think is the glue that holds Amorphis together? What's the bond?
Holopainen: "I guess it's friendship, and the music. We've been friends for ages, for some of the guys we have known each other since we were kids. So I guess that bonds us. That bonds us and it's work, it's a job for every one of us. I guess that is pretty much something that connects us. And, we still have a love of doing what we do, to meet people, and travel, and play shows. We've been together now over 30 years. And we are still a solid band. We do tours and release new albums. Our career has been very stable and we have gotten further little by little. The years have brought more appreciation from the industry."
BraveWords: So, a slow, steady build. Baby steps, not Bigfoot steps.
Holopainen: "Yes, that's how it has been. And, I'm really happy, and I respect every day of our lives what we can do with Amorphis. This is not a very easy industry either. When COVID started and everything that happened with that, it really started to separate the bands. There were still bands that managed to do the tours and make a living from music, but then there was a major category of bands who realized otherwise, and especially because of the inflation of it, the war in Ukraine affected everything. Everything is super expensive now. There's bands who can't book tour buses anymore because it's too expensive. They can't do tours."
BraveWords: And now there are so many tours that you can't even find a venue or a bus, because everyone's on the road.
Holopainen: "Yeah, that's the thing. And if you've put a lot of money into your tour, you still can't guarantee that you will pull the people. It's really tricky at the moment."
Read the complete interview here.
