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8.0
- Band:
OCTOPLOID - Duration: 00:45:40
- Available from: 05/07/2024
- Label:
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Reigning Phoenix Music
Streaming not yet available
A period of intense activity for those who revolve around the world of Amorphis, with current and former members launching into projects of a different nature: the albums by Esa Holpainen with Silver Lake and Tomi Koivusaari with Bjørkø, the entry of Jan Rechberger and Niclas Etelävuori into the ranks of The Eternal, and now Octoploid, a band formed two years ago on the initiative of bassist Olli-Pekka Laine with the participation, among others, of the keyboardist of “Elegy”, Kim Rantala.
If, up to now, the purpose of these operations has been to take a breath of fresh air from the main band and experiment with other sounds, the case of Octoploid appears completely different, as the Finns try to dust off their glorious beginnings and the first part of their career: on “Beyond The Aeons”, in fact, the spirit of the first albums of the Helsinki band hovers, those that go from “Tales From The Thousand Lakes” at least up to “Far From The Sun”, in a cauldron that mixes death metal, progressive rock and even a pinch of psychedelia with absolute expressive freedom.
Despite the many and obvious self-quotations, this is a work that can boast the use of a certain range of solutions, since the series of albums we have referred to is the most heterogeneous that Amorphis have ever produced: a familiar sound, from a certain point of view, but also not obvious, and the impression of being in front of a sort of jam between friends, considering the high number of guests, gives the final result a good dose of unpredictability.
Heavy riffs combine perfectly with 70s organ and keyboards, giving rise to epic pieces steeped in folk sensibility; roughness and refinement go hand in hand, and a strong bond with their history, their land and its popular traditions establishes the union between extreme metal and prog that has always flowed in the veins of these musicians. Each song has its own identity, since the voice is entrusted to different protagonists, among which Mikko Kotamäki of Swallow The Sun stands out, who in “Dawn In Nothingness” and “Concealed Serenity” alternates growl and clean with the intensity that distinguishes him, but it is impossible not to get excited in front of that dive into the past represented by Tomi Koivusaari's performance in “Coast Of The Drowned Sailors”.
Tomi Joutsen's imprint is unmistakable in “Human Amoral” with its Pink Floyd-esque drifts, while “A Dusk Of Vex” (with Jón Aldará of Hamferð and Barren Earth), is the most dynamic moment and contains a chorus that remains impressed upon first listen.
Of all the Amorphis and ex-members who have gone solo in recent years, Olli-Pekka Laine is the one who has most firmly remained in the orbit of the group he founded and made immortal, but the impression is not that of a search for a safe haven but rather of healthy inspiration, demonstrating the fact that this is where the roots of this handful of artists reside and will remain here forever.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM