Which 20 Amorphis songs are the best? Amorphis is a long-running band with many different eras, so there are a lot of songs to choose from; everything from old school death metal and doom metal to accessible folk and progressive. Here you can find my two cents, hopefully an interesting read whether you’re a long time fan or new to the band and looking to find some hits.
20. “Shades of Gray” (Circle, 2013)
A bit toothless when it comes to the guitars, just like most of “Circle” for me. Luckily, “Shades of Gray” makes it up by having enough awesome flow, atmosphere and melody to take it to place 20.
19. “Greed” (Tounela, 1999)
Sludgy, dirty, groovy song that’s very different from most Amorphis. I really dig it and I think it would fit well live with Tomi Joutsen.
18. “A Servant” (Silent Waters, 2007)
Super catchy “Eclipse”-styled hit filled with guitar melodies and Joutsen vocal magic. “Silent Waters” is not my album but this song sure gets me going.
17. “Silver Bride” (Eclipse, 2006)
One of the most overplayed Amorphis songs, but still damn sweet. The melodic hooks are just too massive to ignore, even after hearing it hundreds of times.
16. “Magic and Mayhem” (Tales from the Thousand Lakes, 1994)
Crazy mix between dark Finnish doom metal and progressive metal tendencies.
Five similar (or just awesome) bands all Amorphis fans should know about
- Barren Earth
- Ghost Brigade
- Hanging Garden
- Kaunis Kuolematon
- Wolfheart
15. “Majestic Beast” (Skyforger, 2009)
Amorphis becomes Opeth light in moments of this song and it’s not a bad thing at all! Extremely brutal growing by Tomi accompanied by some typical melodic Amorphis moments.
14. “Separated” (Skyforger, 2009)
“Skyforger” bonus track that should have been on the album. Much more intense than most of the songs on the album, featuring timeless melodies on both vocals and guitars.
13. “Against Widows” (Elegy, 1996)
Mixes catchy folk metal melodies with death metal brutality in a style that could only be Amorphis.
12. “Under a Soil and Black Stone” (Eclipse, 2006)
Emotional breather on the hit parade that is the “Eclipse” album. Tomi’s vocals are magical and so is the melodic uptempo part that finishes off the song.
11. “Into Hiding” (Tales from the Thousand Lakes, 1994)
The dark, yet catchy riffing in this one is classic Amorphis. Check out the awesome cover from my friends in Sleepwalkers below.
Amorphis full-length discography
- The Karelian Isthmus, 1992
- Tales from the Thousand Lakes, 1994
- Elegy, 1996
- Tuonela, 1999
- Am Universum, 2001
- Far from the Sun, 2003
- Eclipse, 2006
- Silent Waters, 2007
- Skyforger, 2009
- Magic & Mayhem – Tales from the Early Years , 2010
- The Beginning of Times, 2011
- Circle, 2013
- Under the Red Cloud, 2015
- Queen of Time, 2018
10. “The Smoke” (Eclipse, 2006)
Certainly a very simple and overplayed song, but it still rocks pretty hard. “The Smoke” is the song that introduced their new catchy growl/clean vocal mix, and created a blueprint for the entire era with Tomi Joutsen on vocals.
9. “Day of Your Beliefs” (Far From the Sun, 2003)
The weakest Amorphis album is almost isn’t completely without its bright spots. “Day of Your Beliefs” is a formulaic, but very infectious folk/prog metal rocker that explodes into a big chorus. Another song I wish they would try out in their live setlist at some point.
8. “Sampo” (Skyforger, 2009)
The “Skyforger” album had some really intersting progressive metal leanings at times, and “Sampo” is the best example. The structure of the song is quite complex for Amorphis, while still retaining the signature Joutsen era vocal hooks. An interesting musical direction I wish they would’ve explored further.
7. “Goddess (of the Sad Man)” (Am Universum, 2001)
Another catchy progressive rocker from the “Am Universum” album that really charms me. Great vocal melodies and guitar layers. Underrated track that I’d love if they tried out live at some point.
6. “Sign From the North Side” (The Karelian Isthmus, 1992)
An interesting half breed, somewhere between Swedish chainsaw death metal and the Finnish darkness of “Tales from the Thousand Lakes”. Once again a track that blends hooks and atmosphere perfectly. This one sounds massive on the Tomi Joutsen re-recordings too.
5. “Vulgar Necrolatry” (Privilege of Evil, 1993)
One of the few Amorphis tunes that truly can be considered pure death metal. Originally a tune from Abhorrence, this is murky, scandinavian death metal at its best. A song that’s both atmospheric and extremely catchy in the same time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzsbn_0WkwQ
4. “The Castaway” (Tales from the Thousand Lakes, 1994)
The first half of this track is solid, old school doom/folk metal Amorphis, but it’s towards the ending we’re truly reaching epic territory. The ending treats us to something best described as an Amorphis take on 70’s progressive rock. It’s an incredible twist that fits surpringly well with the highly different first half of the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QumiuG-NgQ
3. “Black Winter Day” (Tales from the Thousand Lakes, 1994)
No best of Amorphis list is complete without “Black Winter Day”. Like most great Amorphis track it has a bit of everything: darkness, catchiness, melodies, emotion. Another song that sounds great re-recorded with Tomi Joutsen, even though it lacks the atmosphere from the “Tales from the Thousand Lakes” original.
2. “My Kantele” (Elegy, 1996)
A heavenly folk and progressive metal mish-mash that has some of the strongest vocal melodies in the Amorphis discography. The re-recorded take with Tomi Joutsen (the video below is that version) confirms what a massive track it is.
1. “Alone” (Am Universum, 2001)
“Am Universum” is not one of the essential Amorphis albums, actually it’s usually considered one of their weakest. I think it’s a decent album. Despite that, “Alone” has always been my favorite Amorphis song. It’s a prog rocker with massive hooks and creative instrumentation.
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