Amorphis are back with their 15th studio album, Borderland, out now via Reigning Phoenix Music (read our review here). The record reflects both transition and renewal, blending the band’s signature heaviness with fresh layers of atmosphere and introspection. Produced at Hansen Studios with Jacob Hansen and featuring artwork by Marald Van Haasteren, Borderland continues to push Amorphis’ ever-evolving style, 35 years later. Metal Insider caught up with drummer Jan Rechberger and vocalist Tomi Joutsen to further discuss the record.
What was different or refreshing about the recording process this time?
Jan Rechberger: Well, several things, to be honest. I mean, the past three albums we did with different producers, Jens Bogren from Sweden, and that was very different in terms of pre-production and, well, the whole recording process in general. I mean, with Jens, we tend to have a lot of pre-production, a lot of arranging, and a lot of bouncing back ideas back and forth before we even went to the studio. But Jacob was fairly different. Well, yeah, so I mean it was fairly different than… We had, of course, most of the song was very well written already and very well arranged, and so we didn’t have to change that much. But Jacob kind of gave us more free hands to experiment things in the studio, and it just sort of gave us more, I think, freedom of musical expression and stuff like that. So, in terms of production, it was fairly different. In terms of songwriting, I guess it’s pretty much the same as usually that people come up with demos and ideas, and then people make demos at home, and then we just take it to the rehearsal place and jam out and take it from there. So, in that sense it was pretty similar, but production was fairly different, I would say.
Tomi Joutsen: Well, yeah, for me personally, it wasn’t that different because I recorded my stuff here in Helsinki in Finland, which I did also with the previous album because of COVID. I worked with the same people, Jonas Olsson and Mattias Koskimies here in Finland. But of course, I also traveled to Denmark. I met the guy, Jacob, and he was really friendly, and he was more like a team player. He always wanted to hear what we think about the songs or what we think about the sounds or arrangements. And it was a quite weird feeling because we have used to work with Jens, and he was really always the-
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, Jens was fearless.
Tomi Joutsen: … who said the last word. Yeah, I don’t want to say anything bad about Jens. I love the guy. He’s a really, really professional and really friendly guy, but in the studio, he’s a guy who wants to say the last word. And that’s the thing you have to do when you are a producer.
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, I would like to add to that. I also think that there is no… Both ways and both methods are equally good. Jens’s way of working was definitely suitable for us at the time, and so was Jacobs because we needed some sort of change to the overall production anyway. And I mean both ways and both worlds are equally good, and it was really fun and refreshing to experience something different this time.
For the most recent two albums, how would you compare musically the sound and the feel of Borderland to Halo?
Tomi Joutsen: Well, I think this album might be a little bit easier to approach. I think the structures and the songs in general are not that progressive. There are catchier things, and I wouldn’t say it’s more pop, but maybe it’s a little bit softer in a way. Of course, there are these elements there like growlings and heavy metal guitars and stuff like that, but Santeri Kallio composed altogether seven songs for this album, I think. And his way of doing music, I think it’s quite a commercial, so to speak, which is great, of course. And so maybe that’s one thing that makes this album a little bit easier to approach.
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, in some ways, I think it’s also production, but it sounds different, and perhaps, I mean, it’s not that heavy. It’s not like this big of a monster than Halo really was, as Tomi said, very progressive and very heavy, perhaps the heaviest that we’ve done in years. So, in this sense, I think this one is definitely a more easy approach, and more catchy, and more sort of, I don’t know, even emotional.
Tomi Joutsen: Mature.
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, perhaps.
I’ve definitely noticed a difference between the two. There’s always an Amorphis sound to it, but I do think Borderland feels a little bit more catchy.
Tomi Joutsen: Yeah. For me it’s only a little bit more organic, and that’s something we want to have also, and so it ended up really nice.
Nice. And was there a particular song for you guys that was more challenging to complete lyrically or musically?
Tomi Joutsen: That’s a tough one. I think all the songs are quite difficult when you have to do it in the studio, the final versions, I mean. I didn’t struggle that much with any particular song. I think my biggest problems are always with the language and with pronouncing. That’s always quite difficult in the studio, but that’s how it is. And I think I’m happy that we are using English as a singing language. I think we have some Finnish bands from Finland who are using Finnish as a language, and somehow it still sounds quite weird for me because I’ve been growing up with the bands who are singing in English, and for me, English is a language of metal. But of course, if there is lots of growing, and I have to do it many, many times in the studio, it starts to hurt at some point. But as I said, I didn’t struggle with any songs here in this album.
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, I don’t think they are equally challenging if you’re putting together a record, and there’s a certain amount of time to cut all the tracks. And I think the hardest part is maybe to find a good flow, and good feel, and to come up with the parts that really complement the music, and find the right sort of feel, and groove, and stuff like that can be somewhat challenging, even though the material might be fairly simple or simplistic in that sense. But overall, I would say, because our material generally is not that sort of technical or difficult, so in that sense there’s not that challenging material in my opinion. But like I said, finding the right feel and the mood for the song and stuff like that makes all the songs equally challenging, I guess.
Talking about the flow of the album, “Light and Shadow” has a very different tone than, say, “Bones.” How did you guys approach the variety on the album?
Tomi Joutsen: Well, it’s quite typical for us. We have a long history, and we have done some really different albums. There are some songs that are really honest, pure death metal, I mean the first albums. And then there is this progressive period like the Elegy and Tuonela album. So, there are always different styles and feelings in our music, and I think people who are into Amorphis music, they really respect that we have different styles in our music. As a singer, it’s interesting that we have some really beautiful melodies going here and there, and still I can just growl. And that’s something that I really like to have a contrast between different emotions, and that’s really fun when you are in the studio.
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, I mean, like Tomi said, ever since, I think, Tales from the Thousand Lakes, all those elements have been in our music over the years, and that’s what I guess makes the so-called Amorphis sound, which is of course pretty easy to hear. If you know the band, you instantly know what band we’re talking about. And so, in that sense, I guess those sort of dynamics come quite naturally for us because we don’t really have to think about it because we’ve done it so many years, and we’ve played together so many years, so we kind of know what’s going on. And so, in that sense, it’s sort of a very natural thing for us to implement those kinds of things to our music.
Tomi Joutsen: I’m pretty happy that we put out the first singles like Bones and Light of Shadow. They are totally different, and if you listen to both, I think you get some kind of picture of the whole album, how it sounds and what elements are there if you are someone who hasn’t heard Amorphis before.
Jan Rechberger: Even though there is a lot of different stuff still to come, people haven’t.
Tomi Joutsen: That’s right.
Jan Rechberger: And I’m really excited to see what people really think about the record when it finally comes out.
Yeah, the next two songs I was going to talk about is “The Lantern” has more of a cinematic feel to it. And then what I also liked was “Dancing Shadow,” and I think you guys described it as originally called Disco Tiger in its development, and I can actually hear the disco type that you were referencing within the song. Are there any stories behind the inspiration between these two tracks?
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, I mean it’s like Esa (Holopainen, guitar) always likes to compose at least one sort of disco-ish song to the demo pile. And that’s something that, I mean, rhythm-wise or beat-wise, feeling-wise, that’s something that we actually had in the past in quite a few songs, actually, sort of disco-style beats and stuff, but maybe it was a bit more subtle than this time. Obviously, Dancing Shadow is very sort of groovy and uplifting song tempo-wise. I mean, that sort of idea came pretty naturally to them, I mean if you think about the music, and the melody, and the overall sort of drive of the song, putting a bit like that or style that really fits the overall sort of music.
And that’s what we always want to do, that we go sort of song-first mentality and try to find things that really work, even though it might be something totally not metal fundamentally or something like that. Yeah, so that song, the Disco Tiger is obviously a working title for that, and we have those sort of funny titles all the time. And for Lantern, yeah, as you said, it’s a very cinematic track, actually one of my absolute favorites from this record, and it’s actually the only one from this record that is sort of more proggy in the time signature domain. I think seven four. It’s the only one that actually is having odd time signature and, yeah, very cinematic, kind of also powerful, and very sort of melancholic, and emotional, and epic track.
Tomi Joutsen: Yeah, I think Lantern is really interesting, and as Jan said, it’s really progressive. It’s really epic. And I think the chorus is kind of… it’s not cold, but it feels like it’s coming from the north kind of. I don’t know how to describe it, but that’s my thoughts about the chorus. And there is also this nice guitar and keyboard dialogue in the end, like a solo. They are talking together. That’s really a beautiful musical moment there. It’s a really beautiful song. And I’m glad that Jacob picked this one. Maybe this is something that we don’t play that often in festivals because it’s a little bit complicated, but I really love the song. It’s beautiful.
You guys have been saying how you’ve been around for many years. Well, I believe this year is your 35th year. How do you guys continue to keep the creative spark going, and any plans to celebrate 35 years?
Jan Rechberger: Well, I think we’ll celebrate 35 years touring with this record, Borderland, because it is finally out soon. And yeah, I mean, I’m personally still a bit overwhelmed that we’re still doing this after all these years. Back in the days, if I was to think what we were thinking about what we would do when we were 50 years old or something like that, I don’t think any of us pictured us still doing this. So, in that sense, I’m very humble and sort of very thankful that we are all still healthy and we can still do this. And I think the band is getting better, and the sound is getting more distinctive, and the whole thing is just… the live shows are getting better, and the whole package is still evolving. And I think that spark just comes from, I mean, an influence that we all are music lovers, and we all like doing music, and we love doing music, and of course, it’s sometimes tough and all this touring and everything. It’s not maybe the easiest profession. But overall, I would say I’m really sort of blessed that we can still do this.
Tomi Joutsen: Yeah, I have to be thankful also that we have been working with great people, I mean, producers and record labels. We have been working with our management for many, many years, and they are great professionals, and that helps a lot also. And we have a good chemistry inside the band. We don’t argue that much. We are taking this really seriously. We are doing this for a living. We are trying to be professionals and still having a good time at the same time. So, I don’t know. Being a musician, it’s kind of weird to do for a living because if you’re a little bit sick, you have to do the show. That’s how it goes here. And so, you have to sacrifice a lot when you are touring if you have kids and a wife at home. So, it’s not always that simple. But still, I think I love it. And as Jan said, I think everything comes from our hearts. Even without Amorphis, I think I would do some music. That’s something that just comes out. I cannot help myself.
You guys are going to be touring extensively throughout the rest of this year, I believe. What is the one song from Borderland that you think will surprise people most live?
Tomi Joutsen: Well, I don’t know about surprises, but I think Bones will be great to play on stage because it’s really simple, it’s catchy, and it’s really a metal song. So, I think it will definitely work on stage. I can see people raising their fist and screaming like, “Bones,” so it is going to be fantastic. I’m really looking forward to that one.
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, I think Bones as well and maybe Dancing Shadow because it’s very uplifting and very easy to bounce your head and your body to the song and to the rhythm and stuff. And perhaps, I mean, I don’t know if we’re going to play that because that’s still too early to say, but Fog to Fog could be a nice live track because probably the only one that’s a little bit faster from the album, faster tempo and very sort of driving song.
Tomi Joutsen: I would like to also play Tempest because lyric-wise, for me, it feels like a power song. It’s something that gives me energy and motivation. That’s one of my favorite songs. But let’s see what happens.
Outside of Borderland, what’s the last album that you guys have personally listened to that has inspired you recently?
Jan Rechberger: Well, that’s a good question.
Tomi Joutsen: Yeah, I can name two albums because I went to see those bands. They played here in Finland, and they were totally different, but I loved both, and it was really fun. And the other one is a Gatecreeper that we are touring in Europe. They played a show here in Finland. They totally ruled, and actually we had a chance to meet the guys backstage, and they were really nice people from the States, and they’re really down-to-earth guys. And actually, their bass player was wearing an Amorphis shirt, which is great, of course. But their album, Dark Superstition, I really loved, really simple, mid-tempo death metal. And of course, Blood Incantation played also here in Helsinki. The venue was a little bit bigger, and it’s more progressive and more demanding music, but they are fucking amazing band, and they’re Absolute Elsewhere album, it’s something new in the metal scene, I think. It’s interesting, and I really respect the guys that have guts to do this kind of metal.
Jan Rechberger: I don’t think I have anything to add since I haven’t been really listening to any new music lately. It’s like when I want to try to listen to something in my car, and I always find myself in this dilemma about what to listen to, and I feel kind of stupid that I can’t really find anything new. So, in that sense, it’s always good to go on a tour with the guys in the tour bus, and then everybody recommends some new music, and then you can take it from there. But lately, I haven’t because I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio making music with my bands, and projects, and some other bands, and stuff like that. So, outside of that sort of daily routine, it’s really sort of… I mean I need to rest my ears at some point. And I haven’t been listening to much music lately. I have to confess.
I get it. Sometimes, despite it being your life, you have to take a breath from it.
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. And sometimes for me it’s like I tend to listen very intensively, and sometimes it feels like it’s sort of overloading my brain. I start to sort of think about it too much, and it feels like work. But yeah, it is what it is. But yeah, I occasionally, of course, try to find some new inspirational music because, I mean, it is important to listen to other music, and what other people do, and to sort of get some sort of perspective to your own doings and everything, so yeah.
What do you hope listeners will feel or think after finishing Borderland from start to finish?
Tomi Joutsen: I really hope that they get some kind of emotion from it. There is so much music nowadays everywhere, and for me personally, it sometimes feels that there is no passion or real feelings behind the music. On this album, I think Pekka had great lyrics. It’s like poetry. It’s something special coming from Finland. So, it’s kind of exotic. And I think people who haven’t listened to Amorphis that much, I think if they really dig into our music, they find lots of interesting things here and there. I’m pretty sure that if you like Amorphis, you will love this, too. And if you are into well-produced music with lots of layers, you will find this one, this album really interesting, too.
Jan Rechberger: Yeah, I think Tomi said pretty much it all, but I mean, I hope people enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. And also I would encourage listeners to sort of listen to a couple spins at least. Even though I heard it quite a few times, I can find new things every time I have a spin. So, there are a lot of things to find, and a lot of hidden gems, and stuff like that. And yeah, enjoy.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Sam Jamsen
