Tales from the Thousand Lakes


Tales from the Thousand Lakes is the second studio album by Finnish progressive metal band Amorphis.

Background and release

This is the first Amorphis release to have an official keyboardist, Kasper Mårtenson, as any previous of the band's releases had the band's own drummer, Jan Rechberger, provide the empty keyboardist role until the band decided to have a keyboardist and also to find one being Mårtenson. With Mårtenson in the band, it is the first time the band's original lineup changed by having an additional member. Jan Rechberger would leave the band after this album but rejoin the band for 2003's Far from the Sun.
The original limited version had a cover of "Light My Fire" by The Doors added as a bonus track. It was later re-released in 2001 with most tracks from the Black Winter Day EP and the "Light My Fire" cover added as bonus tracks.

Music and lyrics

The album was an influential release in the development of the melodic death metal genre, predominantly mixing the genre with death-doom and gothic metal, compared to the band's death metal debut. This showcases a more melodic sound for the band, with hints at their later, more progressive direction. The album also introduced synthesizers and clean vocals to the band's sound, though the latter was used sparingly. It is a concept album based on the Finnish national epic, Kalevala.

Legacy

According to Tom Morris of Invisible Oranges: "The influence of Amorphis’ second album can be heard in countless branches of the history of metal. The Finnish band’s incorporation of their homeland’s native melodies and lyrics based on epic poetry had a clear impact on the development of folk metal, while the kinetic riffs of “Drowning Maid” and melodies of “Black Winter Day” laid down foundations for the then-burgeoning melodic death metal genre."

Track listing

Bonus tracks

Tracks 11–13 added from the Black Winter Day EP; track 14 is a bonus track:

Credits

Band members

Additional musicians

  • Ville Tuomi – clean vocals, speech
Art