Amorphis is one of those bands who’ve done a lot of hard work over the years to pave the way for Finnish metal, and luckily they have been able to reap the crops they’ve themselves sowed. The band commands a lot of respect, that much is at least true, as was seen today here at Ilosaarirock.
The Ilosaarirock Longest Hair Award 2010 probably goes to the singer Tomi Joutsen and his massive dreadlocks, but as lengthy as they are so is Amorphis’ career. The band dished out tasters of their extensive catalogue freely; the warm evening bore witness to such exquisite pieces as House of Sleep and My Kantele.
Joutsen, polite and thoughtful man as he is, asked the crowd to save some of their energy for the following Faith No More show, but the request seemed to fall on deaf ears. “Ilosaari never fails”, the singer praised the gathered mass of listeners, and the same also goes for Amorphis. The band is on its best form and the sunshine was no bar to a great performance, even if headbangers are usually thought to subsist on the darkness and the night.
Text: Jukka Kastinen
Translation: Jari Rytkönen
