Amorphis - Am Universum (2001) - On mushroom clouds and crimson waves - 99% (31/07/11)

If musical perfection exists, than it exists on this record. Amorphis lead us in an amorphous form on mushroom clouds and crimson waves to a musical paradise. This album is an "eargasm". It's a combination of everything I love about music. Each time I think of this album, I have a smile on my face and am looking forward to listen to it over and over again. It's certainly in my top three favourite albums of all times and maybe on the top of it. The only reason why I don't give one hundred percent is because I will never do that because pure perfection simply doesn't exist. It really took a lot of time, reflection and inspiration to write an appropriate review for this very special record to me but now the step is done and here it is.

Let's begin with the description of this piece of art. Let's have a look at the weird cover. It's simple and yet intriguing. I have passed hours to discover what this strange organic thing on the cover artwork is, I have talked to friends about it and shown it to experts. Nobody could give me an answer but everybody was intrigued by this. It's one of the rare album covers that is not simply beautiful and original but makes people think. The first big success of this record is its artwork. Let's say that the cover for the single "Alone" that can also be found on the back of the booklet is not by much less intriguing and mysterious.

Let's talk about the music. It’s probably needless to say that the sound and production of the album is perfect for me. The band combines progressive rock elements, melodic metal as well as jazz and lounge influences to a highly atmospheric album that sound like Amorphis and nothing else. Every song has something special and intriguing but this diversity perfectly fits together and the album has magic and coherent flow. Every song on here is catchy and memorable and a true killer. The guitars sound as if they were crying and screaming all along and are filled with emotions. The bass is audible and plays some very catchy rhythms and does a very solid background work with the drums. The keyboards and electric organs don't bury the sound but support it and underline the spacey drug trip atmosphere of the album. If there is one album that one should listen to in a weird state of mind, than it's this one. The guest instrumentations which are a saxophone and a saw fit perfectly to the progressive sounds and are integrated as if they have always been a part of the band sound. The saxophones and keyboards are two main reasons why this album might not only please to any open minded metal fan with taste but also to fans of progressive rock, classical music, world music, jazz or lounge. Sometimes, the guitars even sound like weird grunge pieces and this in a completely positive way. Anybody that has ears should check this album out, seriously. Last but not least, the vocals on this record are so amazing, emotional and diversified that I get goose bumps every time I'm listening to the album. The vocals always sound like an additional instrument as they are so melodic and form a perfect duality with the music itself. Every song is catchy and the hooks on the album are amazing. Even if the later Amorphis singer Tomi Joutsen is technically said easily better than Pasi Koskinen, the magic and flow that he creates on this album is almost unbeatable. His vocal attitude somewhere between relaxed, dreamy and emotional perfectly fits on this album.

It's hard to point out highlights on this coherent record. Seriously, every single song is worth being discussed in detail but I would still write on this review for the next couple of days. But to give you a better idea of the music and my worship for this record, I think I should give you three credible and concrete examples.

First of all, I would go for the opener "Alone" which is the best opener and single I have ever witnessed on any album of any form of music in my life. The floating and calm introduction gets me immediately into the right mood for the entire record before the instruments kick in with energy and emotion. The vocals are dreamy and emotional at the same time and I knew the chorus would never leave my mind again when I listened to it for the first time. The saxophone solo adds something even more exotic to the sound and fits way better than any guitar solos could. "Alone" represents the album in a perfect way and should be the first song to be checked out by anyone that got intrigued by my review.

I would also like to mention the great "Crimson waves" with its lounge feeling and dominating jazz influences. The song ends with a great jazz-rock jam where keyboards, guitars and saxophones work together in heavenly perfection. It's one of the most experimental songs ever done by Amorphis but fits perfectly to the album and is well placed in the middle of it.

The album closer "Grieve stricken heard" opens with weird space sounds and has an almost oriental ritual vibe. It varies from calm and introspective, longing and melancholic passages to a dynamical and catchy chorus that strangely fits in a perfect way to the diversified influences of the track. Amorphis never sounded as amorphous but everything fits together as if the record was glued and fixed together by the gods of Finnish mythology. Amorphis put more ideas in this single song than other bands put on entire albums and finish the album in an as perfect way as they have started it. This song represents the album as much as "Alone" did and resumes the record to almost seven minutes of sheer brilliance.

In the end, there is nothing left to say. I think this is Amorphis' best album and they still have done lots of great works. I also gave such a high note to "Tales from the thousand lakes" because it was a groundbreaking record and perfect in its genre. "Am Universum" is pure perfection without any boundaries of a genre. It's timeless. It can please to old and young, to fans of metal or of jazz, to intellectual managers or to homeless hippies. This album is a pure joy for me and I hope that my review my help to spread the words about this fine masterpiece. If you haven't listened to this record yet, just take your time and do it. Buy it right now. Enjoy.