What's the Point of Releasing That? - A Review of Amorphis' Queen of Time - Live at Tavastia 2021

Amorphis has been my favourite band for more than a decade by now but even the most faithful fans must question the purpose of a release such as Queen of Time - Live at Tavastia 2021. The Finnish metal band had only just released the excellent live record Live at Helsinki Ice Hall that had been recorded a few months before the outbreak of the pandemic. The Japanese versions of the recent records Under the Red Cloud and Halo have included excellent additional live material that is highly recommended to avid fans and faithful collectors. Queen of Time - Live at Tavastia 2021 however disappoints on numerous levels.

This release only features the ten regular songs from the Queen of Time studio album, clocking in at just fifty-nine minutes. This album ignores the record's bonus tracks  ''As Mountains Crumble'', ''Brother and Sister'' and ''Honeyflow'' that might have rated this release up significantly.

Queen of Time's greatest tunes have already been included on Live at Helsinki Ice Hall as well as on the Japanese bonus disc of Halo. Both options feature a vibrant live atmosphere with an audible audience while this new album fails to build up any vibes at all and its performances are met with deafening silence. This release simply sounds like an album recorded live at the studio.

These so-called live versions sound so similar to the studio material that one might just as well listen to the excellent Queen of Time again. There are only minimal changes such as the shorter ending of ''The Golden Elk'' or the playful guitar intro of ''Heart of the Giant''.

The saving grace of this more than questionable release is obviously the quality of the material on said studio record. Epic, melodious and playful power metal songs such as ''The Bee'' meet atmospheric, gloomy and harsh melodic black metal attacks such as ''Daughters of Hate'' and uplifting power ballad ''Amongst Stars'' featuring Anneke van Giersbergen's organic, positive and uplifting guest vocals.

I would even go as far as describing Queen of Time as the greatest album in Amorphis' excellent career thus far. However, purchasing the original studio album is more than enough as Amorphis' Queen of Time - Live at Tavastia 2021 is only recommended to avid collectors and faithful fans who are willing to purchase anything the Finnish metal sextet decides to release.

Final Rating: 50%