“When you get some age, you don’t have to prove that much,” says Amorphis vocalist Tomi Jousten, ruminating on the longevity of the Helsinki band who have been blazing the metal trail since the 90s. Jousten is considered the baby of the group, only joining 20 years ago, and has experienced a good dose of perspective along the way. “You have your place in a business, in a band, and you can just trust that the things you are doing are somehow right. I remember after the first album [Eclipse] with me, I was a little nervous [about] how the fans would react, because I was a new guy, and I had my own style and sound than the guy before me, but I got positive feedback.”
Borderland is the 15th studio album from the Finnish metallers and is set to be released September 26 via Reigning Phoenix Music. According to guitarist Esa Holopainen, there was no grand master plan when the writing began. Joutsen’s number one priority was to still make good quality metal music. After working with Jens Bogren for the last three albums, they tapped Jacob Hansen (Volbeat / Arch Enemy / Amaranthe) for this one.
“We thought it was a good thing to have some fresh ideas,” explains Joutsen. “I think Jacob was the perfect choice at this point in our career. We traveled to Denmark to his studio. We recorded drums there, but I recorded my stuff here in Helsinki, and I’m really happy that he gave me a chance to do my thing here because I really enjoy doing six hours in the studio and then going back home and relaxing. It works perfectly.”
Amorphis started in the early 90s as a traditional old school death metal band, but began to stray into progressive territory. After a fruitful history and so many different layers and styles over the years, the formula has led to their current sound: melodic metal. For Borderland they went into the studio with about 20 demos and had Jacob pick his favorites, providing a better picture of the whole package. Joutsen points to all the right buttons being pushed, and he is proud to work with a fantastic group of people who are motivated, knowing all it takes is just a little inspiration.
“At this point in our career, we have all the original members, which is kind of weird. We have also managed to catch good people business-wise, we have a good label behind us, and also great management. It’s a little bit boring to say, but it keeps us motivated when we can do this for a living.”
And what a life it has been. The last 35 years have been a wild ride and now that Joutsen has hit the half century mark, he can look back on a career very well done. Things are not slowing down for the band with plans to play a lot of shows over the next couple years, and they couldn’t be more excited and hungry.
“I’ve seen some [growth] as a band,” shares Joutsen. “Not huge steps, but still. The venues are a little bigger and everything is going a little bit better, business-wise. There haven’t been any bad moments, like fighting or being an asshole on the road. We have always been good friends, and some of the guys are family. If we do something, we’re trying to do it with style and with good motivation. We don’t want to spoil our great career with stupid bullshit.”
Borderland is out Friday, and you can preorder it from Reigning Phoenix Music. Follow Amorphis on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for future updates.
Photo Credit: Sam Jamsen
