Damn, it feels like the 10th anniversary of this album wasn’t even that long ago. February 15th, 2026, marks the 20th anniversary of the seventh studio album, “Eclipse,” by the Finnish melancholy masters, AMORPHIS. Its predecessor, “Far From the Sun” (2003), had been viewed by some critics as the weakest endeavor in the band’s otherwise impeccable discography at the time, but this 2006 album was hailed almost unanimously as their triumphant return to form, with a new vocalist to boot. As good as Pasi Koskinen had been, especially with the harsh vocals, his replacement, Tomi Joutsen, soon proved to be a tad more versatile vocalist altogether, tackling both the voluminous death-metal growls and clean vocals like a king. The band had also been signed to a new label, Nuclear Blast, hence this affair marked the beginning of a new era in many ways. There are no bad songs in this selection – if there really is such a thing in the band’s catalog, to be honest – but this was the very album that gave us one of their most-performed songs ever, too. While some of the band’s more recent albums may tickle the soft spot of those metal fans who like a bit more polished sound, “Eclipse” would be an ideal start for a newbie from the younger metal demographic that missed the band’s glorious 1990s endeavors entirely. Then again, I guess the title of the particular gateway drug into this habit is not that important as long as you take it.
The game is set afoot with a real banger entitled “Two Moons.” The opening riff in 6/4 meter nicely echoes that KINGSTON WALL-esque oriental psychedelia that these metal rogues flirted more openly with in the 1990s. Speaking of which, on this album, the band also resorted to using the Finnish epic, Kalevala, as its main inspiration, recalling the band’s early classics. “Eclipse” is a conceptual affair, narrating the story of Kullervo, which actually happens to be the talk of town, now, 20 years later, as AMORPHIS released their latest single, “Crowned in Crimson,” to be the official theme for the Finnish feature film, Kalevala – Kullervon Tarina, about the said character. Talk about things coming full circle!
If my memory serves me right, “House of Sleep” was released well in advance of the album, at least in Finland – otherwise, the opener would have made one hell of a first impression, regarding the versatile vocal prowess of Joutsen. When the album finally came out, I already knew that he was the perfect vocalist for the band. In fact, the song got so overplayed on the few Finnish rock radio stations that I couldn’t really listen to it for years. You see, I used to have the radio on at work for eight-to-ten hours a day, five days a week, so I was exposed to this banger A LOT. However, this seemingly simple song must have worked its dark magic on me over the years. Now, it has gained itself a somewhat golden halo, so that, 2 years ago, when AMORPHIS played the song at the main stage of the Tuska Festival 2024, with the crowd singing along, I must admit to having felt big-ass shivers racing up and down my spine. I don’t have the official stats, but I reckon “House of Sleep” is arguably the band’s most performed song to date.
That said, it’s not even the standout song in this selection. Well, not for me, anyway. If there was one thing in the 1990s that I shared with the members of this band, it was (and is) my undying love for KINGSTON WALL‘s music. Thus, the song that really hit the sweet spot here was “Under A Soil and Black Stone,” largely due to the delay-motif that resonates with that oh-so-familiar and delicious, oriental-psychedelic aura. As a bonus, “Same Flesh” has a good pinch of this flavor in its verses, too. Then, the folk flourishes of “Leaves Scar” subtly harken back to the band’s early influences, too. The magic of this album pretty much boiled down to the fact that, on “Eclipse,” AMORPHIS paid a beautiful homage to their past achievements without replicating them verbatim. The album sounded familiar and fresh simultaneously. Over the years, I’ve come across some not-so-excited reviews about the album, too, but for the life of me, I cannot really subscribe to any of the claims dismissing individual performances on this effort. No, I don’t think that drummer Jan Rechberger pulled a bleak AC/DC performance in these songs, nor do I agree with the fans who found Joutsen not good enough for the band. I think the past 20 years have proved these claims wrong many times over. Plus, the songs have stood the test of time. In short, the album is an “All Killer, No Filler” endeavor. With almost every song on this album being a potential hit, it was kind of a bummer that the radio only played that one song from this selection ad nauseam. As much as I have grown to like it over the years, the album has so much more to offer, and I’m not just referring to those KINGSTON WALL-inspired bangers. The radio executives could have picked any song from this album and put it on air – and I’m pretty sure it would have become a hit. In retrospect, this is one of the strongest “comeback” albums (after one or more lacklustre efforts) of all time, along with IN FLAMES‘ “Come Clarity,” which coincidentally came out in February 2006, too! I reckon the stars must have been aligned just right at the time. Was it the beginning of the Age of Aquarius, or something?
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Two Moons
- House of Sleep
- Leaves Scar
- Born From Fire
- Under a Soil and Black Stone
- Perkele (The God of Fire)
- The Smoke
- Same Flesh
- Brother Moon
- Empty Opening
Lineup
Tomi Joutsen – vocals
Esa Holopainen – guitars
Tomi Koivusaari – guitars
Santeri Kallio – keyboards
Niclas Etelävuori – bass
Jan Rechberger – drums
Label
Nuclear Blast
