Tales from the Thousand Lakes
| Tales from the Thousand Lakes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 July 1994 | |||
| Recorded | September 1993 | |||
| Genre | Melodic death metal, death-doom, gothic metal | |||
| Length | 40:13 | |||
| Label | Relapse | |||
| Producer | Tomas Skogsberg and Amorphis | |||
| Amorphis chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Tales from the Thousand Lakes | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Tales from the Thousand Lakes is the second studio album by Finnish progressive metal band Amorphis.
Background and release
This is the first Amorphis release to have an official keyboardist, Kasper Mårtenson, as any previous of the band's releases had the band's own drummer, Jan Rechberger, provide the empty keyboardist role until the band decided to have a keyboardist and also to find one being Mårtenson. With Mårtenson in the band, it is the first time the band's original lineup changed by having an additional member. Jan Rechberger would leave the band after this album but rejoin the band for 2003's Far from the Sun.
The original limited version (on digipack) had a cover of "Light My Fire" by The Doors added as a bonus track. It was later re-released in 2001 with most tracks from the Black Winter Day EP and the "Light My Fire" cover added as bonus tracks.
Music and lyrics
The album was an influential release in the development of the melodic death metal genre,[1] predominantly mixing the genre with death-doom[2] and gothic metal,[3] compared to the band's death metal debut. This showcases a more melodic sound for the band, with hints at their later, more progressive direction. The album also introduced synthesizers and clean vocals to the band's sound, though the latter was used sparingly. It is a concept album based on the Finnish national epic, Kalevala.
Legacy
According to Tom Morris of Invisible Oranges: "The influence of Amorphis’ second album can be heard in countless branches of the history of metal. The Finnish band’s incorporation of their homeland’s native melodies and lyrics based on epic poetry had a clear impact on the development of folk metal, while the kinetic riffs of “Drowning Maid” and melodies of “Black Winter Day” laid down foundations for the then-burgeoning melodic death metal genre."[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thousand Lakes" | (instrumental) | K. Mårtenson | 2:04 |
| 2. | "Into Hiding" | traditional | E. Holopainen, O.P. Laine | 3:45 |
| 3. | "The Castaway" | traditional | T. Koivusaari, E. Holopainen, O.P. Laine, K. Mårtenson | 5:32 |
| 4. | "First Doom" | E. Holopainen | E. Holopainen | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Black Winter Day" | traditional | K. Mårtenson | 3:50 |
| 6. | "Drowned Maid" | traditional | T. Koivusaari, E. Holopainen, O.P. Laine | 4:23 |
| 7. | "In the Beginning" | traditional | E. Holopainen, O.P. Laine | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Forgotten Sunrise" | E. Holopainen | E. Holopainen | 4:53 |
| 9. | "To Fathers Cabin" | traditional | E. Holopainen, O.P. Laine | 3:50 |
| 10. | "Magic and Mayhem" | traditional | E. Holopainen | 4:27 |
| Total length: | 40:13 | |||
Bonus tracks
Tracks 11–13 added from the Black Winter Day EP; track 14 is a bonus track:
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Folk of the North" | (instrumental) | T. Koivusaari | 1:17 |
| 12. | "Moon and Sun" | traditional | T. Koivusaari | 3:36 |
| 13. | "Moon and Sun Part II: North's Son" | traditional | T. Koivusaari | 5:10 |
| 14. | "Light My Fire" (The Doors cover) | The Doors | The Doors | 2:53 |
| Total length: | 12:56 | |||
Credits
Band members
- Tomi Koivusaari – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Esa Holopainen – lead guitar
- Olli-Pekka Laine – bass
- Jan Rechberger – drums
- Kasper Mårtenson – keyboards
Additional musicians
- Ville Tuomi – clean vocals, speech
Art
- Sv Bell - Cover artist
References
- ^ a b Anderson, Jason. Tales from the Thousand Lakes at AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
- ^ "Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes | Metalfan.nl Review". Metalfan.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ Müller, Jan (6 April 2013). "Savatage – The Wake Of Magellan Review". Metal1.info (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Morgan, Tom. "Essential Albums On Essential Labels #1: Relapse Records and Thirty Years of Extreme Metal Evolution". Invisible Oranges - The Metal Blog. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
External links
- Tales from the Thousand Lakes at Discogs (list of releases)