Reigning Phoenix Music
Release: 26 September 2025
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Line Up:
Tomi Joutsen | vocals
Esa Holopainen | guitars
Tomi Koivusaari | guitars
Olli-Pekka “Oppu” Laine | bass
Santeri Kallio | keys
Jan Rechberger | drums & percussion
Tracklist:
The Circle
Bones
Dancing Shadow
Fog to Fog
The Strange
Tempest
Light and Shadow
The Lantern
Borderland
Despair
Amorphis ventures into uncharted sonic territories with “Borderland,” their 15th studio offering via Reigning Phoenix Music. This latest release represents a crossing into what the band describes as “unexplored realms of sound and spirit,” solidifying their position as Finnish metal visionaries after three and a half decades of evolution.
Recorded at Hansen Studios in Denmark during late 2024 and early 2025, “Borderland” benefits from the production expertise of Jacob Hansen, known for his work with Volbeat, Amaranthe, and Primal Fear. The album’s visual identity comes courtesy of renowned Dutch artist Marald Van Haasteren, whose portfolio includes collaborations with Metallica, Black Sabbath, Kvelertak, and Alcest.
Tracks like “Dancing Shadow” demonstrate the band’s willingness to push melodic boundaries further than ever before, creating what might be their most accessible yet authentically heavy piece. This composition’s infectious nature doesn’t compromise its metallic core, proving the band’s ability to evolve without abandoning their essence. The contrast with crushing tracks like “Bones” showcases their remarkable dynamic range.
The album’s emotional centerpiece, “Fog To Fog,” emerged from keyboardist Santeri Kallio’s journey to the Arctic Ocean’s furthest reaches. He recalls: “I travelled as far north as I could, to the last corner of the Arctic Ocean, and there I found the inspiration for ‘Fog To Fog’; dead black cliffs and feelings frozen forever.” This haunting track captures the desolation of Norwegian fjords where, as Kallio notes, “no one lives voluntarily…maybe the Vikings once upon a time, most likely out of necessity.”
Pekka Kainulainen’s thoughtful lyricism continues to provide profound narrative depth throughout the album. His words complement Hansen’s dense production work, particularly evident in tracks that channel the band’s darker tendencies. Songs like “The Strange” and “The Lantern” exemplify their current approach of balancing clean vocal melodies with strategic deployment of harsh vocals.
This shift toward melodic prominence doesn’t diminish impact but rather creates more immediate accessibility while maintaining the complexity that rewards deeper listening. The title track particularly embodies their philosophy of bridging “myth and modernity, melody and heaviness, darkness and hope,” evoking landscapes where transformation remains the only constant.
“Borderland” functions as both threshold and destination, representing what the band calls “a passage” into unexplored realms. The album serves as “the final call before AMORPHIS rise again on stage this autumn, a beacon for what lies ahead.” Here, as they describe it, “horizons shift, echoes resound, and new destinies are forged in sound.”
The result is an album that stands as both monumental and intimate, inviting listeners into landscapes where myth bleeds into memory and music becomes both guide and guardian. “Borderland” captures the essence of artistic evolution that honors the past while fearlessly embracing transformation.
Written by: Shadow Editor
Ratings: 8/10
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