Originally written by Jason Jordan.
If anything, Eclipse was a jarring, triumphant return for Finland’s Amorphis that easily surpassed previous efforts Am Universum and Far from the Sun, and raised the bar for what would become Silent Waters, which happens to be the eighth full-length entry in an already rich discography. What’s odd, though, is that the Finns upped the catchiness and heaviness on Eclipse only to turn it down a notch on Silent Waters. In truth, this seems like the record that could’ve, or maybe even should’ve, bridged Far from the Sun and its successor. Apart from that, however, this is another well-written Amorphis disc that will more than likely please longtime followers who’ve stuck with the group through thick and thin.
While there’s no real crusher among the bunch, Silent Waters does have a few songs that bring the heavy, even if the record as a whole is mellower and lighter than its predecessor. “Weaving the Incantation” is one that embraces the soft/hard dichotomy, and again, reaffirms the decision to bring Tomi Joutsen aboard since his growls and clean vocals are both phenomenal, which the layering only serves to magnify. Likewise, “A Servant” and “Towards and Against” are outright aggressive, while most others such as “Silent Waters,” “I of Crimson Blood,” “Her Alone,” “Shaman,” “The White Swan,” “Black River,” and bonus track “Sign” tread middle ground. “Enigma” is significant in the sense that it features an excellent, acoustic intro and stands out as the album’s shortest track at 3:34. Speaking of song length, most tap out sometime between the four and five-minute mark, though “Her Alone” is the longest at 6:01.
In addition to the typical Amorphis song structure and length, you’ll also find their patented melodies swirling throughout Silent Waters, as well as a few instances in which the band masterfully wade rather than dive into a song – piano in the title track and “I of Crimson Blood,” clean guitar in “Her Alone,” acoustic guitar in “Engima” and “Shaman,” etc. The songs themselves are quite varied, too, making SW less predictable than it might’ve been otherwise.
Still, it’s tough to muster excitement about a new release when the overly successful comeback was unleashed a mere 1.5 years ago. It is Amorphis we’re talking about, though, and while Silent Waters is great, it’s not quite up to snuff with the most heralded installments in the Finns’ collective output. In any case, I’m just glad the passion’s back.
