In the realm of melodic death metal, few bands are as revered as Amorphis: the group have been putting out quality release after quality release for more than thirty years at this point, with records like ‘Tales from the Thousand Lakes’ and ‘Under the Red Cloud’ receiving scores of praise and admiration to this day. The six-piece are, at this point, tried-and-true— thus, the reveal that new album ‘Borderland’ is another solid collection of melodic metal anthems should need very little explanation.

Amorphis waste absolutely no time welcoming listeners back with open arms: right from the opening guitar parts of ‘The Circle,’ fans should feel right at home with the luscious soundscapes on offer. ‘Borderland’ is not attempting to be the heaviest record of the year, but manages to carve itself out a certain grandiosity that pervades every chorus across the project— on ‘Tempest,’ for instance, the mix of acoustic and distorted guitars (when combined with the yearning melodic chops of vocalist Tomi Joutsen) make for a triumphant and climactic combination. Heaps of work has clearly been put into making ‘Borderland’ an album that drives forward with a constant, definitive momentum, and it’s effort that does wonders to improve its accessibility. Often times, Jan Rechberger’s drum parts feel perfectly placed to thrust each track onward, in a way that makes the 49-minute project fly by.

As far as presentation goes, there’s very little that Amorphis could be doing to improve their latest release— though some listeners may find themselves yearning for some more heft and grit from the guitars and bass, such a decision would surely be at odds with the cleaner, sharper direction the band have taken this time around. ‘Borderland’ flaunts the keyboard lines of Santeri Kallio whenever possible, integrating his cinematic synth patches and nuanced melodic flourishes about as seamlessly as you can even conceive of. Every element at play here, from both a performance and production standpoint, is handled extremely gracefully: Jousten may not be pushing himself vocally at this point in his career, but his rumbling growls and confident cleans are nonetheless deserving of praise. Right up until the end of ‘Despair,’ Amorphis demonstrate nothing but sheer mastery, as least as far as sound design is concerned.

It’s beneath the surface that ‘Borderland’ shows itself to be a record of two halves: the band are absolutely leading with their strongest material here, as the first five tracks are positively overflowing with interesting twists and moments of evocative writing. Opener ‘The Circle’ does an excellent job introducing the variety of sounds and styles the band are toying with this time around, scoring the build to a sublime dance-able chorus with all-manner of keys lines and delay-heavy guitar riffs. The cut even indulges in the cosmic storytelling and nature imagery that comes to define the lyrics on ‘Borderland,’ making this something of a tasting platter for tracks to come.

“I'll journey back to the stars

I'll soar through galaxies

Freed from the yoke of time

Into the gyre of eternity”

The following ‘Bones’ may be even stronger, leading with the most crushing riff on the entire project— it’s undoubtedly the most impactful cut Amorphis have brought to the table this year, though the song’s middle-eastern-tinged instrumental nods and memorable choruses add a much-appreciated level of depth and nuance. Jousten and company seem context to reach between the furthest corners of their sound, flying through the soaring melodies of ‘Dancing Shadow’ without all-too-much fanfare: it’s in this opening leg that the band really seem to be in their element. ‘The Strange’ solidifies ‘Borderland’ as another healthy addition to the catalogue, with the track’s momentous hook and excellent keyboard usage putting a smile on our faces every single time— the band have what they do down to a science, and it just works.

The album’s second half is no slouch, of course: Amorphis continue to bring strong melodies and performances to every cut on the new record, bringing a track like ‘Tempest’ to life in a way that most bands would kill for. Those efforts do little to assuage the wave of tedium that begins to creep in over the course of those final five songs though— the band run out of new tricks a little too fast, fighting an uphill battle against criticisms of ‘been there, done that.’ ‘Borderland’ is stuffed full of quality in every moment, but it becomes harder to appreciate after a certain point: looking back, its difficult to parcel out which memorable passages, if any, came from ‘Light And Shadow’ or ‘The Lantern.’ When ‘Despair’— a strong cut, albeit one that lacks the scale and scope you’d hope for in a closer— comes to an end, it must be said that it’ll probably be ‘Fog To Fog’ or ‘Dancing Shadow’ you’ll be humming.

The new Amorphis album is another strong outing for melodic death metal. In other news, water is wet. ‘Borderland’ is far from a drastic reinvention of the Finnish six-piece’s sound, nor is it their most ambitious or definitive release: rather, it’s simply another helping of high-quality material. Tracks like ‘The Strange’ and ‘Bones’ are must-listens that go a long way to show why Amorphis are so well-respected in their field: you simply can’t go wrong with the first half of the album, as catchy and well-presented as it is.