Release date: 18th May 2018
Album number thirteen – unlucky for some, but not for Amorphis, because Queen Of Time is another good release from the talented Finnish sixpiece.
Although perhaps not their strongest effort, as there are some weaker inclusions on the album and it doesn’t immediately grab you with the first track, Queen Of Time is a decent enough release as a whole. It plays on Amorphis’ strengths, with big vocal lines and epic, soaring guitar riffs, with songs such as The Golden Elk and Grain Of Sand, with the latter featuring a seriously epic guitar solo. However, there’s nothing that really makes this album stand out from the others.
One of the weaker points of the album is penultimate track Amongst Stars. Featuring guest vocals from Anneke van Giersbergen, I was especially excited to hear this one as I enjoy her work in other bands and her guest appearance on Her Alone at Amorphis’ Huvila show was stunning, but her vocals don’t quite match the music this time round; they sound a little abrasive and out-of-place and it’s quite disappointing.
All in all, Queen Of Time is a fairly solid bit of work from Amorphis. It’s not necessarily their best release to date, but certainly still worth a listen.
7/10
