Amoral: Classic Rock of The 21st Century or Death Metal?

Hello my fellow metalheads! Some of you may have heard of Finnish metal band, Amoral. For those of you who haven’t, here is a quick summary of them.

 

The band has put out 3 Technical Death Metal albums ( Wound Creations, Decrowning, and Reptile Ride), and have changed their style with the last two albums, Show Your Colors and Beneath. Their style now is a mix of so many genres, that the band refers to themselves as Classic Rock of The 21st Century. Some of their songs may be heavier than others, and even have some death growls. Their new style is much more melodic. So let’s get into the huge debate between old and new Amoral fans.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJU96Q9X1cg]

First, I will state that I am a huge Death metal fan. However, I enjoy the new Amoral much more, simply because of how melodic it is. So the whole argument began with saying that “Ari Koivunen ruined the band.” Yes, Ari is the winner of a Finnish Idols contest, but Amoral did not sell out by asking him to join. When you listen to the first 3 albums, you can slowly hear how the band was becoming more melodic. As the changes become more apparent, Amoral’s original singer, Niko Kalliojärvi, lost enthusiasm and left the band. The band then saw this as an opportunity to find a new singer and really make those changes. They had Ari try out, and really enjoyed his singing. Ari quickly became a member of the band and then the controversial album, Show Your Colors, was released. Old Amoral fans  were highly disappointed with the direction the band chose, and started saying the band was “selling out, turning poppish” etc. Now most of them may not listened to the whole album. Sure, some songs are not as heavy as previous albums, but there are some heavy songs on this album. “Sex’N’ Satan”, “A Shade of Gray”, “Gave Up Easy”, “Release”, and “Exit” have some heavy riffs in there, which some of the older fans may enjoy if they checked them out.

I interviewed Ben Varon a few times, and the first time I talked to him, he asked me for my opinion on the change. I told him “Ben, I am a huge Death Metal fan and loved the old albums. But what I like even more is a band who can change their style and still perfect it, which is why Beneath is my favorite album,”. Think about it, if a band is able to do that, doesn’t that show how diverse of musicians they are?

Since Amoral has changed their style, it does not mean that they never play any older songs, or write any heavy new songs. The band has played older tracks live with Ari, and he can definitely perform those songs the way they are supposed to. He can sing in a range from high vocals, to brutal death growls. And as of the band still writing heavy songs, check out the track “Won’t Go Home” off of the album Beneath. This song makes a nod back to their original roots, and shows that Amoral still has their heavy side, it’s just not their only side.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV8rS5aWsV0]

Over the years, Amoral has changed to be a very unique heavy metal band, and one that is highly underrated. I feel that if older fans give their new style a chance, they might get into it. When Ben and Masi play really melodic riffs, and Juhana plays some technical beats, it’s hard not to get into the music. Their new style shows the true skill of each member in this band. I urge you all to at least listen through Show Your Colors and Beneath. I was unsure how it would be, but I honestly love the new style even more. Don’t be afraid of change, but rather embrace it! Please take a listen to their newer material, and let’s end this silly debate between the 2 styles.