Text by Patricia C. Figueiredo
Finnish band Amorphis arrived in Brazil after several shows in Latin America for the tour of their most recent studio album, Halo , from 2022, and their first stop on Brazilian soil was in Porto Alegre – the only city besides the Summer Breeze Brasil in São Paulo. The show took place at Opinião on the 26th.
The Brazilian band Exterminate opened the night with an extreme sound of distorted guitars and guttural vocals, delivering the purest death metal the band has to offer. The melodies got the still sparse audience headbanging and left a great impression, earning them strong applause. Incidentally, Exterminate is already scheduled to open for Napalm Death in September, also in Porto Alegre, further proof that they are a high-quality band.
Soon, the six members of Amorphis took the stage, opening the show with a double dose of songs from the album Halo , “Northwards” and “On The Dark Waters”. The audience warmly welcomed the band and, shortly after, “Sky Is Mine” thrilled everyone, and the realization that this show would be sensational was sinking in. The technical precision of the entire band is impressive live, incredibly faithful to the studio recordings. The venue was already a little fuller, but it was clear that it would also be a more intimate show.
One track that delighted fans was "The Moon," also from the album Halo . The lighting was fantastic, with fuchsia beams of light illuminating the band members from behind, creating a beautiful and sentimental atmosphere, not only during this song but also at other moments of the show.
Then came the brutal "The Castaway," from their third album, Tales From A Thousand Lakes , from 1994, with an energetic chorus from the audience. In addition to this, "Silver Bride," from the 2009 album Skyforger , was also strongly celebrated, applauded, and sung along to, proving that the band's different phases continue to be much appreciated by fans.
A really cool and relaxed moment of the show is when vocalist Tomi Joutsen introduces his bandmates and each one gives a short solo on their respective instrument and plays a snippet of a well-known song. Guitarist Tomi Koivusaari played the opening riff of "Raining Blood" by Slayer , Olli-Pekka Laine played "NIB" by Black Sabbath on bass, Jan Rechberger played the intro to "Run to The Hills" by Iron Maiden on drums, keyboardist Santeri Kallio played "Perfect Strangers" by Deep Purple , and guitarist Esa Holopainen pulled out "Back In Black" by AC/DC .
Tomi Joutsen showcases his full vocal potential from beginning to end of the show. His different vocal lines are incredible, and the control he has between the changes from guttural to clean vocals is breathtaking. This is noticeable in several tracks, but one that stands out is "Black Winter Day," also from the album Tales From a Thousand Lakes, which brought back a bit more of the band's distant past. In fact, the vocalist joked that the band is indeed quite old before they played "My Kantele" from the 1996 album Elegy , another song that left the fans ecstatic.
As the show drew to a close, Tomi called on everyone to sing along to "House of Sleep," and the audience didn't disappoint for a second. In fact, it was one of the highlights of the night. The show ended with incredible energy with "The Bee," and the fans were extremely satisfied with the opportunity to have seen the band in such an exemplary show that highlighted Amorphis's impressiveness and long history in metal.
Our contributor Sophia Velho captured the show with exclusive photos that you can see in the gallery below.
