Review OCTOPLOID “Beyond the Aeons”

There are quite a few projects and solo releases involving Amorphis musicians these days. While a couple of guys contributed to The Eternal‘s latest release, it is bass player Olli-Pekka Laine who releases an album with his solo project Octoploid.

Formed in 2022, “Beyond the Aeons” is the debut album with the bass player in the driver’s seat. The line-up is completed by Mikke Kotamäki, Mikko Pietinen, Peter Salonen and Kim Rantala. These guys, together with some invited guests, have recorded an album that blends melodic death metal the Finnish way with some 70’s inspired grooves. This blend is already apparent in the opener “The Dawns in Nothingness”. An atmospheric intro kicks off the song before Amorphis-inspired death metal moments take over the scene. Harsh and with a robust rawness, the song takes a turn in the middle section when the previously mentioned 70’s inspiration shimmers through for the first time, with keyboards playing an important role.

Dark and still equipped with a solid melody, this is “Shattered Wings”. It is this Finnish melancholy that provides an emotional foundation for each of the songs, including the title track. The latter is an instrumental and can be seen as a colorful galactic interlude featuring a psychedelic touch. “The Hallowed Flame” picks up the baton and brings the 70s spirit back into focus, while the death metal outburst provides the necessary counterpoint to the psychedelic pattern that runs throughout the song.

“Beyond the Aeons” is an album that connects two musical hemispheres. Combining the rudeness of death metal with the colourful joy of classic rock seems to be a challenging endeavour. Laine and his companions decided to take up the challenge and what echoes out of the speakers is a well-crafted fusion that entertains from start to finish and perhaps both genres will be presented in a even more balanced way on a possible next album.