‘The Bee’

Finnish progressive metallers AMORPHIS are about to unleash their latest offering entitled “Queen Of Time” on May 18th via Nuclear Blast. Today the time has come to present the first taster of the band’s 13th studio album.
Check out ‘The Bee’, the opening track, here:

Guitarist Esa Holopainen commented:
“This song is a very powerful opener and gives a nice picture of what the whole album is all about. You can already hear some new elements like choirs and orchestral arrangements in it.”

Vocalist Tomi Joutsen added:
“Of course, the lyrical inspiration is a bee, also in a metaphoric way. The tiniest thing can sometimes be the most important thing. A bee can bring life or if we destroy all the bees, life will stop here. It’s a very beautiful animal, that’s why you can find it on the album cover too. The track itself is a kind of progressive and I’m sure that it will surprise some fans in a positive way. We love it!”

In addition, the album is available for pre-order in various formats, here: http://nuclearblast.com/amorphis-queenoftime
Pre-order digitally to receive ‘The Bee’ instantly or stream the track, here: http://nblast.de/AmorphisTheBee
Pre-save the album via Topsify, here:
https://tools.topsify.com/follow/6834/pre-save-queen-of-time-by-amorphis
Listen to ‘The Bee’ in the NB Novelties Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/nuclearblastrecords/playlist/6aw9wiedFzzhJiI96DhNhw

“Queen Of Time” – Track Listing:

01. The Bee
02. Message In The Amber
03. Daughter Of Hate
04. The Golden Elk
05. Wrong Direction
06. Heart Of The Giant
07. We Accursed
08. Grain Of Sand
09. Amongst Stars
10. Pyres On The Coast
Bonus Tracks (DIGI, 2LP, and MAILORDER EDITION only)
11. As Mountains Crumble
12. Brother And Sister

The album was once again produced by the famous Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, KREATOR a.o.). The cover artwork, which was created by French artist Jean “Valnoir” Simoulin from Metastazis, captures the feeling of the lyrics and the music.

Esa comments: “I guess »Queen Of Time« turned out as a massive surprise to all of us. During the rehearsing and pre-production we didn’t have any idea that Jens had this huge picture inside of his head about the landscape of the album. It’s a very natural continuation to »Under The Red Cloud« but with steroids. The songs are more aggressive but there’s more dynamics, harmonies and orchestral arrangements present. The result is AMORPHIS as something you’ve never heard before! Essentially, working with Jens worked really well. As a person he is very similar to us – we share the same kind of weird humor and we all like to work hard.”

With Pekka Kainulainen‘s (lyricist) words, the lyrical theme is universal: “Cultures rise, flourish, and are destroyed. The story of man is the story of searching, finding, and forgetting. A single spark can set the world afire, a single idea can give birth to a new culture. The greatest can stagnate into insignificance, the smallest can hold the power for change. The lyrics on this album are distant echoes of ancient forest peoples, from a time when meaning was proportioned by the cosmic forces that govern birth and death. If the connection was lost, they sought for a strand of knowledge, found a new direction, and a new age began.”

AMORPHIS live:

12.05. N Kopervik – Karmoygeddon Metal Festival
08.06. FIN Hyvinkää – Rockfest
09.06. FIN Tampere – South Park Festival
13.06. J Tokyo – Shibuya Club Quattro
14.06. J Osaka – Umeda Club Quattro
21. – 23.06. D St. Goarshausen – RockFels
24.06. F Clisson – Hellfest
05. – 07.07. D Ballenstedt – Rockharz Open Air
06.07. FIN Lohja – Rantajamit
12. – 14.07. D Balingen – Bang Your Head!!!
12. – 15.07. CZ Vizovice – Masters of Rock
14.07. FIN Joensuu – Ilosaarirock
20.07. FIN Laukaa – John Smith Rock Festival
27.07. FIN Kuopio – RockCock
28.07. FIN Oulu – Qstock
03.08. D Wacken – Wacken Open Air
08. – 11.08. E Villena – Leyendas del Rock
10.08. B Kortrijk – Alcatraz Metal Festival

w/ DARK TRANQUILLITY, MOONSPELL, OMNIUM GATHERUM
07.09. USA New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
08.09. CDN Montréal, QC – Théâtre Corona
09.09. CDN Québec City, QC – Impérial de Québec
10.09. CDN Toronto, ON – The Opera House
11.09. USA Ft. Wayne, IN – Piere’s Entertainment Center
12.09. USA Detroit, MI – Harpos Concert Theatre
13.09. USA Joliet, IL – The Forge
14.09. USA Minneapolis, MN – The Cabooze
15.09. CDN Winnipeg, MB – The Park Theatre
17.09. CDN Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room
18.09. CDN Calgary, AB – Dickens
19.09. CDN Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
20.09. USA Seattle, WA – El Corazon
22.09. USA Berkeley, CA – UC Theatre
23.09. USA Anaheim, CA – City National Grove
24.09. USA West Hollywood, CA – Whiskey a Go Go
25.09. USA San Diego, CA – Brick by Brick
26.09. USA Phoenix, AZ – The Pressroom
27.09. USA Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
28.09. USA Salt Lake City, UT – Liquid Joe’s
29.09. USA Denver, CO – Herman’s Hideaway
01.10. USA Dallas, TX – Trees
02.10. USA San Antonio, TX – The Rock Box
03.10. USA Houston, TX – Scout Bar
05.10. USA Tampa, FL – The Orpheum
06.10. USA Lake Park, FL – Kelsey Theater
07.10. USA Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
09.10. USA Louisville, KY – Diamond Pub & Billiards
10.10. USA Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
11.10. USA Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
12.10. USA Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero Theatre
14.10. USA Clifton Park, NY – Upstate Concert Hall