With “Dancing Shadow,” Finnish metal icons AMORPHIS have presented the final audiovisual appetiser of their new studio album Borderland (September 26, 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music) before their stage comeback in just a few weeks. The song follows two superbly embraced singles, and is yet another hit out of the group’s sound forge as it’s blessed with all ingredients to get at least equally well-received by the worldwide music community.
Thoughtful verses remind of the uncertain times in everyone’s lives to make fans escape from this dejecting state of mind into the suffusing light of the moon which shines through the darkest of all woods. But to contrast the song’s depth, AMORPHIS successfully crossed the genre ‘borderland’ resulting in an irresistible track full of twisting moments. “Dancing Shadow” finally closes on its peak – before you just have to play it from the beginning over and over again.
“The working title for ‘Dancing Shadow’ was ‘Disco Tiger.’ Musically it represents catchiness and hooks that have been familiar elements within our music for a long time. Sound-wise it came out pretty fresh and even modern. I bet this song will shake your legs on the dance floor – in a METAL disco, of course,” states guitarist Esa Holopainen.
Drummer Jan Rechberger adds: “With ‘Dancing Shadow,’ we stepped into completely new territory. For a band with over three decades behind us, that kind of reinvention feels meaningful.”
Like its predecessor “Bones,” AMORPHIS’ latest single has also been visualised under the aegis of Patric Ullaeus, and takes fans of the band into a black-and-white dominated setting, highlighting the piece’s core message in a captivating way.
After recording four albums in a row in Sweden, Hansen Studios (Jacob Hansen, Denmark; VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE, PRIMAL FEAR, etc.) were the destination of choice in late 2024 and early 2025. The album artwork was designed by Dutch artist Marald Van Haasteren (METALLICA, BLACK SABBATH, KVELERTAK, ALCEST etc.) this time.
Besides newly collaborating with Hansen and Van Haasteren, AMORPHIS still rely on the lyrical craftsmanship of Pekka Kainulainen, who’s been courageously writing for the band since their 2007 offering Silent Waters. About his inspiration for Borderland, Kainulainen comments: “The generations that came here before us, our ancestors, also had to face death and destruction. Honouring the mythologies of mankind, as well as the listeners of AMORPHIS, I wrote lyrics that hopefully convey some of the humility and strength that mankind has always depended on.”
With Borderland, the title of the album couldn’t have been chosen more fittingly. Throughout their career, spanning over more than three decades, AMORPHIS — Tomi Joutsen (vocals), Esa Holopainen (guitars), Tomi Koivusaari (guitars), Olli-Pekka Laine (bass), Santeri Kallio (keyboards) and Jan Rechberger (drums & percussion) — have been an ever-evolving act, wandering on an exciting boundary-pushing path. From their sinister death metal debut Karelian Isthmus over genre-defining mid-90s melodic death works like Tales From The Thousand Lakes and Elegy as well as the melodic 2000’s grandeur of Eclipse or Skyforger to records combining the very best of all prior eras to refreshing new soundscapes (f.e. Under The Red Cloud or Queen Of Time): Whatever this group works on promises long-range success.
AMORPHIS’ forthcoming album will be released in time for a massive headline tour in their home country as well as a trip as part of an arena-filling package with ARCH ENEMY, ELUVEITIE and GATECREEPER, kicking off in Stuttgart, Germany on October 10.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.