Finnish progressive metal band Amorphis released their 11th studio album, Circle, April 30 via Nuclear Blast Records in the US.
It's refreshingly more guitar-oriented than any of the band's previous efforts, and it has producer Peter Tägtgren's signature touch all over it.
I recently interviewed guitarist and main songwriter Esa Holopainen, and we discussed the making of the album and more. You can check out that portion of the interview right here. Below, you can hear a different portion of the interview, during which we discuss his gear and the band's live shows. Listen to the 14-minute conversation below, and visit Amorphis online at amorphis.net.
Andrew Bansal is a writer who has been running his own website, Metal Assault, since early 2010, and has been prolific in covering the hard rock and heavy metal scene by posting interviews, news, reviews and pictures on his website — with the help of a small group of people. He briefly moved away from the Los Angeles scene and explored metal in India, but he is now back in LA continuing from where he left off.
“I’m about 85 or 90 percent there. But it’s that 10 percent that sets me off. I can’t knock out those old solos as smooth as I used to”: Ace Frehley is practicing more than ever as he keeps his demons behind him and returns to arenas
“A lot of old-school guitar players can play amazing. But sometimes they’re not so innovative with the actual sound”: Steven Wilson on why guitarists need to switch up their tones to prevent their solos sounding stale
