Amorphis unveil first single 'The Bee' + start "Queen Of Time" pre-order!

Melancholic progressive metaller 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.

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

»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