71. Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes (1994)
This album is Amorphis' crowning achievement, their magnum opus.
Tales From The Thousand Lakes might just be one of the best and most atmospheric melodeath albums of all time. They combine a lot of influences here (death metal, Finnish folk, doom metal, prog) that all unite to form a dark and rich atmosphere that grips you from the very beginning and never lets up. Every track has multiple insanely memorable riffs that are melodic yet doomy, folky yet heavy. Tomi Koivusaari's growls are deep and resonant, enhancing the gloomy ambiance. The artwork is beautiful and the lyrics are epic, inspired by The Kalevela (the national poem of Finland). The keyboards are utilized tastefully, contributing to the album's unique swampy atmosphere without being overdone or tacky. Songs like "The Castaway", "Black Winter Day", "Drowned Maid" and "Magic And Mayhem" are forever cemented as classics of the genre. The deluxe version of the album also includes bonus tracks (Moon And Sun Pts. I & II) that are equally excellent.