So is the latest platter from our favorite wacky Finns, the major label debut (for the domestic division of EMI) worth the outrageous prices typically reserved for loan necessitating Japanese imports? The promo photos, with founding guitarist Tomi Koivusaari's shorn locks didn't bode well. Somehow, the successful introduction of native folk music, all those years ago, has afforded Amorphis a genre expanded respectability that larger names (Metallica, Megadeth and Paradise Lost, chief amongst them) are not. Of course, these youngsters continue to write infectious tunes. Of the ten tracks, most are clean, mid-tempo to upbeat jangly rockers, although 'Evil Inside' attempts a more modern (and to these ears, less successful) sound, via modulated vocals and a slower, staccato pace. An undercurrent of Eastern mysticism creeps into the short-lived 'Mourning Soil', ditto 'Higher Ground', which is the heaviest tune of the lot. The title track is the geographical center of Amorphis 2003. That vintage Hammond sound is offered, just a subtle taste, as the gradually increasing intense (and thick, in terms of overall instrumentation) tune winds towards conclusion. Measured, never chaotic. 'Killing Goodness', despite the seeming return to black metal title, is a lively, keyboard-dominated number. Speaking of instruments with keys, 'Ethereal Solitude' begins with piano, as does the concluding 'Smithereens', but where the former sticks to the plan, the finale is framed in a darker, contemplative light. Is there any band that continues to live up to their name more aptly? Different, once again, but still enjoyable.