Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
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Amorphis have been churning out their unique brand of metal for over 20 years. Earlier this year the Finnish band released its 10th studio album, 'The Beginning of Times.' Fans of forward-thinking songwriting and musicianship praised the record and it's surely going to land in many year-end top 10 lists this December. Noisecreep caught up with Amorphis guitarist Esa Holopainen and asked him to share with us the five albums that changed his life.

'Perfect Strangers'
Deep Purple (1984)
"This album came out when I was around 13-years-old. My friend brought it to school, among several other soon to be classic albums, and I was immediately sold. There's something special about this killer, big ego-filled Mark 4 lineup with Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Roger Glover. I was totally sold for 'Knocking At Your Back Door,' even thou I had no clue what the song was about. The title track is still one of my all-time favorite Deep Purple songs."
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'IV'
Led Zeppelin (1971)
"I have been privileged to be among my childhood friends who seemed to dig nothing but classics. Led Zeppelin was one of the bands that was often played through ghetto blasters when we would all hang out. At first I didn't like them that much because it was too rock and older guys used to like rock a lot. I mean bands like Stray Cats, Matchbox - so the association between these guys was annoying. But you really can't resist Led Zeppelin. I think this band changes everyone's life when you listen to classics like 'When the Levee Breaks' to 'Stairway to Heaven.' They totally had the sound and skills."
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'Powerslave'
Iron Maiden (1984)
"These guys made me what I am. When I saw Iron Maiden at Helsinki during their 'Powerslave' tour (which was by the way one of the first shows I ever attended) I knew immediately that I wanted to be a rock star. When you're young and naïve, you don't really think that much about how unrealistic it can be. It would have been probably much easier to become an F1 driver or a professional ice hockey player, than coming out with your own music from Finland and try to make it. But in our way we did it and I haven't regretted it since music ultimately became my profession. So this album has huge impact to me and musically it still stands in its place as my absolute favorite Iron Maiden record."
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'Echoes'
Pink Floyd (2001)
"When I was younger I went to see every possible gig we had in Finland. Not that many tours came here because of the amount of places you can play and logistical reasons. But Pink Floyd came to here on the 'Momentary Lapse of Reason' tour and that show changed my life completely. I had already started to play guitar and the sound David Gilmour has is unbelievable. There is no other player that puts such an impact and feeling to solos than David. Later on, 'Echoes' became my favorite Floyd album. Even though every album they've done is a classic, I learned the most from this one since I jammed along to it so many times."
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'Master of Puppets'
Metallica (1986)
"Anyone as old as I am would pick this album. What can you say about it that hasn't already been said? 'Master of Puppets' changed the entire heavy metal scene. Cliff Burton was the king and unfortunately the soul of the band faded away with him when he passed away. There was also a rumor that the song 'Leper Messiah' included some Dave Mustaine riffs. Either way, this album is a classic. I've bought it several times just because I have lost, scratched or worn out earlier copies."
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