AMORPHIS's SANTERI KALLIO Understands Why Artists Use A.I. To Create Music Videos: 'You Can Save Money And You Can Save Time'

In a recent interview with Metal Covenant, guitarist Esa Holopainen and keyboardist Santeri Kallio of Finnish melancholic progressive metallers AMORPHIS weighed in on a debate about people using an A.I. (artificial intelligence) music generator as a tool to create melodies, harmonies and rhymes based on artificial intelligence (A.I.) algorithms and machine learning (M.L.) models. Santeri said: "Well, I don't see any[thing] wrong with that. I get it that you have to be careful not to use it, because at the moment, A.I. uses the same themes for everybody, basically. But, for example, for music videos the budgets are going down because of diminishing record sales and streaming services, so the bands don't really get that much of a budget. So in music videos, actually, the A.I. is pretty good. You can save money and you can save time. And the videos actually look phenomenal sometimes. Obviously, you have to be careful not to overuse it, but there are places you can use that. But for album covers and shit like that, oh no. I think that doesn't make any sense, because it kind of lacks personality.

Esa chimed in: "I guess many people have, like, played with A.I. themselves, like, 'Draw this, and this, and all these ideas,' and then you get like a fantasy artwork."

Santeri continued: "Especially a lot of fantasy bands aren't using A.I., because it's basically impossible to build a setup with all the fucking dragons and wolves and shit. But on a small scale, you can make better-looking videos and build some atmospheres like a snowstorm pretty easily."

Esa went on to say: "Nothing to do with music, but overall, the A.I., that's a pretty scary idea where the whole thing is leading us into. It'll probably be the world's destructors. [Laughs]"

Santeri added: "Terminators are coming, or Matrix. But we are old-schoolers. I haven't even tried the A.I. music programs, because my biggest fun in life is I'm enthusiastic. I like to make it myself. I'm such an old guy. I've lived in the '80s. You learn that it's the most fun part to do. So why the hell would you get rid of that and start using A.I.? But I understand the younger people. They will see the world totally different in 20 years, because they've lived through those times. Personally, I have no interest in that, because what I enjoy the most in life is to take a guitar and build a song for yourself and jam with the guys and play the shows with the guys. That's the most fun part. Why destroy the most fun part in the world, even though it's possible?"

This past September, AMORPHIS vocalist Tomi Joutsen told Jovan Ristić of Altnote, about people using A.I. in music: "Well, to be honest, I don't know how much the machines can do already. It's difficult, because, of course, everyone would like to hear band using real amplifiers, real guitars, real drums, real instruments, but nowadays I think most of people are using plugins and stuff like that out to everything. So it's not like totally pure art, if you think of it that way.

"I think computers and stuff, they can be a great inspiration, and if someone wants to do everything with computers and programs, it's okay for me," he explained. "But personally, I think that pure art, it's coming from people, not from the machines. I think what machines cannot do is create real emotions. They don't understand what it's like to feel, what it's like to really love or hate or suffer. So I think you need all of that, all of the emotions, if you want to bring something unique or true, and that's my opinion about it."

AMORPHIS's latest album, "Borderland", came out in September. The follow-up to 2022's "Halo" was recorded in late 2024 and early 2025 at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen. The cover artwork was designed by Dutch artist Marald Van Haasteren (METALLICA, BLACK SABBATH, KVELERTAK, ALCEST).

Since forming in Helsinki in 1990, the Finnish sextet has fearlessly explored musical frontiers — from raw death metal roots to melodic, progressive and folk-tinged heavy rock, and far beyond. At every turn, AMORPHIS has expanded musical and lyrical boundaries without compromising their artistic identity.

AMORPHIS's fifteenth studio album marks both a continuation and a reinvention of the band's legacy. With acclaimed Danish producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, ARCH ENEMY, AMARANTHE) at the helm for the first time and a revitalized creative spark within the group, "Borderland" sees AMORPHIS fully embracing their melodic sensibilities while venturing into fresh, uncharted sonic landscapes.

AMORPHIS is:

Tomi Joutsen - vocals
Esa Holopainen - guitars
Tomi Koivusaari - guitars
Olli-Pekka "Oppu" Laine - bass
Santeri Kallio - keys
Jan Rechberger - drums & percussion

Photo credit: Sam Jamsen