Review : INSOMNIUM – “Across The Dark”

Insomnium - Across The Dark
released September 15, 2009 on Candlelight

If you want your melancholy and infinite sadness pumpkin-free, seek out the fourth album from this Finnish quartet. The unchanged core lineup (since 2001) still crafts nuanced melodic death metal, but also reach out to guest musicians to achieve their powerful sound.

Aleksi Munter (Swallow The Sun) brings his remarkable keyboard skills, subtly essential to overall affect. He even gently unfurls the opening track, which bleeds beautifully into the next, and are better experienced together. Jules Näveri (Profane Omen, Enemy of the Sun) reveals a striking new dimension for Insomnium, adding excellent clean vocal harmonies on 3, 4, & 6. Classic Gothenburg thrash runs rampant thru 5 & 7, the latter invoking Amorphis with its palpable folk melodies vs rich atmospheres. The epic nine minute opus “Lay of The Autumn” best explores their full sonic breadth, and is a strongly encouraged listen.

It’s difficult to call this ‘death’ metal, since the despair-ridden lyrics hardly reference it overtly. Niilo Sevänen’s vocals are largely responsible for the label, as he growls, whispers, and rasps like a mad Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth). He also provides a strong bass backbone without getting lost in the mix (always nice to hear). One more album of this caliber should solidify their place among the upper crust of Scandinavian metal. Haunting, impassioned, and devastatingly beautiful.

FCC OK
Try 2, 3, 4, *6*, 8

01. Equivalence
02. Down With The Sun
03. Where The Last Wave Broke
04. The Harrowing Years
05. Against The Stream
06. Lay Of The Autumn
07. Into The Woods
08. Weighed Down With Sorrow

Rating: