Review: Insomnium - Across The Dark

My dearest readers...picture this: Heart of winter. Late night. -25 degrees celcius outside. The only light in the outside comes from the full moon that reflects from the virgin white snow. In the middle of nowhere there is a cottage and you can only see dim light coming from one window. Through the window you can see a figure inside...standing on a chair...with a noose around his neck. I think I just described what in my opinion is Insomnium. How can something be at the same time so melodic and touching yet so god damn depressive?! Well...to me Insomnium is just that.

Their label Candlelight Records describes Across The Dark like this: "AMAZING FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM FROM FINNISH MELODIC DEATH METALLERS A PINCH OF DOOM, SOME THRASHING, A WHOLE LOT OF TIMELESS MELODIES AND PROGRESSIVE TWISTS AND THERE YOU HAVE IT: INGREDIENTS OF THE MASTERPIECE THE PERFECT MARRIAGE OF SCANDINAVIAN DEATH METAL WITH TRADITIONAL FINNISH TUNES"

Over the last decade Insomnium has slowly but surely made themselves a household name among melodic death metal bands. Formed in 1997 in a somnolent town of Joensuu, in eastern Finland, these stern men have since redefined the boundaries of the genre. Two highly acclaimed demos set the standard and in 2001 the band signed to UK label Candlelight Records.

The thing I respect about Insomnium is their ability to test boundaries (if they have any) and make music that at the same is melodic and brutal. In just few seconds you can be totally breathless from beautiful melodies that all of a sudden change onto brutal death metal. "Across The Dark" brings new elements when they took Jules Näveri from Profane Omen to sing clean vocals on few songs. This was the first time Insomnium had clean vocals on their albums although they already planned some on their predecessor "Above The Weeping World". On livesituation those clean vocals will be sung by Ville Friman who handles guitars at the same time.

As an album "Across The Dark" is much more complex than any they've done before. The average length of songs are around 5-6 minutes. But although there are new things presented, this is so Insomnium...as pure as it can be. Insomnium used to be "Finland's best kept secret" but it's not anymore. And about time for them to get some recognition dammit.

Review: 9/10

Across The Dark tracklist:

1. Equivalence
2. Down With The Sun
3. Where The Last Wave Broke
4. The Harrowing Years
5. Against The Stream
6. Lay Of Autumn
7. Into The Woods
8. Weighed Down with Sorrow

Insomnium is:
Niilo Sevänen / Vocals, Bass
Ville Friman / Guitars
Ville Vänni / Guitars
Markus Hirvonen / Drums

Links:
http://www.insomnium.net
http://www.myspace.com/insomniumband
http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk
http://www.metalfromfinland.com/Insomnium/