Insomnium
Above The Weeping World

THE REVIEW

Insomnium is a Finnish band primarily dedicated to Melodic/Symphonic Death Metal, although their albums feature Doom influences and, especially in this latest one, Progressive influences. The group consists of: Nilo Sevänen on vocals and bass, Ville Friman and Ville Vänni on guitars, and Markus Hirvonen on drums, while the keyboards are played by a non-permanent guest, in this case, Aleksi Munter. As you can hear, despite the names not being highly renowned, the quartet consists of musicians of good quality.

"Above The Weeping World" is the latest release from Insomnium, dated 2006. In this album, the band tries to test their instrumental technique by attempting to get closer to Progressive while not straying too far from their main genre.

The album opens with a short song, "The Gale", which, before exploding into a riff, is entirely occupied by a piano and the sound of pouring rain, perhaps to begin conveying the melancholy the album aims to transmit. The beginning shows promise, but after the first listens, despite everything being well-played, a certain repetitiveness starts to become apparent, with tracks somewhat too similar to one another, almost approaching the threshold of boredom. The album wouldn’t deserve a passing grade, but finally the band awakens, and with the last three tracks, they manage to catch the listener’s attention: acoustic guitar inserts, varied riffs, more emotion. It's a shame that all this is noticeable only at the end of the album. Everything becomes better; the vocalist’s growl becomes more expressive, the riffs more compelling, and the presence of melancholic interludes truly succeeds in conveying emotion.

"Last Statement" and "Devoid Of Caring" are good episodes, but they serve as a prelude to the best song on the CD, "In The Groves Of Death". This track, lasting 10:08 minutes, is the best conclusion the album could have. Seeing its duration, it is clear that it is the track that comes closest to Progressive, and perhaps given the result, it suggests that the band needs long songs where they can better vary their sound and succeed in moving the listeners. Could adding Progressive elements to Melodic Death be the right path for Insomnium?

An album that merits a passing grade only thanks to the last three tracks. If they continue down that path, the next work could be truly very interesting.