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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.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
04 Change of Heart (04:30)
Spring brought the two together
Married the wind with the fire
Under the secrecy of lush birch trees
Opposite hearts became one
One day followed another
Weeks passed, months lapsed
Until wind grew to a storm
And fire to a burning pile
Cold gust of whirlwind
Fiery flames, burning sharp
Adoration all too strong pushed the two apart
Different from the start
Fate that never was written in the stars
Led to a change of hearts
The fall split the one in two
Under the pouring rain
Dressed them both in loneliness
And led to their separate ways
The fire could not be tamed with the wind
Or the wind suppressed by the flames
As blending the light with the dark
Merely results in grey
08 Devoid of Caring (05:40)
With this fall (I fall...) great grey clouds covered the sky
Dimming the light of sun, muting stars and crescent moon
Lost inside the world of gloomy, haunting shades
Descending into this abyss of human soul
In this dreariest of nights
Time can draw out like a blade
And yet Her grace shines through
Through me, and the brooding clouds
And if her light never falls on me
I’m content just to feel the lack
And this fall set requiem for my way
Away from other’s paths, I turned to desolation
Away from other’s thoughts, timid and surpassing
Away from the others, beyond caring
In this darkest of hours
Time draws out like a knife
The reflection once whole, now only a wound, seeping hurt and loss
The image once so bold, now only a scar, dry of hope and light
For all things ought to say, left unsaid
For all deeds ought to do, left undone
Be with me now...
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