Insomnium

Based in Joensuu, Finland, a veritable hotbed of sweet, sad, wintry music, melodic death metallers Insomnium have produced another fantastic soundtrack to the rapidly cooling weather. The album begins with "Inertia," featuring a lovely instrumental intro that trickles in like melt water, then the drums come in ― dense, hard death metal drums. The vocals that emerge on One For Sorrow can be positively doom-y, alternating between deep and mournful cleans and animal growls throughout. The guitar work is melodic, at times almost delicate, like a frostbitten leaf cracking underfoot. One For Sorrow is a lovely autumn soundtrack, characterized by a sweet melancholia that conjures the buttery smokiness of dying leaves in the air, and increasingly longer nights. Even at their most urgent, like in "Only One Who Waits" and "Regain the Fire," Insomnium convey a sense of fragility in the delicate, trilling guitars and bittersweet atmosphere. This album demonstrates a great balance between frailty and strength that's best encapsulated in "Song of the Blackest Bird." This is powerful, wounded music.