Insomnium

With the decline of bands like In Flames and Soilwork into more radio-friendly metal, many purists may claim that the melodic death metal scene has lost its touch. Then a band like Finland’s Insomnium comes around and rekindles faith in the entire genre. Above the Weeping World is nothing short of brilliant from start to finish. Although this album isn’t quite a full-on taste of Gothenburg, its melodic guitar lines will remind fans of Jester Race-era In Flames; while the pace and vocal arrangements sound very much like Opeth in their Morningrise days. At its core it is a very progressive-sounding album, yet the average track length of about five minutes will hold the listener’s ear long enough not bore them with repeating melodies. The album also sets off a great mood — rivalling established progressive metal bands such as Agalloch in their dreary-but-catchy sound — especially in the limited acoustic parts of the album. Such an atmosphere makes this is a great album to listen to on a dark and stormy winter’s day. Above the Weeping World is Insomnium’s third album to date and judging from the incredible atmosphere and quality songwriting they have put forth with this release, we could be seeing the next legendary Scandinavian metal export.