From their webpage, "At its strongest, music is a gateway into another world. The key to a gate nothing else can pry open. Music, essentially, is a weapon to destroy the walls we built around us, and Finnish metal melancholists INSOMNIUM are amongst its strongest wielders. Their ninth masterpiece, "Anno1696," leads us deep into a dark and troublesome past in Northern Europe. This is an age of unrest. The age of great famine in the North. The witch hunt is in full swing all across Europe and the gruesome witch trials have even reached the remote and majestic landscapes of Finland and Sweden." The album has eight songs.

The title track is the first. Acoustic guitars start off solitary, then build in layers, with a steady march in the drums. Niilo's vocals are a raspy whisper at first, and then that big sound hits you. The drums offer a good deal of fills, and the bass thumps steadily under the weight of the riff. The marching sound returns at the end. "White Christ" has that quintessential INSOMNIUM sound...a weighted riff, some feelings of Doom, and appropriately placed leads. The slow down at the end is really nice, with some clean tones. "God Forsaken" is a beastly eight minutes. They set the stage with female vocals, chanting softly and sadly, before that monstrous riff comes in. This is a powerful and moving song. The leads are great...the reverb gives the song a majestic quality, and the clean vocals elevate the song to the highest mountain peak.

"Lilian" was the first single released ahead of the album, and it's a banger. The leads play so well with the rhythms as they always do. This might be INSOMNIUM's signature move. The riff isn't anything special but it does get the point across. As I see it, he longs for this woman, who transforms into a wolf while he is searching for her in the wilderness. What could be more beautiful than that? "Starless Paths" is another extended song, and this is where the band seems to hit their stride more. It allows for more development, more visuals, and some long, lamenting leads. Try to get through this song without developing a strong feeling of both excitement and despair. It's beautifully depressing in so many ways. The female leads combine with piano towards the end, followed by a rigorous crescendo where Niilo really stretches his voice. "The Witch Hunter" is a little more straightforward, and those clean harmonies trigger goosebumps on my arms. It's a wonderfully mysterious song with plenty of emotions.

"The Unrest" is a four-minute song with an acoustical opening. Clean harmonies wash over you. That feeling of unrest is alive here in that the music calms, you, but the vocals beguile you to action. "The Rapids" closes the album. The power, and reverence returns. Someone lit a firecracker and off the song goes with a much faster pace. Drums roll with purpose, and singing leads fill in the cracks. The crescendo at the end has it all...hasty elements and the feeling that something lurks around the corner. This album was a safe play for the band, and there were only a few surprises. Three of the songs in particular were outstanding. It's still better than the majority of albums that I have heard this year, but I would be lying if I didn't express a little disappointment.