Finland, spring 1997. Four young musicians start their journey through the world of Metal, under the name Insomnium.
As most people might know, Finland is well known for it's Power and Symphonic Metal scene with names like Stratovarius, Nightwish, Sonata Arctica and not that much when it comes to Death Metal acts with few exceptions like early Amorphis, Children of Bodom and Eternal Tears of Sorrow (R.I.P.).
Insomnium, after a successful debut album which was released 2 years ago, will try to enter this small list of known Finnish Death Metal acts with their new release Since The Day It All Came Down. When will this day be, we don't know, but we surely know this review isn't going to be easy so let's get down to it...
Riffs, Riffs, Riffs! That's the first feeling a listener will probably get from this album. When most Death Metal bands focus their power on the rhythm section, on bass and mainly drums, Insomnium focus on guitar work. Almost each and every song in S.T.D.I.A.C.D has a significant riff that is so well placed and performed that it'll surely catch you by surprise. Since we're speaking of guitar work, one unique element on Insomnium is the use of an acoustic guitar along with the electric which sometimes work simultaneously in a song with absolute blending. To be honest it did sound a lot Opeth-like but Insomnium did put their identity in every song of this album. A perfect example of the above is the 9 minute long Disengagement which, despite it's long duration, won't get boring, not even for a moment.
Other great moments of this album are the actual opener -since the first track is a dark atmospheric instrumental intro- The Day It All Came Down and Bereavement with the great piano intro and the awesome rhythm section which surely is a neck breaker!
If we want to describe with a single phrase the sound of Insomnium in S.T.D.I.A.C.D, it's an atmospheric mid-tempo riff fest. If Annihilator is the king of riffs in modern Metal then Insomnium really are a candidate for the riff crown in Melodic Death Metal. Despite Insomnium being excellent musicians, this is also a result of an almost flawless production which we are used to get from bands coming from the Scandinavian countries or even groups using their studios. The drums aren't so upfront as we're used to in most Death Metal bands but they are equally powerful. The bass follows the same path as the drums and really creates a sound carpet for the great riffs to evolve and the deep death growls to really tighten the song up.
Insomnium are really doing a great job on their latest album but they need to move one step away from the entire stereotype of the modern Death Metal scene. You'll say numerous times that this reminds you of that group and so on but you might consider that it isn't that bad since we aren't in the 80's anymore. We've got so many new sounds that it's hard to find something truly unique. One thing is for sure, Insomnium will evolve their own sound without denying their musical roots and influences. S.T.D.I.A.C.D is really their passport into the world and we'll make sure that you'll hear about them.