Insomnium Anno 1696

Insomnium doesn't need an introduction but for those living under a rock, they are a Finnish melodic death metal band who formed way back in 1997. 

But Insomnium have never been of the "Gothenburg" style of the genre. Their music eschews jaunty harmonies and melody for downtrodden epics that have much in common with doom metal. There is no doubt that as the years go by, their music gets darker and darker. 'Anno 1696' takes that notion to the next level.

Anno 1696' is a concept album set in a period of one  Finland's more dark eras. It was a time of famine, cannibalism, and witch hunts. As far as the particular details and characters in the story, I couldn't tell you. I know it's blasphemy, but I never follow concept album stories nor do I care to do so. I'm here for the music and song writing. And both these elements are in top tier form on Insomnium's 9th studio album. 

The atmosphere of this album is so defeated, bleak, and hopeless that it is almost hard to describe. Of course the concept lends itself exploration by such moody music. With that being said, the music has the trademark melodies that turn the album, and each individual song, into soulful dirges.

'1696' opens the album with clean guitars and drums that have the vibe of melding western and tribal sounds together. Subtle keys provide a chilling backdrop for the clean music.Niilo Sevänen arrives soon enough with growled spoken word before he, and the song, explodes with passioned fury. The song is fast and furious but the simple and effective melodic during the chorus are bitter sweet. 

Sakis Tolis guest stars on 'White Christ," and it has become one of my favorite songs the band has ever done. I never imagined Sakis and Insomnium would mix well but here we are. His vocals are vicious and he and Niilo sound at home trading off between each other.<br>The movement between 3:45 and 5:15 is beautifully tragic and is a classic example of the band's trademark sound.

"Godforsaken," features another guest, this time Johanna Kurkela, a Finnish singer-songwriter and the wife of Nightwish mastermind Tuomas. Her vocals are magnificent and elevate the song to another level---and world. Sweeping, violent and majestic are all the things I can use to describe this song.

'Lilian,' is one of the most straightforward and basic songs on the album. That isn't a bad thing and is actually appreciated as it breaks up any potential motony from the longer, more adventurous tracks. I can make a safe bet this song will be a hit live too. 

The opening melodies of 'Starless Paths,' are mediate and catchy.  The song itself has excellent pacing and flow and sounds right at home coming in after 'Lilian.'  

It is a more urgent sounding song as well even in the quieter parts such as the ambient passage around 5:15 mark.

'The Witch Hunter,' does a great job balancing the album's sprawling sound with a more straight forward attack.  Clean vocals aren't used a lot on this album but they do integrate well into this song. This is another song that I can see getting the crowd worked up.

'The Unrest,' is a clean song but no less effective as the ones before it. It keeps the same feel and atmosphere of the album but presents it in a different light, so to speak. 

'The Rapids is the final song and a grand send off. All the ideas and elements across the previous seven tracks are presented in this ending that also establishes this new era for Insomnium.

Lumen Ad Mortem - Upon The Edge of Darkness REVIEW

LUMEN AD MORTEM is a black metal band from Australia that formed in 2019. “Upon The Edge Of Darkness,” is their full length debut; they released a demo in 2019. Considering how young this band is, “Upon The Edge Of Darkness,” is an unusually strong debut. However, that may not be apparent upon first listen–this is an album that will require many listens. I don’t mean that as “I first heard this and didn’t like it but eventually I warmed up to it.” No, this album was solid from the beginning. What I mean is there is a lot to unpack here; the album reveals itself to have a refreshing sound that covers a lot of ground and includes many elements that tie together extremely well.

The album length is around forty one minutes, which I find to be the sweet spot for many albums. However with only six songs, all of them except one are above six minutes—plenty of time for these songs to work their magic. So what is the magic, what makes the album so special? The atmosphere leaves a lasting impression–it is cold as a grave and grim as death. In that sense, this is very much an album that has an old school impression. However, the execution is definitely more modern. Symphonics/keys are used to heighten this atmosphere. What’s really enjoyable about the keys is they are used heavily in places when needed, other times they are more subtle. LUMEN AD MORTEM aren’t using them for the hell of it but they aren’t afraid to pour them on if the song calls for them, either.

Though the aggression doesn't have any issues rearing its deadly head, the album is loaded with melody. This isn’t a happy sort of melody or a catchy one like the Gothenburg style. No, this melody compliments the riffs just to bring about their own brand of haunted musical passages. The album beings with “Infinite Resonance,” and its quiet build up. The built in intro heightens the atmosphere before the slow burn of riffs make their way in. I love how well the drums compliment the guitars while adding a ton of energy. The pace is slower, the notes unfurling themselves as a natural extension of the instruments and those who play them.


“Within The Smoke,” is a bit more vicious and faster paced, those thick grooves hitting hard in between bursts of speed. The pacing of the song does feel natural with a defined purpose of where it is going and how it will get there. The guitar and bass don’t change tempo on the song much, acting like another layer of atmosphere while the drums take on the duty of providing a more intense side of the song, “Ethereal,” is filled with guitars that change from being a heavy backdrop for the atmo to actual riffs, which opens the song up for an aggressive turn of events in the last quarter of its lengthy journey. Those melodies I spoke of earlier are permeated through the song and create a destitute yet epic and robust sound.

“Thought And Memory,” is one hell of a song. The beginning is unbridled rage Around the 2:47 mark, the music morphs into textured keys—a very interesting passage and respite that seemingly slides back into the later half, which is loaded with inhuman roars. That all fades out to a clever clean outro that really caps it all off. “Voices From The Stream,” is immediately towering but not afraid to throw in some melody to bridge the gaps. The halfway point is a showcase for the blackened vocals and the tumultuous drumming, both of which mix well with the dissonant melodies that help wind the song down even as it unravels the listener's mind.

“Narrow Paths And Stony Ground,” is lush from the beginning. Snare attacks hit hard, accenting the keys like lighting strikes lighting up the world in front of you in the middle of the night. By the time the two minute mark comes around, the music is moving in a more atmo direction with less focus on battering ram and more focus on pushing the music up and onward as it envelopes the musical landscape. All in all, LUMEN AD MORTEM have written a great black metal that immediately puts them on the map and starts them off as a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.

Vahrzaw - In The Shallows of a Starlit Lake REVIEW

VAHRZAW is an Australian extreme metal band who formed in 1994 under the name Necromancy. They underwent several more name changes before landing on their current moniker. "In The Shallows of a Starlit Lake," is their fifth full length album. In addition, they have released two demos, two splits and three EPs. The only other album of theirs I have heard so far is their previous album, "The Trembling Voices of Conquered Men."That particular album was solid but a bit too short and the bookend tracks were just filler. However, this new album feels like a much more complete package. Whereas they were doing a weighty combination of death and black metal, this album definitely leans towards black metal.

Honestly, I think it works much better for them. The production, which is both crusty and atmospheric, fits the blackened approach like a glove too. The keys are noteworthy. Sometimes they are subtle, other time they are not. But they are never overbearing but are always beautiful in their own way. The other instruments exist for their own purposes but still build for a greater whole. Each instrument can be singled out as its own journey but the songs are definitely a full beast with each musical limb doing its part to move the monster.

The opening track, "The Amber Glow of the Gaslight," is, at first experience, a go for the throat type of black metal. Fast riffs, hectic drums, screaming vocals…its all here. But dig a little deeper and the details reveal themselves. Like flesh slowly rotting, there is a system underneath that shows what it is made of as time passes. Unlike the flesh, the song only becomes stronger. The ambient/key movement at 2:29 to 3:34 is alien and a little upsetting to the mind. But it is also oddly warm and a beauty of a different sort. The buildup and flow back into heavier sounds is organic and impressive.


The title track rumbles along at a steady pace, the drums and all their little details mix well with the light keys for an atmosphere that paints a very full canvas. I love the guitars that move slow and methodical, warping the mood to their very desires. The bass ties it all together, a perfect partner to every element within the song. A little groove is injected around the halfway point, a chance for the guitars to cut loose and the black metal to flow with the crashing drums. Near the end, unique keys back up the guitar for another round of metal melding with moody soundscapes. The creepy beginning of "At The Mercy of the Shrike," gives little hint of the fury that falls behind it but that is okay because the foreboding mood remains the same. The song hurdles forward on a train of riffs until about the halfway mark. Now the song is back to an unnerving path before bursting into a galloping barrage of guitar/bass that sends out far reaching ripples of destruction.

The song ramps itself up again to an explosive ending that is dangerous and expensive things that are indicative of the album as a whole. The final track, "To Breathe In Leviathan," is absolutely massive in its scope. It is a mini epic that never does anything with less than a thousand percent confidence. A variety of musical passages await as the ambient ending or the unnerving melodic passages that lead up to it. VAHRZAW have majorly upped their game with this album while also throwing a bomb into the black metal genre because it has what it takes to fight its way to the top for the first quarter of the year.

Misanthropik Torment - Ecdysis REVIEW

MISANTHROPIK TORMENT is an extreme metal band from Lexington, KY. Their sound is a filthy representation of black, death and thrash—-it all comes together seamlessly for a true visceral vision of contempt for all things wrong with life. There isn't anything shy about their music–nothing is held back and it is all rise. The lyrics are of a similar nature, confronting the evil in the world, screaming out against the very tyranny that makes Earth nothing more than a big ball of shit. Extreme subject matter begs for extreme music. This album is short and to the point–it does what it needs to and then leaves behind broken bodies. Some might want more ‘meat and potatoes’ to their music but this style doesn’t need an hour and a half album with crazy interludes and thirteen minute long songs.

It wouldn't be a complete package without vocals to match this thinking man's insanity. Erik Leviathan's vocals consist of low growls, screams, blackened snarls, and gurgling burps.. He does it all, does it well and comes with a seemingly unending supply of raging energy. "Master and Slave," opens the album without a warning or pretense. From the opening riff, the song goes for the throat. From fast to faster, the song ebbs and flows through a barrage of death metal riffs and passages of blackened speed. Jonathan R.Nesbitt is as capable at the rhythm section as he is at hammering out riffs. The drums and bass are both unreal, in terms of aggression but also how strong of a foundation they hold up despite the unrelenting approach of shredding ear drums.

The title track ",Ecdysis," opens at half speed before fully diving into the rotten waters of the rumbling bass and machine precision of the drums. The guitar riffs direct the song to deep, dark notes to a more open sound as the need arises. I'm of the very firm belief that a title track should always be a banger. Well, this one is a nuclear blast. The opening bass to ,"Somnium Mortuus Est," is groovy, lead heavy and the backbone the song needs to handle the sweltering double bass, the brick heavy guitar done and the swarm of searing vocals.

The movement between 1:48 and 2:10 is the song equivalent to an earthquake—-I challenge anyone to find a more primal, raw and honest moment in this style. The final track, "Karmatic Retribution" is a fine send off—-the band is firing on all cylinders with music that remains stuck inside the head—music this extreme but still memorable and even a little catchy? Yes please. This song just shows that a band doesn't have to be extreme for the sake of it. Putting care and real thought into anything, even flesh peeling death metal, always results in a high quality product.