Reviews | since the day it all came down
Erik Thomas
digitalmetal.com
Better late than never I suppose, but after purchasing this album (see not we reviewers are not always promos whores), I have a new addition to my top five albums of 2004. Hailing from Finland and caught in the vast net that entails melodic death metal, Insomnium are essentially what Amorphis should be now. While melodic death metal is certainly an apt catch all, the innate melancholy nature of the music by virtue of their “Finnish-ness” and a heavier earthier approach give them some resemblance to Rapture, Swallow the Sun and Sentenced. All comparisons aside, Since the Day it All Came Down is sheer musical bliss and a magnificent opus regardless of genre. Certainly eschewing usual melodic death structures in favor of the more sober, down tuned style complete with subterranean growls rather than skittish screams, Insomnium’s delivery is only shadowed by their song writing. Stout hooks, lush melodies earthy grooves, and a large dose of restraint result in a huge organic sound that rumbles with menace as well as entrance with gossamer harmonies. With a guitar tone that I can only describe as ‘Finnish’, (think Rapture) Insomnium litter their songs with more memorable riffs than many of their more established peers and throw in healthy amount of acoustic interludes and saddening atmospherics to please the doom crowd also.
Starting with the typically atmospheric instrumental “Nocturne”, Since the Day It All Came Down ebbs and flows with brilliance throughout its eleven tracks, and the ambitious nature of the songs as well as the death/doom duality brings to mind Opeth. The sheer scope of every single track is one of perfection, with muted, sullen harmonies layered over crunchy mid-paced yet urgent and gravelly riffs. Not one single note is wasted, as each riff and lead resonates with pristine quality and emotion. Picking out standout tracks is like remembering the best blowjob you got, they are all so good. “Daughter of the Moon” is rife with Amorphis like melodies and pacing, but rendered with Niilo Sevanen’s guttural yet clear growl rather than any clean whining. “Under The Plaintive Sky” does use some clean vocals, but when layered over the tracks monumental chugging riff, I can’t complain. “Resonance” seems to be a piecemeal mid-album intermission, with an acoustic only break to only prepare for the upbeat yet sorrow laced “And Death Walked the Earth”. There is truly no weak track on this album, as each one simply latches on to your senses and weaves a hypnotic trance about your conscious; just listen to “Disengagement” and tell me your are not blown away by its dense grandeur and mournful, yet epic scope. I dare you.
For a group of relative youngsters (this is only their second album), Insomnium have a grasp on harmony that belies their age, as they simply belt out riff after riff of solemn yet almost basic melodies that are addictively memorable. Drummer Markus Hirvonen provides a sturdy and basic backbone to Insomnium’s sound, letting Sevanen’s voice and the guitars of Ville Friman and Ville Hanne work their hypnotic magic. Only “Closing Words” fails to have the emotional impact of the rest of the album, but when the “My Kantele”-like grace of “Song of the Forlorn Son” cascades with rending overtures, the album is complete with a fine endnote and a sense of satisfaction I haven’t had upon and album’s completion in a long time. Exquisitely rendered, perfectly played and sublimely written, Since the Day it All Came Down has “classic” written all over it just as its blood relative forbearer, Tales from the 1000 Lakes did many years ago. Simply stunning.
David E. Gehlke
blistering.com | 8.5/10
No band has been able to successfully recreate the ghost of Tales-era Amorphis and Taneli Jarva-era Sentenced the way Insomnium did with their 2002 release, In The Halls Of Awaiting. Halls… was an album that not only filled the void left by the aforementioned bands, but also possessed a timeless beauty and aura, making it one of the better debuts this decade. This year's effort, Since the Day It All Came Down displays a slightly more mature and atmospheric Insomnium, building upon Halls… and making us all forget that Amorphis and Sentenced are no longer interested in melodic death metal.
Where Halls… relied heavily on the flowing melodies of guitar tandem Ville Friman and Ville Vanni, Since The Day… incorporates an obvious Opeth vibe, via the frequent use of acoustic guitars. The usage of acoustic guitars offers a great deal in variety, but might have been overdone in favor of some the soaring guitar melodies heard on Halls… Insomnium is able to compensate for this by once again showing their brilliant songwriting intangibles via multi-faceted guitar hooks, rapid-fire double bass action, and somber melodies.
There are no throwaway songs on Since the Day… with three tunes-‘Song Of The Forlorn Son’ ‘Closing Words’ and ‘Bereavement’ being the album highlights. ‘Song Of The Forlorn Son’ closes out the album in glorious, reflective fashion with some absolutely stunning acoustic guitars and melodies glistening in the Finnish sun. Elsewhere, ‘Closing Words’ has a pensive, immediate feel that features one of Insomnium's finer guitar melodies. These songs are characteristic of the innate charm of Insomnium, songs that harken back to the early days of Finnish melodic death metal.
Following up an album as immense and glorious as In The Halls Of Awaiting can only bring some sense of disapointment for those who salivated over Insomnium's take on old school Amorphis/Sentenced melodic death metal. This disapointment will be short lived, for Since The Day It All Came Down will easily rank as one of the finer releases of '04. With Sentenced still exploring suicidal pastures (and doing it quite well), and Amorphis hanging themselves out to dry thanks to the god-awful Far From The Sun album, Insomnium is essential listening for anyone who cherishes the sounds of melodic death metal's glory years, done Finnish style.
GZ
Anvil Magazine | 9/10
Coming across like Tales From 1000 Lakes-era Amorphis, and in the best possible way, Insomnium, along with Kalmah, Thyrane, and Immortal Souls, are among the best and brightest to come from Finland since Alexi Laiho’s Children left the roost. Not that this makes up for Eternal Tears Of Sorrow breaking up, or The Black League sucking, or Amorphis becoming pussies or anything, but its nice to know that melodic-death has a home. And, apparently, that home is still Finland. In all honesty, this is probably the best melodic-death to come our way since Eternal Lies and Mors Principium Est. It has a semi-progressive, folky style much like Lunar Strain-era In Flames, but with all the vicious snarl-then-mope emotional theatrics of mid-period Sentenced. One reviewer compared this band to a young Opeth. Well, that’s stretching it…severely. But it is quite good, and very solidly written and played. This quite sincerely fills that long-vacant void left by Amorphis when they crossed over. In fact—if they play their cards right—I guarantee you they will be the next great thing out of Finland. They’ve already filled a void in my disc-changer.
Ryan Plunkett
.metalreview.com
Yet again Finland has found itself another solid release. Insomnium brings together a fine mix of melodic fueled death with a perfect splash of melodic doom. Since the Day it All Came Down marks the bands sophomore effort and what a fine effort it is. Taking elements from Swallow the Sun, Opeth, and that patented Finnish finesse when it comes to creating melodic death/doom, Since the Day it All Came Down takes you on a journey of epic and moody proportions.
The disc starts out somberly with a beautifully orchestrated piano and string intro which leads straight into the upbeat melodic death based title-track. With well-written melodies and harmonies, this song will have your head bobbing in no time flat. However, with the next track, “Daughter of the Moon”, Insomnium are quick to show their more doom oriented elements with an acoustic introduction and a song pace that is much slower and heavier in orientation without losing a hint of their impeccable songwriting abilities. As the song slides along it’s doom phase with the aforementioned track and into its predecessor, Insominium once again takes another turn combining both elements, with a mid/slow paced combination of both death and doom influences. Its truly a treat to watch the band combine both elements so fluidly and it works out perfectly. Once you feel you may be getting a bit too much by the means of melodic death, the band is quick to change into a more doom oriented vibe. Not to mention the well-written Opeth like acoustic/clean parts tossed throughout the album. The album is finished off perfectly, with what is easily one of my favorite tracks, entitled “Song of the Forlorn Son.” Epic and doomy are the perfect words to accompany this track.
Insomnium is a band comprised of a bunch of young bucks who have a strong sense of song craftsmanship and should have a good career in metal on the horizon. With a solid production job, Since the Day it All Came Down is a stellar album that I highly recommend to anybody with ears. It is no secret that Finland is home to a strong line-up of bands and Insomnium only reaffirms this fact. Go buy this album, now!
Production: 5,5/6
Songwriting: 5/6
Musicianship: 4,5/6
Jester
pivotalrage.com | 5/5
Insomnium is the best up and coming melodic death metal act I have ever heard from Finland. Although their sound resembles that of Swedish metallers Dark Tranquility, Insomnium are ready to break out of the underground and unleash darkness over the entire world. Since their demo “Underneath the Moonlit Waves”, Insomnium has established itself as the darkest band in Scandinavia. “Since the Day It All Came Down” was released on March 5th, and is the best new CD I have heard all year
This album is extremely unique. Heavy guitar accompanied by double bass compliment and amazing melodic guitar parts In Flames dream about writing. In the few acoustic portions of the album, such as during “Disengagement”, the layering of the guitars is very effective coming through the sound system, and sustains the listener’s attention. The very low-key vocals, which are almost whispers, compliment the acoustic feel to the song much better than singing could. The heavy part in the second half of “Disengagement” following the acoustic section should go into melodic metal history. The heavy rhythm guitars compliment the melodic guitars and the simple, yet effective drumming compliments Niilo Sevänen’s (Vocals, Bass) screams perfectly. Other tracks such as “Resonance” display the band’s ability to make amazing acoustic instrumental songs. Also, on this CD, I noticed that Insomnium elected to take almost the same path Opeth elected to. They do this by weaving acoustic elements and brutally heavy sections into each song, I feel this album appeals to any metalhead. The overall production of the CD also adds great depth to the CD as a whole. It is not overproduced, leaving a more raw sound, essential to compliment the music Insomnium writes. The album is also cleaner in the acoustic sections. My only problem with the album is that in some parts, too many guitars are layered, making the songs feel clustered at times.
To anyone interested in getting “Since the Day It All Came Down” I suggest you buy it at www.plastichead.com.
Dave Lihg
Metal Hammer UK | 8/10
YET another Scandinavian band playing melodic death metal, Finland's Insomnium deliver a crisp, doom-laden and eminently satisfying twist to a snow-capped sound that's influenced by Dark Tranquillity and especially former Candlelight label-mates Opeth. Most run-of-the-mill metal bands are content to simply play their songs, drink a beer or six and then shag some groupies. Insomnium go one better, telling us stories by weaving together fragile acoustic elements, bassist Niilo Sevänen's mixture of clean and distorted vocals and wave after wave of brutally heavy instrumental bluster. The band's second album, 'Since The Day It All Came Down' is captivating from start to finish. Insomnium's skill lies in their ability to juxtapose such lightweight though engaging fodder as 'Resonance' with darker, harsher workouts ('The Day It All Came Down' and 'Death Walked The Earth') - and even to fuse both styles into a corking track like 'Song Of The Forlorn Son'. The result is rarely less than intoxicating. Some gigs soon, please.
NJMetalMeister
metal-archives.com | 91%
Anyone who is farmiliar with Insomnium is well aware of how much the first album sounded like Jester Race/Whoracle album In Flames. It was pretty good, it wasnt the best thing ever, but it was definately worth listening to on occasion. This time however, Insomnium have taken their own approach to making eerily dark yet very melodic metal. There are a lot more acoustic guitars on this album, and they are done quite well and very tastefully. This may be one of the better releases of this year (not the best though, the new Vintersorg is amazing). In typical fashion of my reviews, here is the play by play:
1) Nocturne - a very dark sounding piano intro, and it really sets the tone for the whole album. The ambiance in the background only adds to how eerie and dark it sounds. One of the better intro songs used on any album, and it's definately not one you're going to want to skip over. 10/10
2) The Day it all Came Down - The title track, and one of the faster more upbeat songs on the album. It is a very nice contrast to the intro which is very slow. Right off the bat you can tell it sounds a lot less like in flames, however conversely a little more like dark tranquillity. There is still a little in flames worship in this song, but it's not nearly as obvious as the previous album. At the 3 minute mark you hear what I was talking about with the acoustic guitars already, although short, it is a great bridge to the rest of the song, however some of the parts seem to be reused one too many times. 8/10
3) Daughter of the Moon - More awesome acoustics start off this song, and once again a similarity can be made to newer dark tranquillity with the way the verse goes. The whispering vocals over the acoustic guitar parts is awesome, as it was on the last album. The drum part at about 2:39 is a nice change of the standard double bass roll 4/4 time with the off time jazzy sounding ride hits. The second part of this song, after the long acoustic interlude is just awesome. 9/10
4) The Moment of Reckoning - I swear to you, the guitar lead they put over the intro riff in this song was stuck in my head for days. The combining of acoustics and electrics for about 2 seconds in the first couple lines is a nice touch. Insert awesome acoustic part, and continue on with the song. There is a nice switching between clean and harsh vocals in this song, so if you enjoy that kind of thing, you're set. Some of the acoustics in this song actually remind me of Opeth quite a bit, which is very sweet indeed. This is my favorite song on the album as well. 10/10
5) Bereavment - Another one of the more upbeat songs on the album. This also has a bit of in flames worship in it, however it is not overdone by anymeans. It is a very catchy song overall, as well as very well structured to prevent it from getting boring especially since the tempo doesn't change that much. These guys definately know what they are doing with their song layouts. There are some string synths in this song towards the latter half of the song, which only add to the song, as opposed to take away which happens sometimes when bands who do not have a keyboardist primarily add synth parts into the song. 9 / 10
6) Under the Plaintive Sky - Here we see another use of combining acoustic and electric guitars simultaneously. Although it is relatively short, this song has a very Ballad-y feel to it, which means it is probably very awesome live. However, despite that, the distorted, acoustic, distorted, acoustic pattern this song follows seems a little overdone at times, not enough to make the song unlistenable though. Once again some synths show up, and are added very well. 8/10
7) Resonance - Starts out with a very Opeth feel to it, kind of remniscent of Benighted, at least in my mind, but it is a very very awesome interlude for the album. Clocking at 2:29, this short interlude is probably one of the best instrumentals in the middle of an album I've ever heard. 10/10
8) Death Walked the Earth - This song starts out upbeat, but slows down by the time the verse kicks in. There is some real nice guitar harmonization in this song, and once again at 1:30 an acoustic part comes in (I told you there were a lot on this album), the lyrics from this part carry over to the following part, only following it instead of spoken they are growled. At 2:50 another acoustic part comes up, once again, i feel it has a very Opeth feel to it, especially the more rock n roll sounding lead they put over it. There are a few riffs in this whole acoustic montage, as well as a pretty good guitar solo, which actually leads up into the lead that goes over the electric part. Overall a very awesome song. 10/10
9) Disengagement - The longest song of the album, clocking at 8:39, and since I happen to be very long winded, I'll try and keep this one short haha. The first minute is all instrumental, which is followed by a verse with a semi harmonized lead on it, which sounds excellent. The drums in this song are particularly powerful, and used to make more mellow sounding parts more intense than they normally would sound. 2:30 brings us more acoustic guitar listening pleasure, with an electric guitar distorted lead over it, which allows a smooth transition to the next part, which shares a very similar lead. This song follows along with the rest of the album, however due to it being longer, there is a lot more that goes on in it. Disengagement is basically a summary of the entire album in an 8:39 long song, and it is my second favorite song on the album. 10/10
10) Closing Words - You would think with a title like closing words, it would be the last song on the album, but it is not, you were decieved! That's fine though because although this song is very good, it would not be good for the final song of an album, it just doesn't have that ending of the album feel to it. There is nothing particularly amazing about this song, but it is still quite good; there just happens to be nothing in particular that just jumps out and grabs you. 7/10
11) Song of the Forlorn Son - Here is the closure to the album that it so rightly diserves. Starts out with some extremely dark sounding synths, which continue on into the song itself. The acoustic guitars in this song are very mellow, and very eerie simultaneously. The basswork has been taken a backseat almost the entire album, but during the acoustic part at around a minute into it, you actually get to hear some very nice bass. This song never does pick up at all tempo wise, but makes up for its slowness in great atmosphere, which keeps it from being boring at all. A great ending for a great album. 9/10
Pete
www.live4metal.com
Same Continent, but apart from that we may as well be on a different planet. In Finland, newborn babies are left in the snow with a musical instrument and a bottle of Vodka. Those that survive become masterful metal musicians. In (not so) Great Britain, newborn babies are left on the sofa in front of Pop Idol with a packet of fags within easy reach. Those that survive burning the council house down become obese Nike Pikeys. Oh it fair makes me hang my head in shame.
Now Insomnium were one such band of Finns who had barely grown bum fluff before we were treated to their first album In The Halls Of Awaiting back in 2002. On hearing this I was pretty much blown away by the masterful flow of the songs, the dynamic structures and weeping acoustics. Now 2 years later they have outdone that release with Since The Day It All Came Down, an album, which can be summed up with one descriptive word, breathtaking. Since 1st plonking this in my CD player it has been in heavy rotation and spun up to 3 times a day and I don’t think I’m going to get bored of these lush harmonics for quite some time.
Opening instrumental Nocturne is a moonlight sonata with a grandiose piano rhythm building into what you realise is going to be the following track. When The Day It All Came Down actually crashes in it does so with the power to take your breath away. Guitars flow like raging torrents with Niilo Sevanan bellowing away in their wake. Instantly the new In Flames album is discounted as some sort of sick joke and banished to the bottom of the pile on my table. However it is the midpoint pervading acoustic sections that they utilise which really have me gasping. Within the first track I could find myself namedropping Dark Tranquillity, Amorphis and Opeth but with such stylised innovation Insomnium have proved themselves as more than mere plagiarists. Daughter Of The Moon continues to beam through the clouds with the frosty tempo of countrymen Sentenced. Fist banging and stomp heavy one second and graceful and shimmering in elegance the next. Under The Plaintive Sky, if anything invokes 70s Prog laden rhythms to the meandering guitar twiddling, complicated and maudlin with a mid-paced doomy flow that captivates and enchants. Death Walked The Earth is a growler with a hook-laden instrumentation that will have you hopelessly playing air guitar to. Finishing off with Song Of The Forlorn Son we have an epic Viking fuelled anthem that blazes a trail like a funeral pyre lighting the night sky. Gushing review you may well say but the proof here is definitely in the pudding and this is simply one fuck of a classy album.
J-Sin
smother.net | Editor pick
This brooding darkness shrouds over you as it emanates from the speakers and crawls inside your head via the pathway up your earlobe and into your sound canal. All this takes place and grabs ahold of you as the synth and piano play overtop of melancholic violin and strings on the intro “Nocturne”. You know you’re in for a long and deep journey soundtracked with melodic death metal so when the huge pounding percussion permeates the mix with a dual guitar assault it’s no surprise that you wince at the aural beating you’re about to submit to. For a band that clearly progresses from the ubiquitous sounds of Scandinavia one would think that this is a band whose life has spanned at minimum several albums—indeed this is just their sophomore release. Casting aside any notion that there’s a sophomore jinx, Insomnium firmly grips metal’s short attention span and wouldn’t let go for the world. Much like some of the other greats (Slayer and Morbid Angel come to mind), bass and vocals are handled by a singular entity known as Niilo Sevanen. So it’ll be no surprise that Insomnium will be walking down the hallowed halls of metal superstardom even if their rein is firmly in the underground in which even great metal acts seem unable and sometimes unwilling to cast aside.
www.daredevil.de | 7/7
This was a record, I've been eagerly anticipating, as Insomnium's last album "In the Halls of Awaiting" has been a favorite of mine since it came out. Well the wait is finally over and the good news is that, "Since the Day It All Came Down" has been worth every bit of the wait. This album is in the same vein of the last one delivering a perfect balance between melodic doom/death metal with a bit of Finnish folk music thrown into the mix. The band sounds even tighter than the last time, effortlessly weaving between both quiet and heavy passages complete with pounding drums, searing guitar work (with some of the catchiest leads in recent memory), beautiful acoustics, haunting whispers and fierce growls that are vicious yet highly emotional. Overall this record reminds me a great deal of Amorphis' "Tales from the Thousand Lakes" crossed with some Dark Tranquility. The progression in the sound is clearly evident in a track like "The Moment of Reckoning" which is perhaps the most epic song they have written thus far. The track begins with a powerful riff that just keeps building in intensity as more melodic leads start blending into the background giving way to a crushing chorus that starts out as a whisper and morphs into a earthquaking growl. Wow, is all I have to say about that song and the rest of the album follows suite. Insomnium have done it again and released an album that builds on their last disc in everyway imaginable. This disc is a mandatory listen for all fans of heavy yet highly melodic doom/death metal. Stop reading and pick it up as soon as you can, the official release date is May 4 so go out and demand that your local record store get a copy!
adrenalinfanzine.com
Short Description-Melodic Metal
Origin: Finland
Darren's Review- This is Insomnium's follow up to 2002's In the Halls of Awaiting. Compared to early In Flames, Amorphis, Opeth and Children of Bodom, I would agree. It does remind me of Amorphis (Elegy era) the most. Melody is blended with heavy attributes to from an awesome mix. It can go from beautifully acoustic to purely aggressive, reaching all points between. Vocals alternate with the mood. They do a great job of combining fragments to complete a great listening experience for the music fan. I am not bored with this, the vocals are in tolerable range. Just when I think something could get stale, it morphs into something new! I see bright things ahead for this band. Release date for Europe is May 3rd, 2004 and US is May 4th, 2004. The album contains 11 Tracks. I would recommend picking this one up. www.insomnium.net or www.candlelightrecords.co.uk
Track Highlights: The Day it All Came Down, Daughter of the Moon, Bereavement, Death Walked the Earth
Production/Engineering: A- Songwriting: B Originality: A
Vocals: B- Guitars: A Bass: B Percussion: B Overall: A-
feastofhateandfear.com
Way up there at the top of Europe is an icy landscape called Finland that breed some of the hottest metal with ice in its veins. A little over five years old, these Finns now carve up a huge slice of the (old) New Wave of British Heavy Metal into their Scandinavian metal. In the Hallways of Awaiting was a decent death record, but it didn't leave me with any lasting impressions. Maturing quite a bit in the two years since that record's release, Since the Day It All Came Down is much more versatile and progressive. Most of "Daughter of the Moon" (track three) isn't necessarily "heavy", but still comes off as some killer heavy metal - acoustic parts and all. Actually, much of what's on this album wouldn't be classified as heavy or brutal, but beautiful and almost quiescent. And that is taking no shots, believe me. At times fast and punishing ("The Day It All Came Down", "Death Walked the Earth"), but mostly and overall emotional and even uplifting ("Bereavement", "Song of the Forlorn Son"). Yeah, this sounds like a weird review for a death metal record, so that means you'll just have to hear it for yourself. Right? That's when the new Insomnium will give you the hook. Then, or in your sleep... they're coming to get you.
Antti Karvonen
letsmakesomenoise.com | 4/5
On ilo huomata, että joskus kuluneet sananlaskut pitävät paikkansa. Tällä kertaa hyvää kannatti odottaa joensuulaiselta Insomniumilta, jonka suorastaan mykistävän loistava debyytti In the Halls of Awaiting aiheutti kylmiä väreitä ilmestyessään keskellä kuumaa kesää 2002. Nelikon toinen pitkäsoitto näkee vihdoin päivänvalon, lähes kaksi vuotta edeltäjänsä jälkeen.
Since the Day It All Came Down tekee heti syksyisestä pianointrosta ja sitä seuraavasta nimikappaleesta lähtien selväksi, että mestarillinen soitto- ja sävellystaito ja tyylitajuinen musiikillinen näkemys eivät ole hukkuneet mihinkään. Yhtyeen skandinaavista melodista deathia ja pohjoiskarjalaista melankoliaa sulauttava metalli on siinä mielessä hyvässä asemassa, että tasaisen vahvan kokonaisuuden ohella osataan tarjota omalla erinomaisuudellaan tasosta vielä ylöspäin erottuvia huippukohtia. Ne kuullaan milloin kitarapartion Friman-Vänni alakuloisten, mutta ylpeiden leadien, milloin Niilo Seväsen vahvan murinan muodossa.
Debyyttiin nähden yhtye on lisännyt kappaleisiin suuria määriä akustisia hetkiä, joilla maalataan taitavasti kontrastia voimakkaimmille kuolo-osuuksille. Raskaimman Insomniumin vahvuus on säveltää lead- ja rytmikitara tukemaan toisiaan mallikkaasti, jolloin yksikään tilutus ei tunnu turhalta. Sooloja kitaristit eivät juuri harrasta, kuten edellislevylläkään ei ollut tapana, vaan kaikki soiton nyanssit palvelevat kokonaisuutta. Tasavahvan miksauksen johdosta kaikki soittimet pääsevät hyvin esille.
Since the Day It All Came Downista huhuttiin etukäteen reippaasti edeltäjäänsä progressiivisempaa pakettia. Osittain tämä pitääkin paikkansa kappaleiden esitellessä jossain määrin monitahoisempia ratkaisuja. Akustisissa paloissa flirttaillaan ajoittain Opethin kanssa, mikä tehdään kuitenkin oma jälki säilyttäen. Sydäntä lämmittävän hyvin tehdyn sävellystyön johdosta \"progressiivisuus\" ei kuitenkaan tee kappaleista etäisempiä, vaan melankoliset leadit tempaisevat mukaansa jo ensikuulemalta. Harva levy onnistuu vakuuttamaan täysin jo alkumetreillä ja lupaamaan samalla runsaasti uusia koukkuja, jotka löytyvät tulevilla kuuntelukerroilla.
Since the Day It All Came Down on erinomainen esimerkki siitä, miten bändi pystyy viemään musiikkiaan eteenpäin pudottamatta tasoaan tai hukkaamatta tunnusomaisia piirteitään ja särmäänsä. Se on lähes alusta loppuun jumalaisen tunnelmallista ja äärimmilleen saatettua umpimetallista parhautta, jota kenenkään raskaan musiikin ystävän ei tulisi ohittaa.
Tommy
metalcovenant.com | 7/10
Insomnium from Finland released a very strong debutalbum in early 2002, and the time has now come to follow it up. This album continues pretty much here the last one left us, but the main difference is that the songs are a little more laidback this time, with a bit "nicer and cozier approach", and are leaning even more this time towards the typical finnish, melancholic side. The tempo has decreased a bit and room has also been given for some progressive elements, but the main sound picture is still the same and you immediatly recognise that this is Insomnium.
After the good and promising opener The Day It All Came Down that goes in the style of the faster, early Dark Tranquillity, it immediatly slows down a bit with a couple of more heavier tracks. Daughter Of The Moon is a heavy, nicely driven track in early Amorphis/In Flames style and The Moment Of Reckoning could easily have been one of the midtempo songs on Whoracle by In Flames, and the same goes for the albums best track Closing Words and also Death Walked The Earth. Put a blindfold on me, and I would be mistaken every day of the week.
As you can see, there are not many sentences above that does not contain at least one reference to another well established band in this genre. Unfortunatly that can't be avoided when listening to Insomnium anno 2004. It was obvious enough on the debut, but there was something that gave at least me some hope of a future development and creation of a personal style and sound on that one. Instead of taking the opportunity of doing so, they have instead stagnated and seem to have more or less settled with just delivering good songs in this style instead of developing the concept.
The grades can for that reason not be anything else than "good". Nothing more, nothing less. No song really lifts or stick out either, which I think a few did on the debut, and that also contributes to the held back grade.
For the fans of the old style, Bereavment is a track that could have come right out of the last album. An uptempo song with a good harmony lead backed up by a juicy riff in the verse, and a catchy chorus.
The vocals are one of Insomniums biggest assets. They are a perfect mixture of Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity and early Amorphis, and are a delight to listen to. They are also a perfect example of how good growling vocals can be when they are clear, yet strong and brutal, but you can actually hear every word he sings. An artform in itself. On this album they also use clean vocals in a majority of the songs, but only for very short moments which I salute, since overusing that kind of things make it unlistenable. Here it works, but since I am not a big fan of that I can't judge if it sounds especially good or not. To me it sounds like most clean vocalists in bands of this type. Especially In Flames.
All in all a good album, and something to check up on for you who are of the opinion that In Flames and Dark Tranquillity have their best years behind them, and are longing for the good, old years. If you on top of that are a fan of the melancholy atmospheres and melodies that Amorphis and Sentenced provide - than you are safe. This is the album for you.
production: 8
vocals: 9
ompositions: 7
unboundzine.com | 5/5
There was a time when the Gothenburg sound was taking over almost the entire metal scene. I guess it’s safe to say that it has died down considerably and the bands that remain have taken that sound, added elements of their own and are creating melodic yet memorable metal. Insomnium would fit into this category. It’s not hard to hear that Dark Tranquility was a big influence on the bands sound, but they have added many new elements, and this definitely isn’t just another retread of Swedish sounding death metal.
What Insomnium brings to the genre is a general knack for thinking outside of the box. There are typical moments of melodic riffing and thrashy drum beats, but there is a lot of atmosphere to the bands sound. You’ll find lots of acoustic guitars, somber passages and even some spoken vocals. I guess you could almost call it a progressive approach to Swedish death metal. At times it almost reminds me Opeth as well, but more so because of the approach then the actual musical output of the band. If you are expecting an all out assault of speed and screaming vocals you’ll definitely be disappointed. If however you are looking for a well written, and ambitious album, you’ve just found it.
I think the vocals really help these guys stand out as well. They aren’t the typical screechy voice, instead they use a more guttural approach. It’s not exactly gurgling death metal guttural, but it’s still very deep and powerful. The vocal approach is interested and varied on this album. Sometimes it’s a as simple as just using different degrees of growling, or the very dynamics building spoken word sections. This album is as interesting vocally, as it is musically. That’s not really something you say very often with metal albums these days.
Like I said earlier is you are looking for a well written and ambitious album, this is an album you’ll definitely want to check out. In a time when a lot of bands like staying within the comfort zone, it’s nice to see someone breaking out of that zone. More bands need to realize that even if you are playing metal, you don’t need to be playing 2000 mph for an entire album.
Alex
metal-observer.com | 8/10
Death Metal from Finland. More precisely melodic Death Metal from Finland. If you’d like to try to list up, which bands come to your mind now, you most probably will have a quite remarkable list, but you can throw that one out again, because in the case of INSOMNIUM you will hardly find anything of those.
Founded in East Finnish Joensuu in 1997, the quartet Niilo Sevänen, Ville Friman, Markus Hirvonen and Ville Vänni released its debut “In The Halls Of Awaiting“ in 2002, which received rave reviews everywhere. Even though I am not sure anymore, what it had been that I had not really liked about it, the many positive reactions to their latest effort “Since The Day It All Came Down“ definitely made me curious.
Again released via Candlelight Records, a melancholic piano intro sets the foundation for the following almost 54 minutes, followed up by “The Day It All Came Down“, highly melodic, with a darker atmosphere than most of their colleagues, despite the melodic leads a melancholic atmosphere emanates from this song, which is furthered by Niilo Sevänens pretty harsh voice, while the song itself is very varied, also with keyboard support and acoustic guitars, a very good beginning!
Right away “Daughter Of The Moon“ reminds me a bit of AMOPRHIS during their “Tales From The Thousand Lakes“ period with a light KATATONIA list around “Brave Murder Day” and again the deep voice of Niilo, here and there also whispered vocals, the acoustic break is just brilliant! Interesting approach and very well done! “Bereavement” is another very good example for the melancholic Melodic Death of the Finns.
At times INSOMNIUM remind me of a mix of old IN FLAMES, old KATATONIA, OPETH and old AMORPHIS, yet without sounding like a copy of either of the mentioned bands, but with a pretty original approach, where technically only the relatively monotonous Death vocals of Niilo might be met with some reluctance by potential fans, but the music more than makes up for that, even heavier passages as in the middle of “Disengagement” do not sound out of place.
Altogether "Since The Day It All Came Down“ is Melodic Death and again reminds of a few other bands, as just mentioned, but still they do not sound like a copy, but simply strong, mature and very varied, I think that you should definitely check out INSOMNIUM!
streetswebzine.com | 8.5/10
Insomnium saw the light of day back in 1997 in the eastern part of Finand. The debut album ‘In the halls of awaiting’ was released in 2002 and now they’re back with the successor. The basis of the music is melodic death metal, spiced up with elements from Finnish folk music and also some progressive elements. Some of the more quiet parts of the songs might remind a little about Opeth. The production is very good and there’s not much negative to say about the performance either. ‘Since the day it all came down’ is a great album, probably the most played album at my place right now. I feel quite confident when recommending this album to fans of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and Opeth.
Jackie Smit
chroniclesofchaos.com | 10/10
When the distant gong of church bells first sounded across eight-tracks and record players the world over some three decades ago, it was clear that heavy music and melody would forever remain entwined in a relationship that more often than not would not be mutually exclusive. As time passed, bands like Iron Maiden developed and laid down the further groundwork that would see classical influences married to metal, and in turn this blueprint was later adopted by a glut of European extreme acts, before gradually trickling through into the rest of the world. Unfortunately as with all good ideas, it soon became an institution, and an increasingly dull one at that, which made the arrival of bands like Opeth -- who proved that the original abstraction still had much to offer from an artistic point of view -- so much more vital. And almost like the de rigueur that greeted the arrival of _Morningrise_ and _Orchid_, Insomnium's sophomore release is an album that could potentially be regarded as perhaps a milestone for many years to come.
That _Since the Day It All Came Down_ blows away the band's already impressive debut release (_In the Halls of Awaiting_) in just about every conceivable category is pretty much implied from the start here. Indeed one can only marvel at exactly how far this Finnish quartet has come since forming in 1997. While _ItHoA_ may have hinted at the Scandinavian folk, classical and progressive elements that make up a large part of Insomnium's death metal, _StDIACD_ reveals an understanding of dynamics and songwriting craft that within their genre is virtually without parallel. In the same way "Resonance" is an introverted and sullen piece, stating its intent through the use of primarily a single acoustic guitar, so "Daughter of the Moon" is an aggressive, imposing beast, replete with duelling guitar melodies not unlike those heard on Amorphis' _Tales From the Thousand Lakes_. "Death Walked the Earth", on the other hand, is pure Scandinavian melodic death metal, but retains the band's progressive and experimental flair.
With so little to fault on only their second outing, Insomnium have clearly created a situation of tremendous pressure when it comes time to produce a follow-up to what can only be described as a bona fide masterpiece. Be that as it may however, _StIACD_ is nothing short of spectacular in every sense of the word, and as far as albums for 2004 go this already has my vote as perhaps the highlight of the year.
Sam Warren
www.tartareandesire.com | 8/10
The Northern European melodic death metal scene has grown exponentially over the past few years and there seems to be no end to the amount of such bands as of late. While Insomunium may not stray far from what I've come to expect of the genre, they at least do it damn well. "Since the Day it all Came Down" is a good chunk of melodic death that runs in the same vein as earlier In Flames. As I said before, there may not be much to distinguish this album from others of its sort, except the fact (that we can't ignore) that it's far better than the majority. There is more solidity to this album than is to be found elsewhere, and the mix of acoustic and electric guitars is good as well. The songs contain some really nice melodies that are easy to remember but never obnoxious or too catchy or commercial. Niilo's vox are strong and the guitar work is actually pretty technical in places. I'm not a big fan of the cleaner vox parts, perhaps because they remind me a little too much of In Flame's more recent albums (which I've yet to stop complaining about). "Resonance", a soft and instrumental piece in the middle of the album is one of my favorites, and it explodes into "Death Walked the Earth," which is perhaps the heaviest song on the album. Airy keyboards compose the background while the guitar and vocals rock the listener straight through to the next verse. "Disengagement" is also one of the better songs on the album, taking the listener on a trip during its near 9 minutes. If you don't particularly like melodic death metal than unfortunately you're not going to get much out of this album. However, if you have an appreciation for it (or are a fan of course) you should have no problem getting into Insomnium's groove. "Since the Day it all Came Down" is a powerful new album that should not be overlooked, and I can only hope that the majority of metalheads out there can look past its strict adherence to the expectations of melodic death metal. |
