Reviews | in the halls of awaiting
March 2002 / Mape
Web-SFPerkele | 9+/10
Joensuun melodeath-ryhmä yhdistelee erittäin vakuuttavalla esikoisalbumillaan karjalaista melankoliaa, tuhoisan tarttuvia riffejä, rähinävokalisointia ja - erinomaista tyylitajua osoittaen - musiikkinsa tunnelmia tukevaa surumielistä lyriikkaa. Osa albumin kappaleista on jo demoilta ennestään tuttuja, mutta uudelleen äänitetyt versiot poikkeavat demoäänityksistä tietysti edukseen, vaikka albumin miksauksessa kitarat tuntuvat ajoittain olevan vähemmän pinnassa kuin esimerkiksi "Underneath the Moonlit Waves"-demolla. Insomniumissa hieman ihmetyttää, ettei levylle ole juuri sooloja soiteltu vaikka yhtyeen soundin selkein kantava rakenne on juuri tuhoduon Vänni/Friman innovatiivinen kitarointi. Asioita, jotka Insomniumista tekevät erityisen hyvän bändin, ovat erehtymätön musiikillinen ja sanoituksellinen tyylitaju ja todella valmis kappalemateriaali, mutta suurimpana kuitenkin riffit, joiden vuoksi huhtikuun 8.:sta pitäisi julistaa Joensuuhun liputuspäivä! Karjalan miehet riffittelevät ja rähisevät itsensä heti esikoisellaan suomimetallin kovimpaan kaartiin ja uskaltaisipa melkein mennä sanomaan, että se mitä Amorphisin "Talesin" jälkeen Suomesta on puuttunut, ei puutu enää.
March 2002 / Jussi Lahtonen
Sue-Zine | 9/10
Melodisen Karjalaisen death metalin tunnetuksi tuonut Insomnium julkaisee vihdoin ensialbuminsa kansainvälisestikin palkittujen demojen jälkeen. Joensuusta kotoisin oleva poppoo kiinnitti kitaranvarteen turkulaisesta Watch Me Fall -yhtyeestä tutun Ville Vännin ja siirtyi loppukesästä studioon. Uudet kappaleet toivat mukanaan entistäkin monivivahteisemman ja eeppisemmän otteen, ja melankolisen melodiset sävelet saavat surunkin tarttumaan mieleen rivakalla poljennolla. Kalevalan kankahien kaihoisan kiihkeää atmosfääriä tummentavat vielä tenhoavat lyriikat, joissa syvät vedet ja myrsyävät rannat saavat sammuttaa tunteiden palon. Niilo Seväsen matala murahtelu toimii tappavan tehokkaasti, ja mies lataa biiseihin kaikkensa. Vanhoista demobiiseistä on mukaan kelpuutettu parhaat, ja varsinkin Dying Chantin sekä Ill-starred sonin uudelleennauhoitetut versiot ovat maailmanluokan siivuja. Uudemman materiaalin kärkikaartiin kiilaavat etenkin The Elder sekä eeppinen Shades Of Deep Green, mutta odotusten saleista kumpuava albumi on ennen kaikkea kokonaisuus, jonka lopputulos on osiensa summaa suurempi.
April 2002 / Matti Riekki
Rumba | 4/5
Meillä täällä Hervanta Rock Cityssä ollaan erittäin tyytyväisiä hevikevääseen. Vanha jyrä Sentenced on tehnyt kerrassaan huikean albumin, Diablo on koetellut katukivien kiinnitystä surmalevyllään, eikä se raskaalla kotimaisellakaan vääntävä osasto ole pettänyt. Lasketaanpa joukkoon vielä yksi tuoreempi tulokas. Ennen tätä debyyttiään Joensuulainen Insomnium on niittänyt kiitosta demoillaan, enkä ihmettele yhtään miksi brittilafka Candlelight lopulta orkesterin suojiinsa nappasi. In The Halls O f awaitingilla soi perkeleellisen valmiin kuuloinen yhtye, jonka valitsemalle, murheen kyllästämälle kansallisromantiikan värittämälle runttaukselle on ollut viime aikoina selkeä tilaus. Albuminsa on sen verran tasokas melokuolo-tapaus, etten löydä valittamisen paikkaa. Joku voisi vetää herneet klyyvariin levyn ajoittain umpiselkeistä vaikutteista, mutta meikäpä ei mokomaa elettä tee. Kunnioitus vanhaa Senari-kamaa ja Amorphista kohtaan kuuluu, mutta ei lainkaan häiritsevässä mielessä. Tuntuu, kuin Karjalan kunnailla olisis laadittu tarkka suunnitelma siitä, että tutulta voidaan kuulostaa, mutta lainoista ei kiinnin jäädä. Tällähän tapetaan hyvässä lykyssä koko metallinen Eurooppa. Hyvää reissua, mutta eläkäähän juoko liikaa viinaa...
May 2002 / Marko Säynekoski
Soundi | 3/5
Insomnium on tuttu bändi demopuolelta. Bändi osoitti jo edellisellä demollaan hyvää makua, ja tietysti se poiki levytyssopimuksen. Insomniumin vaikutteet tuntuvat tulevan vanhan Amorphiksen ja Sentencedin suunnalta, mutta kyllä se tietty Suomalaiskansallinen perusvire viittaa enemmän Amorphikseen. Insomnium on vienyt musiikkiaan demoon verrattuna eteenpäin, ja sovitukset ovat selvästi paremmin kohdallaan. Bändi on poiminut death metallin vaikutteita huolella, karsinut, lisännyt omaa ja huolehtinut siitä, että melodiat pääsevät oikeuksiinsa. Biisit kulkevat pitkälti kitaroiden varassa, ja ennen kaikkea niiden tehtävänä on luoda myös melodiat näppärillä riffeillä. Melodioissa yhtye luottaa suomalaiskansalliseen perinneteeseen ansiokkaasti, mikä ehkä saa juuri aikaan sen, että Suomalaiseen makuun Insomnium kelpaa erinomaisesti. Yleisesti ottaen Insomnium kuuluu kuitenkin pohjoismaalaisen death metallin genreen, joten bändi ei siis ole lähtenyt alleviivaamaan suomalaisuuttaan. Silti biiseistä huokuu eräänlainen kylmä ankaruus, joka etenkin Shades Of Deep Greenin kohdalla käy suoraan luihin ja ytimiin. Bändi on saanut päästää eeppiset ajatuksesna valloilleen, ja siksi In Th Halls Of awaiting on hyvin täyteläinen ja polveileva albumi.
May 2002 / Kari Koskinen
Inferno | 9/10
Olin tukehtua kuullessani tätä 55 minuuttista annosta ensimmäistä kertaa. Insomniumin melodinen deathmetal on niin täynnä koukkuja ja hienoja kuvioita, että aluksi ei tiennyt mihin pitäisi tarttua. Asiaa ei auta sekään, että tempo pysyy suhteellisen samankaltaisen läpi levyn, nopeita rykäyksiä ei ole juuri lainkaan. Olen kuunnellut levyä nyt lukuisia kertoja ja alan päästä jyvälle Insomniumin nerokkuudesta. Hämmästyttävää, että tämä nuori ryhmä kykenee debyytillään näin valmiiseeen tulokseen. Vokalisti onnistuu ärisemään niin tunteikkaasti, kuin nyt yleensä voi äristä, ja kitaristien kutomat melodiat ovat surumielisen kauniita. Kappaleita aavistuksen sävyttävä progressiivinen ote pidentänee levyn kuuntelukestävyyttä ja hyvällä maulla käytetyt akustiset kitarat soivat tarkoin valikoiduissa paikoissaan (esim. Shades Of Deep Greenin jumalainen loppu) hienosti. Eihän tästä osaa sanoa mitään negatiivista. No kyllähän naapurissa tätä lajia on tehty jo vaikka millä mitalla, mutta Insomnium onnistuu saamaan omaa otetta mukaan riittävästi. Ehkäpä mukana voisi olla pari nopeampaa osiota yleisilmettä reipastamassa, sillä nyt vaikutelma jää hippusen tasapaksuksi. Perhanan väkevää melometallia tästä huolimatta, definitiivisen kuuloinen paketti, joka tosin vaatii useamman kuuntelun avautuakseen kunnolla. Tehkääpä hurrit perässä.
October 2002 / Jim Martin
Terrorizer | 7.5/10
Following 2 demo releases that slayed everyone that heard them at 'Rizer HQ, Finnish longhairs Insomnium have managed to live up to their early promise with a debut effort that expands admirably on the feelgood dark-metal blueprint that the band laid out in their early days. Atmospheric, dark and in possession of a powerful weight behind their sound, Insomnium may be a band sick of hearing the words 'In Flames' and 'Dark Tranquillity', but it's to their credit that they manage to mould these influences into a finely rendered cocktail all their own, and thundering forth with just the right amount of somber melodicism in tandem with a certain 'fist-shaking' quality that has been hard to track down since the mid-period of Paradise Lost. 'Ill-starred son', in particular is a bracing blast of winter air, with incandescent guitar hooks sinking in like frostbite, while 'Jounrey Unknown' simply storms the gates with its relentless double-bass and hard-riffing interplay. What's more, some proggier, acoustic Opeth-esque touches bode particularly well for the future to come.
October 2002 / David Perri
Digitalmetal.com
It's almost winter, and I don't know what that means for your part of the globe, but I think I understand what happens during the prototypical Finnish winter: things get fuckin' cold and fuckin' dark at the very same time, and neither force lets up until April or so. I'm not from Finland and I've never visited that particular northern land, but you don't need to be a correlative expert to figure out the intrinsic connection between the vast amounts of music coming from Scandinavia and the harsh, hibernation-inducing winters of the region (and, of course, you need to factor in the Welfare state into that analysis, but that's another story for another time). Having won the coveted "Demo Of The Month" honours from Terrorizer twice, this fierce yet melancholy band is the definite bastard child of In Flames circa The Jester Race, and My Dying Bride. In The Halls of Awaiting is quite the listen through and through, and Insomnium's maturity is surprising given the relative young age of its members (early 20's). Most records simply elicit emotional responses, and the good ones make sure said emotional response is the hallmark of your recollection. In The Halls Of Awaiting does all of that, but takes it one step further: while listening to this album, I seriously can picture a solitary cabin in the Finnish woods at dusk, and feel cold just imagining that scene quickly becoming part of a starkly snow-bound black night. Melodrama and creative writing aside, Insomnium is a band at the forefront of a new "depressed-metal" movement that also incorporates the likes of Daylight Dies and (I grudgingly admit) Lacuna Coil. Call this the third coming of old Paradise Lost, or the second coming of Katatonia, or even the first coming of (finally!) a cool In Flames-inspired unit. All that to say In The Halls Of Awaiting is an impressive accomplishment, incorporating depression, self-deprecation and dark melody into a package worthy of your time. Highlights come in the form of "Dying Chant" and its war-hymn vibe, and "Shades Of Deep Green", a tune that is more than appropriate for any suicidal tendencies. Impressive to the point of re-routing my (eventual) trip to Sweden and Norway into Finland.
June 2002 / Martin Popoff
Brave Words | 8/10
For those who lament the simplification of Sentenced, look no further than plucky Finnish upstarts Insomnium to save the day for frosty, gritty, fog-shrouded doom. Like Amorphis, Insomnium have taken inspiration from old Finnish poetry, which is fine by me, given the artful Maiden metal slam their gruff pronouncements are set to. Fact is, this is stirring groovy, riff-mad melodic metal like the very, very cream of the Sentenced experience, somewhat similar to In Flames but a little dirtier and even somewhat proggier. A welcome change of pace, in a genre where too many bands are playing too fast (The Crown), or just generally, re-exploring too deeply the hoary German roots of thrash.
June 2002
Metal Observer | 9/10
Finnish Metal here. Well, we know of all the incredible bands out of Finland. I mean, it's literally sprouted a ton of bands over the past five years, and really good ones. You know the names, so I won't waste either of our time printing a list.
Ok. Here is the long and short of it. I have listened to this two times and it is obvious this is something that requires some in-depth study. I mean, it was totally enjoyable and strikingly talent laden from the get go. But I have a feeling this is one of those records you will find something new on every time you listen to it. And the cool thing is, it's an easy listen. It's not layered like lasagna.
It's just full of sound-scapes and fresh all the way around. If you are into Melodic Metal (as usual in this case Wes refers to Melodic DEATH Metal… - Alex) with Finnish flavour (those Finn melodies are unmistakable), it's like a mix of IN FLAMES with the softer side of AMORPHIS. Really good.
And the thing is, I really feel like I have only tapped about 50% of what is offered.
June 2002
Starvox
By now the patented Swedish melodic metal sound is nothing new to any metalhead. In Flames and Dark Tranquillity have set the bar and gained a large following. As each band has been in a rather lengthy hiatus, the door has been left open for any newcomer to come in and attempt to usurp them as the reigning king of melodic death metal. Insomnium could easily be that band.
The truth be told, Insomnium really offer nothing new to the scene. Harsh yet understandable vocals corralled by twin guitars and drumming that goes from a dirge-like pace to machine gun kick drums at the drop of a hat. What sets Insomnium apart is that they do this well. Very well. Each of the ten tracks are memorable, especially “The Elder” with its acoustic intervals and spoken word, and the title track for the beautiful, melancholic breaks.
With Dark Tranquillity in the studio and In Flames on what has to be their 10th trip around the world on the Clayman tour, Insomnium is what you need to appease your craving for this type of metal. Should the new DT disappoint, I would be very content to hand the torch off to this new band. Their youth and professionalism assure us that we have not heard everything Swedish metal has to offer. Don’t second-guess yourself for picking this one up, as it is well worth your hard earned dollar.
Michael Johnson
June 2002 / Daniel Mitchell
Ink19 | A+
Well, what to say about these scary goth/metal dudes... The first track, "Ill Starred Son," opens with this acoustic guitar part that sounds exactly like that song that Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne did, many moons ago. It's funny, because I wasn't prepared for such a stupid opening, but the rest of In the Halls of Waiting makes up for the cheese of the first 30 seconds.
Insomnium play some really melodic death metal that could even be considered gothic. Make no mistake that these guys are not kidding around about their unhappiness! This is a band of truly dark individuals; the world needs more of this type of honest and truly painful music.
The most interesting thing about In the Halls of Waiting is the fact that, even though the listener can't understand what the singer is growling/singing, it is clear, the entire time that he isn't just putting up a tough guy front. He sounds truly upset and/or disturbed about something, and the sincerity is very welcomed!
The music, as you may have guessed, is grinding and harsh, yet the guitar players in this band are very talented and they play some of the most creative melodic guitar riffs; I'd venture to say that this is the best melodic death metal record since the last Enter My Silence record.
From start to finish (not Finnish, which this band is!), In the Halls of Waiting is a solid example of how emotionally powerful music can be. Insomnium have put together so completely emotionally destructive and strong, it should be required listening for all fans of dark music; Cure fans, KMFDM fans, Projekt fans, black and death metal fans... everyone should hear this completely incredible record!
June 2002 / Vinnie Apicella
Metal Gospel
While much is made, and rightfully so, of the pioneering Swedish Death Metal movement, Finland's had their share, albeit fewer, of up and comers following in the wake of the famed Amorphis. Insomnium enters the picture somewhere between Amorphis' "Karelian Isthmus" and "Black Winter Day" where the Death sequences are mainly present in the vocs, all bathed in progressive and widely paced rhythmic structures and lyrically drawn Finnish mysticism. For further musical reference, we can look back to Arch Enemy's prior release, or In Flames, building greatly on traditionally-inspired heavy "shredding" interspersed with blazing scales and often anthemic dual guitar harmonies, typical of the many German greats-an unsuspected Stratovarius/Soilwork collision amidst hazy purple skies. Insomnium, drawn from the Latin meaning of "nightmare" and "insomnia," quite naturally, maintains its strength on both ends, with sizzling fretwork and sudden time changes bursting from mysterious transient presentations-dream-like and nightmarish all in one chilling breath. Culminating in the nine plus minute title track which reveals a slightly more Gothic persuasion, previously hinted at and now realized toward the nearing end of a gloomy yet glistening debut that's good for a few moonlit shadows and sleepless nights.
June 2002 / Mat
Metal Covenant | 9/10
Insomnium was formed back in 1997 by four very talented youngsters in northern Finland. In the Halls of Awakening is their first full-length studio release and a better way to start is very hard to accomplish. I'm normally not a huge fan of death metal but when it's as outstanding as this all I can do is try the best I can to share this with you dear readers. So what do they sound like to deserve this praise so early in the review?
Well, Insomnium's music can best be described as furious and the same time melancholic, violent and soothing and even dreary and wistful at times. This is death metal that's an incarnation and mixture of melodic Swedish metal and more traditional Finnish tunes. To be more precise you can imagine what it would sound like if you took the best Amorphis had to offer on their Tales from the Thousand Lakes album and mixed that with what In Flames sounded like on The Jester Race.
But still the band has somewhat stepped aside from the mainstream of melodic death metal and taken steps on their own path with gloomy and languishing melodies, shattering guitar-walls, demonic vocals, accoustic interludes and even some progressive shades. That's the core of Insomnium's music and this of course means that it kicks some serious ass!
The lyrics are influenced by above all old Finnish poetry and that means sorrowful and often also dream-like tales of both love and death. The band's also very influenced by literature and Finnish nature-mysticism and sometimes it really feels like your sucked in to the dark misty shores and murky woods of Karelia.
To start mentioning tracks indivdually here is very unnecessary because In the Halls of Awakening is just a formidable journey from beginning to the end. Every song is almost an out of this world experiance and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't grade even a single one any lower than 8,5! If only the production had been a bit better (and just a bit 'cause it's still very good) I wouldn´t have hesitated for a single second to award this with a full 10 mark!
The word Insomnium is latin and means nightmare and insomnia but I can assure you that In the Halls of Awakening won't give you any of that whatsover but instead the entire opposite. And I also want to make a personal statement that the word Insomnium also should mean something else like for instance formidable, outstanding, awesome, excellent or simply just wonderful!
So thank you very much Finland for yet another talented bunch of musicians and thank you even more Insomnium for this remarkable debut. Keep it comin'!
June 2002 / Requiem
Metal Judgment | 4/5
Finland seems to be pumping out talented melodic metal acts as often as the US is pumping out shit nu metal bands. Alongside To/Die/For, Children of Bodom and Sinergy, Insomnium put their feet on the map with their Candlelight debut entitled In the Halls of Awaiting. And as much as I love most things in the melodic death metal category, I'm running out of things to say about it. There's a lot more out there than there used to be. In Flames and At the Gates were actually almost one of a kind at the time of their birth, but now the melodic scene has taken off tenfold resulting in otherwise great bands falling by the wayside due to the intense competition. Despite the fact that Insomnium have many similarities with the latter mentioned acts, they do put in their own twist on the recipe.
The album opener "Ill Starred Son" has a Swedish melodic sound meets a more gentle gothic touch, much like if Theatre of Tragedy had a makeout session with current day In Flames. Much of the album takes on this basic formula, juxtaposing the styles with precision and adding in moments of technical prowess keeping things fresh. The guitarists know when to lock a sweet harmony or go off on separate tangents for a multi-layered effect. Clean guitars are used often against the distorted sections emphasizing the melancholic moments within. Multiple tracks are used for a full sounding guitar attack. Some keys add the ambiance but aren't overpowering and often just blend in stealthily with the rest of the music. The drums lock in tight with the guitars often matching their quickly picked riffs with the double bass. The vocals hold the fort down as well as any accomplished growler and complete the package with a lower register Dark Tranquillity vocal feel.
If you are looking for the best of both worlds in melodic and gothic metal look no further. Insomnium keep things upbeat, memorable and harmonious like the best of 'em. It's obvious that these guys are influenced by some of those around them but they do a good job in keeping creative in song structure and delivery. If it weren't for the oversaturated market out there right now, these guys might have a run with the big dogs. I'm wondering if they'll come across as a glittering gem. But what good is a gem when there are many similar in value? In any event, Insomnium is a worthy addition to any fan of the Gothenburg melodic metal explosion or the recent wave of Finnish goth.
June 2002 / Stefan Lejon
Urkraft webzine | 8/10
Ever since I first heard Sentenced many years ago I have been completely and utterly in love with Finnish metal. Over the years I have discovered dozens of brilliant Finnish bands which I now hold among my absolute favourites - Moonsorrow, The Black League, Ensiferum, Children Of Bodom, Charon, Amorphis etc. Now there's yet another addition to that loooong list of melodic Fenno-metal bands and that band is Insomnium whose debut I now hold in my hands. All the characteristics are there - the melancholic feel, the beautiful melodies and the ability to write memorable songs. Insomnium succeeds on every level! The only complaint I have concerns the sound which feels a bit flat. The album would have gained from a more open sound which would have brought forth the atmosphere in a better way. Well that is just a minor flaw anyway. If you are looking for great melodic death metal you should definitely look up Insomnium. Those Finns will just never stop spawning great acts...
May 2002
Vampster magazine
Du magst die Stimme von Taneli Jarva? Dir haben „Amok" und „Love &Death" von SENTENCED gefallen? Du trauerst den Zeiten hinterher, als AMORPHIS noch Alben wie „Tales From The Thousand Lakes" gemacht haben? IN FLAMES sind Stammgast in deinem CD-Player? Du hast eine Schwäche für diese angeblich typische finnische Melancholie? Du kannst diese Fragen mit „Ja" beantworten? Dann haben INSOMNIUM genau das richtige Album für dich aufgenommen!
Schwelgerische, bitter-süße Gitarrenharmonien wie im Opener „Ill-Starred Son" und Textzeilen wie „Where has my dearest gone to - where sings now my maiden fair - beneath the darksome waters - underneath the moonlit waves" sind mit Sicherheit nicht gerade einzigartig, doch die Finnen treffen genau die richtigen Töne und somit mitten ins Herz.
Doch das ist nur eine Seite dieser Band, „Song Of The Storm" und „Journey Unknown" stammen aus der Songschreibefeder des Gitarristen Ville Friman, der - das ist nicht zu überhören - eine Schwäche für melodischen Death Metal hat. Doch auch diese beiden Songs haben das gewisse Etwas, um aus der Veröffentlichungsflut zu ragen. Die zehn Songs umspülen den Hörer mit auf- und abebbenden Melodien, und genau in dem Moment, in dem man in Wehmut zu ertrinken droht, reißen INSOMNIUM das Ruder herum und beweisen, dass sie auch einfach drauflos rocken können. Dabei gehen die Jungs immer so geschickt zu Werke, dass man zunächst gar nicht merkt, mit wie viel Liebe zum Detail die Songs arrangiert sind - der tiefblaue Fluss der schmerzhaft-schönen Melancholie bahnt sich stetig und regelmäßig seinen Weg - bestes Beispiel dafür ist der zehnminütige Titeltrack des Albums, der ohne übertriebenen Anspruch auskommt und stattdessen mit durchdachten und ansprechenden Ideen auf voller Länge überzeugt.
INSOMNIUM sind keine einzigartige Band und sie erfinden keinen neuen Stil, doch sie haben ein untrügliches Gespür für wunderbare Gitarren-Hooklines und einen ausdrucksstarken Sänger, der nicht nur von seiner Stimmlage an den Ex-SENTENCED und THE BLACK LEAGUE Frontman erinnert, sondern auch wie Jarva seine Stimme vielseitig einsetzt und eher Geschichten erzählt als nur singt. Und diese Geschichten sind so wunderschön und eindringlich umgesetzt, dass dieses Debütalbum den brennenden Wunsch nach einer Fortsetzung aufkommen lässt.
- Vampiria
Very freely translated into English:
Do you like the voice of Taneli Jarva? Have you enjoyed Sentenced´s "Amok" and "Love & Death"? Are you longing back the times when Amorphis made albums like "Tales from the Thousand Lakes"? Is In Flames a regular guest in your cd-player? Do you have a weakness for this certain melancholy which is said to be typically Finnish? Can you answer "yes" to these questions? Then Insomnium has made just the right album for you!
Luxurious, bitter-sweet guitar-harmonies like in the opening track "Ill-Starred Son" and lyrics like " where has my dearest gone to - where sings now my maiden fair - beneath the darksome waters - underneath the moonlit waves" are surely not totally unique, but the Finns find immediately the right tunes and a way into the heart. But that is only one side of this band; "Song of the Storm" and "Journey Unknown" are written by the guitarist Ville Friman, who undoubtedly has a weakness for melodic death metal. Both these songs have something to raise them high above the flood of publications. The ten songs wash the listener with sorroful melodies, and right in the moment when one is about to drown in misery, Insomnium changes course and shows that they can simply rock as well. These young men work so skillfully, that at first one does not realize how many details there are in the arrangements - the deep blue stream of painfully beautiful melancholy continuously clears its way onward - the best example is the ten minutes long title track, which does not fall into exaggerated complexity, but which is instead thoroughly and convincingly arranged all the time.
Insomnium is not a unique band and they haven´t found a new style, but they have an unerring ability to make wonderful, catchy guitar-tunes and they have a singer with a strong expressive power, who resembles the ex-Sentenced and The Black League frontman not only with his voice´s register, but he also reminds the versatile way Jarva uses his voice and how he tells his stories in a quite straight way. And these tales are so beautifully and unforgettably made, that this debut album leaves a burning wish for more.
March 2002 / OP
Thrashcan.de | 11/12
Eine eher Label untypische Band haben sich da Candlelight mit Insomnium an Land gezogen. Was das ganze jedoch nicht abwerten soll. Denn die finnischen Jungspunde haben es faustdick hinter den Ohren. So schaffendie vier es auf "In the Halls of Awaiting" eine Atmosphäre aus Erwartungsfreude, Depressivität und ein bißchen Rock zu versprühen. Der rauchige aggressive Gesang erinnert mich stark an ex- SENTENCED Taneli Jarvas´ Röhre. Ein bischen mehr schmissige Melodien, ein bischen mehr Rock damit auch noch der letzte Funke überspringt und Insomnium könnten vielleicht die Lücke ausfüllen, die entstanden ist als Sentenced nach AMOK eine andere Linie fuhren. Trotzdem bleibt der Sound auf eigenen Füßen stehen: melodiedurchtränkter Death-Rock zum träumen oder eine bischen depressiv zu sein.
Fein gemacht!
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