ALBUM REVIEW: Netherworlds – Insomnium

Few bands have come to close to perfecting the essence of melodic death metal than INSOMNIUM. For close to three decades, the Finns’ blend of melancholic melodies and razor-sharp heaviness has kept the band at the forefront of melodeath, with a remarkably consistent discography and reputation. Three years after the concept-driven Anno 1696 comes Netherworlds, their tenth record and a reminder that when it comes to melodeath, few come close.

Few surprises then, but for anyone accustomed to INSOMNIUM‘s craft these last 29 years, but Netherworlds is brilliant. It’s trademark INSOMNIUM but fresh and fierce enough to not conjure any unpleasant feelings that we’ve heard this all before. It begins with an alluring reimagining of 17th Century English composer Henry Purcell‘s The Cold Song, but once Shadowlife kicks in with those irresistible trademark harmonious riffing, and the exquisite balance between the harsh and clean vocals ensures the track leaves a lasting impression right from the off. Just like Shadows Of The Dying Sun‘s While We Sleep, it’s a soaring album opener and gets Netherworlds off to the strongest possible start.

From there, Netherworlds continues to hit the mark, reaffirming the fact that INSOMNIUM just don’t miss. Remembrance aches and croons with gorgeous guitar work and the lavish melodies that underpin it hit that sweet spot while Gleam In The Dark, quite possibly one the most exhilaratingly uptempo songs the band have penned to date, flies out of the traps with its soaring leads and quickly whisks you off your feet into the frenzy.

Then, there’s The Hour Grows Late. In an album of many, many highlights, here lies one of the record’s crowning achievements. Melodies that croon and mournful leads that pull at the heartstrings at every turn, percussion and rumbling growls that rolls over you like a howling storm, over the course of it’s epic eight minute runtime, INSOMNIUM are at their creative zenith. This is only bolstered through a collaboration with countrymen AMORPHIS, who somehow add even more firepower with Tomi Joutsen‘s impeccable vocals complimenting Niilo Sevänen in a moment that feels akin to a heroic triumph. It’s a match made in heaven.

Elsewhere, Arch Of The Sky boasts a really slick rhythm that allows it’s hook-laden chorus to land oh so effectively, The Banished injects a shot of adrenaline in the album’s closing stages with a flurry of frenetic riffing and a crescendo that features one of the best solos you’ll hear on the entire record. Pathways Of The Night, meanwhile, stakes a claim for yet another career best, thanks to a concoction of some of the best melodies you’ll hear, not just on the record, but from the band themselves. It ebbs and flows, where each component of the band’s sound is alive and thriving, coming together to create a five minute listening experience that is nothing short of jaw-dropping.

When compared against such high standards in such impeccably consistent discography, the very fact that Netherworlds can go toe to toe with any of the band’s previous nine records is testament to the quality the Finns have delivered for the best part of three decades. Packed to the prim with killer hooks and enough melancholic moments to soundtrack these darker and colder nights, Netherworlds is yet another excellent addition to a discography that should be the blueprint for any aspiring melodeath band. But, at this point, are we even surprised?

Rating: 9/10

Netherworlds is out now via Century Media Records. 

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