May 16, 2018 - In a rare convergence of the label declaring this a worldwide priority release, significant fans' anticipation and my own interest Finland's. May 16, 2018 - Insomnium proved to be one of these bands with their 2006 release of Above the Weeping World. Above the Weeping World is the third studio.
Insomnium could be likened to a Finnish answer to Amon Amarth, minus the Viking trappings and with a more varied approach that incorporates more acoustic and atmospheric elements. The analogy largely plays into their rugged musical consistency, electing to stick to a style more closely aligned with the early purveyors of the Gothenburg scene, while bringing in a slightly helping of Kalmah and Norther trappings on occasion. Their appeal is largely centered around their ability to remain tasteful in their delivery, not dwelling too long on one given element, while also avoiding the pretension that comes into play with bands that are more overtly progressive. This band knows their audience and what they want, and what they want is a consistent blend of sorrow and rage, bottled up into a nice package that is very specific, yet with a good amount of nuance.
“Above The Weeping World” is basically a continuation of their debut album where the tempo was picked up a bit and a slightly more power metal oriented approach was incorporated. It is a highly effective blend as it avoids the coasting repetition common to the more ambient bound approach of some bands, as well as the almost pop-like formulaic approach that is taken by both Amon Amarth and, to a somewhat lesser extent, The Crown. While recurring themes are not outright avoided, this album embodies a sort of ambiguity where a clear moment of cadence or a chorus is not necessarily obvious. It is catchy and quite memorable, but the ebb and flow of melodic ideas are not rigorously conformed to a clear symmetry, though in a broader sense the usage of acoustic sections marks clear points of separation that could be viewed as a cadence of sorts.
Unlike the last album, this one is just a little bit stronger the longer the songs are, as the exploitation of acoustic parts is a bit more refined and beautiful. While keyboard usage has been scaled back a bit here, “At The Gates Of Sleep” and “Last Statement” do an excellent job of compensating with well conceived, folksy sounding acoustic interludes and a wide array of melodic motives in the guitars. Everything just comes off as a bit leaner and meaner, save Niilo’s vocal work which is deeper and husky sounding enough to rival Frank Mullen, but it still fits in with the lighter melodic content quite well. The only real complaint that can be launched against this album is that the shorter songs veer back into In Flames territory (think “Colony”) and have a slightly mechanical feel, but it’s not nearly overt enough to really detract very much from the whole package.
The expectation game is the only real enemy that Insomnium faces, and barring a complete revamp of their style, the only chance of an eventual let down would be if something goes wrong in the quality department. “Above The Weeping World” has a fairly easy time measuring up to the standards already set by the last two albums, and has done well by not getting too adventurous with the musical plot formula that has served this band well up to this point. This is the sort of melodeath that any fan of semi-extreme metal can appreciate, lacking the excesses of most of the more established brands. The only real criticism that can be launched at these guys is that they aren’t expanding the genre very much, but then again, if everyone was expanding the genre then before long no one would recognize it anymore.
“Above The Weeping World” is basically a continuation of their debut album where the tempo was picked up a bit and a slightly more power metal oriented approach was incorporated. It is a highly effective blend as it avoids the coasting repetition common to the more ambient bound approach of some bands, as well as the almost pop-like formulaic approach that is taken by both Amon Amarth and, to a somewhat lesser extent, The Crown. While recurring themes are not outright avoided, this album embodies a sort of ambiguity where a clear moment of cadence or a chorus is not necessarily obvious. It is catchy and quite memorable, but the ebb and flow of melodic ideas are not rigorously conformed to a clear symmetry, though in a broader sense the usage of acoustic sections marks clear points of separation that could be viewed as a cadence of sorts.
Unlike the last album, this one is just a little bit stronger the longer the songs are, as the exploitation of acoustic parts is a bit more refined and beautiful. While keyboard usage has been scaled back a bit here, “At The Gates Of Sleep” and “Last Statement” do an excellent job of compensating with well conceived, folksy sounding acoustic interludes and a wide array of melodic motives in the guitars. Everything just comes off as a bit leaner and meaner, save Niilo’s vocal work which is deeper and husky sounding enough to rival Frank Mullen, but it still fits in with the lighter melodic content quite well. The only real complaint that can be launched against this album is that the shorter songs veer back into In Flames territory (think “Colony”) and have a slightly mechanical feel, but it’s not nearly overt enough to really detract very much from the whole package.
The expectation game is the only real enemy that Insomnium faces, and barring a complete revamp of their style, the only chance of an eventual let down would be if something goes wrong in the quality department. “Above The Weeping World” has a fairly easy time measuring up to the standards already set by the last two albums, and has done well by not getting too adventurous with the musical plot formula that has served this band well up to this point. This is the sort of melodeath that any fan of semi-extreme metal can appreciate, lacking the excesses of most of the more established brands. The only real criticism that can be launched at these guys is that they aren’t expanding the genre very much, but then again, if everyone was expanding the genre then before long no one would recognize it anymore.