Shadows Of The Dying Sun

Author: Primož Novak

Artist: Insomnium
Label: Century Media
Release: year_month
Length: 56:43
Rating: 4.5/5

Finland first made its name with bands like Children of Bodom, Wintersun, Kalmah and the like. A little later Insomnium found their own spot too, taking a different approach to melodic death metal, even though it took quite a few years before they got any real attention. Above all, they made it clear that just because it’s Finnish doesn’t mean it has to be cheesy.

Insomnium worked their way forward slowly. Their first albums were undeniably convincing, but somehow they never managed to break through. Maybe the long, not exactly commercial songs had something to do with it. The change became noticeable with their previous album, One For Sorrow, which landed the band on a better-known label, while the songs got simpler. They also used melodic vocals for the first time, which is pretty much a must these days if you want to win over bigger crowds. One For Sorrow was only a solid record. Insomnium had shown earlier that they could write far more demanding songs, but on One For Sorrow the tracks were simpler and more commercially minded, even though the album still had a few bright spots.

For Shadows Of The Dying Sun the band decided to take more time, and they also looked back to their first albums for inspiration. But so the record wouldn’t sound like a trip down memory lane, they took a different road. After the intro The Primeval Dark, Insomnium serve up the epic, melodic, and catchy While We Sleep, which somehow has everything you’d expect from them. The melodic vocals impress too, fitting nicely into the melancholic melodies backed by keyboards. The song is a real surprise, and at the end a beautiful melodic guitar solo wins you over and spices everything up even more. With Revelation, Insomnium deliver more traditional melodic death metal moves. Admittedly, it all sounds pretty modernized, and not just because of the production but also because of the keyboards, which help Insomnium get something truly unique.

With Black Heart Rebellion, Insomnium take a detour into places they haven’t been, or haven’t been in a long time. The album gains diversity, and you get the sense that the band experimented and broadened their horizons this time. We get more black metal moves, though melodic ones. And so it doesn’t turn into the same riffs on repeat, toward the end the band offers a gentle, slower melodic section that already flirts a bit with doom metal, which wouldn’t be a surprise for a Finnish band anyway. And speaking of doom, the next track, Lose To Night, leans even harder that way, although the rhythm section itself is a bit faster. With Collapsing Words they head back into melodic death metal. It’s a bouncier song, boasting catchy melodies. The Ellipse of The River has a pretty similar foundation to Black Heart Rebellion, except that to stress the gentler side the band adds an undistorted section that contrasts with the aggressive black metal guitars at the start. Ephemeral then brings another swerve back to their trademark melodeath style. Insomnium surprise you with every track, no doubt. They can win over new listeners and keep the old ones, too.

The band calms down with the last two tracks. With The Promethean Song and Shadows Of The Dying Sun, they finally show their flair for melancholy paired with melody, undistorted passages, and melodic vocals. Add the bonus track and Insomnium deliver over an hour of seriously varied music, proving that one style can be stretched an awful lot.

Insomnium have undeniably made progress. As expected, the growled vocals, the melodies, the atmosphere, and the solid rhythm section are all still here, and this time the rhythm section shows a bit more thanks to the aggressive parts. The progress can probably also be explained by guitarist Markus Vanhala (Omnium Gatherum), who undoubtedly contributed to there being noticeably more melodies and solos.

Shadows Of The Dying Sun is polished, diverse, and wonderfully unpredictable. It’s proof of maturity, and it could just as well be a turning point for what comes next, with openness at its core. Now we mostly hope the band won’t rest on its laurels and simply stagnate, like so many bands do after a well-received album.

Lineup

Nillo Sevänen – vocals, bass

Markus Hirvonen – drums

Ville Friman – guitar, clean vocals

Markus Vanhala – guitar

Production

Teemu Aalto

Tracklist