The Melodic Death Metal titans hailing from Joensuu, Finland have been putting out heavy poetry since 1997 now; So you’d think we would know what to expect, but every album turns out to be more surprising than the last. Generally, if you haven’t heard Insomnium before, you can expect the Nihilistic Finnish downtrodden Death Metal sound but with a modern twist. Insomnium added melody to this classic angry and sad boy sound, converting experienced Death Metal fans and new to the ways of melodeath. Guitarist Markus Vanhala and Bassist/Vocalist Niilo Sevanen along with founder Ville Friman put out brutally epic music that’s a storyboard of Finland throughout the ages. We had ancient Viking history with Winter’s Gate, which is one of the most successful Death Metal concept records I’ve ever seen. We had modern to futuristic trials with Shadows of the Dying Sun. And now, we have a historical journey of Christianity making its way to Finland with Anno 1696, mixing with the local Mythology Insomnium has always kept true to, and it truly feels older.
This album blends classic Insomnium sounds that Friman and Sevanen built with melodeath touches from Markus, and then reverberated modern drumming. It feels like a 1990s Death Metal record in a nostalgic yet not derivative way, but with echoey pounding drums. I didn’t expect such a huge modern drum tone from Insomnium, but it works. Insomnium’s DNA of their sound is fine-tuned on this record. It is tighter, more well-composed, and a whole thought than 2019’s Heart Like A Grave. This album is a perfect example of the quintessential Insomnium sound with some new sounds. Anno 1696 is a mastery of melodeath and shows what Insomnium is truly capable of when they take their time. The tracks White Christ, the opening track, and The Witch Hunter blend their acoustic guitar breaks, melodic on-the-nose leads, distorted vocals, and beautiful folky-clean singing in the tightest and interwoven ways I have ever heard. This album may not be their best, but it is Insomnium straight through the vein.
Rating 8 out of 10
Composition: 8
Mixing: 6
Lyrics: 8
Technicality: 7
Links:
Metal Valkyrie 