The name bespeaks sluggish, semi-conscious dreariness, but these eight dark wonders evoke majesty and upbeat melodies within the limited melancholia. Even when Insomnium get gruff and plodding, (‘The Harrowing Years’) they break in with clean vocals and atmospheric, acoustic flare. In a completely opposite direction, ‘Against The Stream’ is Gothenburg sound melodic death metal, even if it ends with solo piano. Ditto ‘Into The Woods’. Regardless of stylistic endeavor, the key attributes throughout album #4 are class and infectious rhythms. Newcomers might make comparisons to Opeth on ‘The Lay Of Autumn’, for the sonically light and dark dichotomy, but that’s unfair. The Finns have been around since ’97, even if it took until ’02 to record/distribute their debut. The symphonic strings that introduce ‘Weighed Down With Sorrow’ (as if that title alone weren’t omen enough) preface the morose tones to follow, but even they lighten, oh so briefly. Special!
