Album Review - Insomnium "Anno 1696"

Album review

Band: Insomnium

Album: Anno 1696

Finnish melodic death metal veterans Insomnium will release their 9th offering, "Anno 1696"

later this month. I for one cannot wait to get my hands on this masterpiece. This is my first time listening to the band but I can guarantee it won't be my last! Over the years since the first wave of melodic death metal ( mainly Swedish bands) came on in the early 1990s, the genre has seen many adaptations. An over use of keyboards and clean vocals started to water down the genre. But not here. They are merely accents here and there.

Insomnium does a great job of molding melodic death and doom metal. Rarely does a record in this style take you on a journey of epic propositions, but "Anno 1696" does just that. Flawless tempo changes accompanied by female chant style vocals sprinkled throughout, gives it a fresh sound.

It also makes itself very listenable for anyone new to the genre. Definitely has the potential to make the top 10 for 2023.

Insomnium are:

Niilo Sevänen - Bass and Vocals

Jani Liimatainen - Guitars and clean vocals

Markus Hirvonen - Drums

Ville Friman - Guitars

Markus Vanhala - Guitars and clean vocals

Rating: 9/10