WEEK 159 – INSOMNIUM

My HeadBangers welcome from Joensuu, Finland the melodic death metal band:

INSOMNIUM

“The Wanderer”

“Heart Like A Grave”

I love Melodic Death Metal, especially Nordic.  To me it’s very calming and goes right to the heart.  At least to me it does.  It still has that edge but it’s hard to explain.  It’s like being  deep in the forest, with nothing but the sun shining through ancient  trees and all that music playing, calling to my spirit.  That’s the best way I can put it.  Only  I love my hair moshers too.  Let’s take a look at some bio on these guys taken from their site.

Strange and formidable things may grow from humble beginnings. Back in 1997, in a remote town of Joensuu, beyond the great vast forests of eastern Finland, some teenage metalheads got together to play loud and fierce music, drink beer and have fun. Little did they knew that two decades later they would be saluted as one of the spearheads of their genre, preparing to release their 8th studio album and embark on another world tour.

Since 2011 Insomnium’s line-up has been Markus Hirvonen, Ville Friman, Niilo Sevänen and Markus Vanhala. This quartet forged albums Shadows of the Dying Sun (2014) and Winter’s Gate (2016) which elevated the band to the headliner status all over the globe.

In 2018 it became apparent that guitarist Ville Friman could not combine the heavy touring anymore with his another career as a lecturer in York university. Hence the band decided that a third guitarist was needed to get the machinery running properly. They did not have to look far, since certain Jani Liimatainen (The Dark Element, Cain’s Offering, ex-Sonata Arctica) had already been a live guitarist on several tours. So blood oaths were done, toasts raised and unholy contracts signed, and the band became a quintet.

With this new line-up and upgraded firepower Insomnium began writing their 8th studio album. Consisting of 10 songs and over an hour of music Heart Like a Grave (2019) evolved to be an epic tour de force of Finnish melancholy, drawing inspiration from some of the bleakest tales, lyrics and poems of the north. With four composers in the band the sound of Insomnium is now richer and more versatile than ever before. And yet the essence and core of the music is the same as 22 years ago. The tree grows new branches but the roots go deeper into the black, rimed soil.

Let’s meet the band:

Markus Hirvonen – Drums

Ville Friman – Guitars and Vocals

Niilo Sevänen – Vocals and Bass

Markus Vanhala – Guitars

Jani Liimatainen – Guitars and Vocals

“Weather The Storm”

My Thoughts:

I love this band, I love their sound, the vocals, the bass, hell they are the total package.  I played this last song “Weather The Storm”, for all the HeadBangers in the Ukraine, all the bands there, be safe, be strong, all of our thoughts are with you.  Even the HeadBangers in Russia, that are against what their government is doing, stay strong, remember all HeadBangers are one family and will remain so until the last song is played.   I have bands in both countries, it really has affected me to the point that I can’t think about it, but I can’t stop  thinking about it.  I check on them almost every day.  I feel a heaviness in my heart and soul.  To think that after the world fighting Covid for 2 years, now this happens.  Why? I think we all have our own ideas of why this is happening.   In the meantime we are and always will be Metal Family.   I’m to stop now, I leave you with this thought, we are all one…..

Join me next week for another band and another song.  In the meantime don’t stand to close to the fire if you can’t handle the burn…..