INSOMNIUM

A remarkable achievement in itself, INSOMNIUM's chief selling point over the first 29 years of their existence has been a stoic and unwavering consistency. Certainly, since their recorded debut (demos aside) with first album "In the Halls of Awaiting", the Finns have singularly failed to release anything other than strong and enduring pieces of work. They have done it all with little fuss and quiet class, but looking back at their nine albums to date, fans can have every confidence that the INSOMNIUM banner is an unequivocal promise of quality. From early classic "Above the Weeping World" (2006) to the remarkable trilogy of records that the band have unveiled over the last decade — "Winter's Gate", "Heart Like a Grave" and "Anno 1696" — their mastery of a refined and idiosyncratic strain of windswept, melodic death metal has been plain for all to hear. And on their tenth album, INSOMNIUM show no signs of loosening their grip on that unerring devotion to nailing it.

This is a wonderful record. Ushered in by a plaintive and emotionally riveting version of 17th century English composer Henry Purcell's "The Cold Song", "Netherworlds" delivers everything that fans have come to expect from an INSOMNIUM album, while somehow expanding the band's atmospheric remit in a number of irresistible ways. New recruit Tom Laisto (guitar / vocals) has brought even more depth and dexterity to the overall sound, and the quintet's songwriting has grown and flourished as a result. Opening anthems "Shadowlife" and "Remembrance" perfectly encapsulate the evolutionary fervor that has inspired it all: exquisite melodies that reference the past without bowing to it, and layered and lavish guitar work that is as evocative and cinematic as any in the band's illustrious canon, all colliding in a shower of star sparks and moonlit wonderment.

There are several moments that are so perfect that it almost seems like a trick. "Gleam in the Black" may be the catchiest and most addictive song that INSOMNIUM have ever recorded. Niilo Sevänen's harsh growls have seldom sounded so authoritative against a backdrop that is audaciously uplifting and yet still rooted in the glistening darkness of this band's gloomy outlook. In contrast, the epic and sumptuous "The Hour Grows Late" marries the expected icy grandeur with some of the sharpest melodies and sweetest chordal shifts ever to grace an INSOMNIUM album. Exhilarating and ferocious, but also wholly gorgeous and dramatic, its eight minutes represent the progressive apex of the Finns' grand ambitions, suitably augmented with the peerless vocals of AMORPHIS frontman Tomi Joutsen.

Elsewhere, "Pathways of the Night" is another career best melodic extravaganza wherein each of the band's most revered traits is given room to thrive. The closing "Journey's End" is a sub-zero symphony that explores notions of love and mortality with the grace of angels and a beautiful arrangement that will almost certainly send shivers down every spine. But in truth, these highlights are all just part of a single, sensational musical statement from a band that have never lost sight of music's capacity to illuminate the darkness. Either "Netherworlds" is INSOMNIUM's finest album to date, or their standards are so high that it is impossible to make such a judgement. Excellent work, frosty dudes.