Yeah, presumably that equates to a 3 or 3.5, so basically he'd rate Foregone the same as new Insomnium....
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Yeah, presumably that equates to a 3 or 3.5, so basically he'd rate Foregone the same as new Insomnium....
My favourite album is Across the Dark (the more melodies the better). But, Winter's Gate has something that makes it special.I'm sold man. Maybe the melodies won't touch my soul as much as I'd like but I already know the global sound of the record is going to appeal to me
About this one, I will wait till someone leaks the full thing before making a final opinion.
Moonshield_
Member
I like it a lot too! The main melody at the beginning with those blast beats always get me on fire 
I even own the Winter's Gate t-shirt.
The only thing not so positive (for me) about that album is the progressive aspect of it.
I'm not at all a prog guy
I even own the Winter's Gate t-shirt.
The only thing not so positive (for me) about that album is the progressive aspect of it.
I'm not at all a prog guy
I like Opeth. Their metal albums. And, I like how varied WG is. There are a lot of brilliant guitar melodies there.
Just finished listening to the Insomnium album. Those who loved Winter Gate will like this a lot too I think, it makes a lot of sense as a whole album. Production is the weak point, every black metal section is too condensed and it's hard to tell layers of guitars and synths apart. Vocals were never prominent in their mixes before but I feel like here they are buried even more than usually which is a good or bad thing depending on what you as a listener prefer to have in your face. They definitely tried something different here and I can appreciate that even if the end result isn't exactly spectacular. Overall I feel like 8 would be too high, it's more of a very strong 7 as a whole, coincidentally the same rating I would give to Winters Gate as I don't consider it a masterpiece like many others do. Need to relisten it a few times to see which songs stick but here are my initial impressions:
01. 1696
Very slow acoustic intro and uncharacteristically undramatic for an Insomnium album opener. Not really sure what the goal was with the mid-section noise in the transitioning part right before the blast beat? Blast beat starts with a very pleasant melancholic tremolo melody over it and it sounds great. Blast beat ends and it develops into a flowy guitar lead for a brief moment before another harmonized section starts and it sounds pleasantly unrecycled considering all the recent Insomnium albums. I'm definitely enjoying this a lot. Black metalish section is revisited, entire track is about 6 minutes long but it feels shorter than that. Very effective track and a refreshing track opener. 8/10
02. White Christ
I didn't like it much when it was presented as a single. It makes a bit more sense here in the context of a mood that the first track set so there is that. I enjoy Rotting Christ and Sakis's voice is decent but the song lacks a hook. After the second chorus a very Omnium Gatherumesque clean guitar interlude takes charge followed by a soft, melodic guitar solo. 6/10
03. Godforsaken
Song immediately starts with a very eastern european female vocal melody that sounds more like something from Balkans than from Finland, in a good way. First time the band utilizes female vocals. The section ends and a tremolo black metal section starts, followed by another section of very ethno-sounding female vocals. Excellent breakup of the Insomnium mold that outstayed its welcome for a bit too long in recent years. Another brief black metal part. Pleasant guitar solo tones down the drama of the song and leads into a clean-sung male vocal section which I really, really do not enjoy and consider the worst offender in Insomnium's catalogue because they sound incredibly inept no matter who sings them. Here it sounds like harmonized voices of Friman and Liimatainen but lacks power and just comes off as weak and whiny. Others might enjoy it, but I definitely do not. Overall a very brave departure for Insomnium and a solid 7/10.
04. Lilian
I quite enjoyed the single. The rocky vibe of it and the rasterized chords of the intro immediately remind me of Ephemeral, maybe even a bit too much. Strong, powerful chorus. It's a simple but very effective song. 8/10.
05. Starless Paths
Song starts with a slow guitar lead that comes straight from Across the Dark, and after another repetition it transforms into a tremolo variation with double kicks all over it. Very Lay of the Autumn-esque. More blast beats and at this point I'm quite suprised by the amount of black metal parts that are short and add just enough spice to the record even if they are becoming a bit predictable at this point. Very intelligently arranged where parts don't outstay their welcome but they also aren't nervously jumping from one section to another for the sake of change. Melodically song comes down a bit flat however and it's probably the weak point of the album so far. Final two minutes salvage the situation with an acoustic piece with piano over it that reminds me of Eternal Tears of Sorrow and a strong solo closes the song. 6.5/10
06. The Witch Hunter
Decent single. I don't like the narrated bit with the english (?) accent and I really don't like the clean vocals. I can appreicate the sparcity of them so far and that they do break the monotony but the execution is just not there. Song ends with a very uneven-sounding rhythm and guitars that dance around it. I appreciate the extra care that was put into such a small part of the song and it makes the final chorus far more powerful as a result. Despite the bad parts I have to give it a fairly strong grade, 7.5/10.
07. The Unrest
Starts with a strong Amorphis-like melody on the acoustic guitar. Soft whispered verses are accompanied by a sparcely used piano, it's overall pretty effective. Pre-chorus and chorus kicks in with more harmonized clean singing and it's just as weak and disappointing as in the previous track. There is nothing technically wrong with the singing, it's in key, it's well edited, the harmonies are all auto tuned well and on-pitch but the people who are singing this simply don't have a voice fit for singing as it's very unpleasant to listen to. And the impression that I get as a listener is that the band is well aware of it so they tried to dress it in layers and harmonies hoping the prettiness of the whole package will make it bigger than the sum of its parts but unfortunately it doesn't. I will however be honest and say that this might be rubbing me the wrong way harder than it would someone else. 5/10.
08. The Rapids
Song starts with keyboards and just from the few piano notes I can already tell this will be a strong song. Melody slowly builds up, its variations take turns with chaotic drums accompanying it. Unusual chanty throat singing (?) part leads us into an unexpected fast paced thrashy verse that sounds like something off Dissection's Reinkaos record. I really like the melodic guitars in the chorus, they aren't particularly standing out melodically as something memorable but they are a nice decoration on top of everything. Another thrashy verse with a pleasant rhythmic switch up into triplets. Very sinister sounding black metal section breaks up the song, and a solo that matches its mood is unusual enough. A bit of a letdown because Insomnium usually leave a long epic track for a closer and this fell a bit short in that context, 7/10.
01. 1696
Very slow acoustic intro and uncharacteristically undramatic for an Insomnium album opener. Not really sure what the goal was with the mid-section noise in the transitioning part right before the blast beat? Blast beat starts with a very pleasant melancholic tremolo melody over it and it sounds great. Blast beat ends and it develops into a flowy guitar lead for a brief moment before another harmonized section starts and it sounds pleasantly unrecycled considering all the recent Insomnium albums. I'm definitely enjoying this a lot. Black metalish section is revisited, entire track is about 6 minutes long but it feels shorter than that. Very effective track and a refreshing track opener. 8/10
02. White Christ
I didn't like it much when it was presented as a single. It makes a bit more sense here in the context of a mood that the first track set so there is that. I enjoy Rotting Christ and Sakis's voice is decent but the song lacks a hook. After the second chorus a very Omnium Gatherumesque clean guitar interlude takes charge followed by a soft, melodic guitar solo. 6/10
03. Godforsaken
Song immediately starts with a very eastern european female vocal melody that sounds more like something from Balkans than from Finland, in a good way. First time the band utilizes female vocals. The section ends and a tremolo black metal section starts, followed by another section of very ethno-sounding female vocals. Excellent breakup of the Insomnium mold that outstayed its welcome for a bit too long in recent years. Another brief black metal part. Pleasant guitar solo tones down the drama of the song and leads into a clean-sung male vocal section which I really, really do not enjoy and consider the worst offender in Insomnium's catalogue because they sound incredibly inept no matter who sings them. Here it sounds like harmonized voices of Friman and Liimatainen but lacks power and just comes off as weak and whiny. Others might enjoy it, but I definitely do not. Overall a very brave departure for Insomnium and a solid 7/10.
04. Lilian
I quite enjoyed the single. The rocky vibe of it and the rasterized chords of the intro immediately remind me of Ephemeral, maybe even a bit too much. Strong, powerful chorus. It's a simple but very effective song. 8/10.
05. Starless Paths
Song starts with a slow guitar lead that comes straight from Across the Dark, and after another repetition it transforms into a tremolo variation with double kicks all over it. Very Lay of the Autumn-esque. More blast beats and at this point I'm quite suprised by the amount of black metal parts that are short and add just enough spice to the record even if they are becoming a bit predictable at this point. Very intelligently arranged where parts don't outstay their welcome but they also aren't nervously jumping from one section to another for the sake of change. Melodically song comes down a bit flat however and it's probably the weak point of the album so far. Final two minutes salvage the situation with an acoustic piece with piano over it that reminds me of Eternal Tears of Sorrow and a strong solo closes the song. 6.5/10
06. The Witch Hunter
Decent single. I don't like the narrated bit with the english (?) accent and I really don't like the clean vocals. I can appreicate the sparcity of them so far and that they do break the monotony but the execution is just not there. Song ends with a very uneven-sounding rhythm and guitars that dance around it. I appreciate the extra care that was put into such a small part of the song and it makes the final chorus far more powerful as a result. Despite the bad parts I have to give it a fairly strong grade, 7.5/10.
07. The Unrest
Starts with a strong Amorphis-like melody on the acoustic guitar. Soft whispered verses are accompanied by a sparcely used piano, it's overall pretty effective. Pre-chorus and chorus kicks in with more harmonized clean singing and it's just as weak and disappointing as in the previous track. There is nothing technically wrong with the singing, it's in key, it's well edited, the harmonies are all auto tuned well and on-pitch but the people who are singing this simply don't have a voice fit for singing as it's very unpleasant to listen to. And the impression that I get as a listener is that the band is well aware of it so they tried to dress it in layers and harmonies hoping the prettiness of the whole package will make it bigger than the sum of its parts but unfortunately it doesn't. I will however be honest and say that this might be rubbing me the wrong way harder than it would someone else. 5/10.
08. The Rapids
Song starts with keyboards and just from the few piano notes I can already tell this will be a strong song. Melody slowly builds up, its variations take turns with chaotic drums accompanying it. Unusual chanty throat singing (?) part leads us into an unexpected fast paced thrashy verse that sounds like something off Dissection's Reinkaos record. I really like the melodic guitars in the chorus, they aren't particularly standing out melodically as something memorable but they are a nice decoration on top of everything. Another thrashy verse with a pleasant rhythmic switch up into triplets. Very sinister sounding black metal section breaks up the song, and a solo that matches its mood is unusual enough. A bit of a letdown because Insomnium usually leave a long epic track for a closer and this fell a bit short in that context, 7/10.
I still like Insomnium, but all that clean singing, long songs that go nowhere and two guitar players that don't fit the band really bothers me.
There's not that much clean singing in this album. The acoustic song is just a rarity.
The worse part is the mixing. It's really bad. It tries to create a dark mood but instead it lets me wondering what's hidden behind all of that compression.
The singles were safe ground but I really like how these guys are keeping being very creative in what they do. The EP kept me worried because there was nothing new there. Here, there is. And it keeps on making the experience (of listening to them) fresh.
The worse part is the mixing. It's really bad. It tries to create a dark mood but instead it lets me wondering what's hidden behind all of that compression.
The singles were safe ground but I really like how these guys are keeping being very creative in what they do. The EP kept me worried because there was nothing new there. Here, there is. And it keeps on making the experience (of listening to them) fresh.
Moonshield_
Member
I was struggling yesterday night waiting for the release of the new Insomnium album at midnight and fall asleep as soon as the music started.
(Then I dreamt about it and it had a lot of blast beats and a much cooler artwork
)
I've had the time to listen to the first 5 songs this morning and I'm very looking forward to continue the listening tonight!
I feel this album is far less mainstream than the previous ones.
I love how the drum sounds, it's very organic (it seems to be a cool trend that's happening currently because the new Behemoth and the new Soilwork have this same approach drum wise)
I've listened to these songs through my marshall speaker, still got to try with my headphones tonight in order to make an opinion about production.
Anyway, as for now it looks like a cool surprise
(Then I dreamt about it and it had a lot of blast beats and a much cooler artwork
)
I've had the time to listen to the first 5 songs this morning and I'm very looking forward to continue the listening tonight!
I feel this album is far less mainstream than the previous ones.
I love how the drum sounds, it's very organic (it seems to be a cool trend that's happening currently because the new Behemoth and the new Soilwork have this same approach drum wise)
I've listened to these songs through my marshall speaker, still got to try with my headphones tonight in order to make an opinion about production.
Anyway, as for now it looks like a cool surprise
Well the mixing was apparently done by the guy who's been mixing the recent Paradise Lost albums (and a bunch of other doom/black metal stuff) so that explains the more earthly, for a lack of a better word, production. Compared to the previous album that was mixed by Jens Bogren and Winter's Gate that was mixed by Dan Swano.
I did try listening to the album, but it just doesn't work for me. There are some good melodies on various tracks, but a lot of it is too slow for me. Just isn't my kind of music. I like music that energises me, Insomnium kind of does the opposite - although I suppose there's a clue in the name.
Production I didn't have a huge problem with, but agree with whoever said the vocals are too low in the mix. Not that it matters to me, as I find the growls totally uninteresting and lacking any emotional range, whilst the cleans are weak and have no confidence behind them.
So ultimately same issues I have with most Insomnium albums, it's just not interesting to me. Keep in mind stuff like Opeth doesn't interest me either.
Production I didn't have a huge problem with, but agree with whoever said the vocals are too low in the mix. Not that it matters to me, as I find the growls totally uninteresting and lacking any emotional range, whilst the cleans are weak and have no confidence behind them.
So ultimately same issues I have with most Insomnium albums, it's just not interesting to me. Keep in mind stuff like Opeth doesn't interest me either.
Pallbearer
Passive Member
I was going to say don't make jokes as bad as this... but I changed my mind. That was so bad it actually becomes good.
Blasphemy.
You see these questions on Reddit that's like "what from X does everyone like, but you don't?" - and for me when it comes to MDM side of metal it's always Opeth and Insomnium
Opeth I do appreciate all of the elements, even if the music itself puts me to sleep. Insomnium meanwhile, I can get behind the guitars, bass and drums... but not sure why the vocals seem to get a pass from everyone. They just sound so basic and boring. Harsh vocals are generic "how to do death vox 101" and cleans are just fail. Most reviews just seem to ignore the vocals as if they don't matter, and I guess maybe for Insomnium they don't. But I don't exactly listen to much instrumental stuff so lack of interesting singer is a problem for me.
Moonshield_
Member
Moonshield_
Member
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