Unholy Black Metal
  • Gallery
  • Contact

“Shadows of the Dying Sun” by Insomnium: a mawkish style; the new path of the Finns?

24/12/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
There are bands who are able to evolve while remaining faithful to their sound. Insomnium are definitely one of these bands: the latest work of the Finnish melodic death  metal band is another pearl for the enthusiasts of this genre. Shadows of the Dying Sun resumes and continues the discourse of the previous albums, but the listener will find a lot of new elements.
                                     
The album begins with an intro, “
The Primeval Dark”, which then dissolves in the melody of “While We Sleep”; at this point we are caught in a melodious and cloying atmosphere that is a bit different from the previous album’s. One for Sorrow  (2011) was more meditative and melancholy, while the melodies of Shadows of the Dying Sun are more easy to listen to; an example is “Shadows of the Dying Sun”. The new album also features a more intensive use of clean vocals and a significant increase in the level of the technical performance of the musicians; this is evident in the many solos and in the experimentation of new and more complex rhythms. In general I would say that Shadows of the Dying Sun winks at the new trends of extreme metal; songs like “Lose to Night” and “Collapsing Words” exemplify this type of path undertaken by the Finnish band, even though “Black Heart Rebellion” evokes atmospheres similar to Cascadian black metal.

From the thematic point of view I find that “
Shadows of the Dying Sun” is particularly interesting; this song is a kind of a manifesto of the thought of Ville Friman, singer and guitarist and author of most of the musics and lyrics of Shadows of the Dying Sun and of this song in particular. The lyrics of this song reveal his philosophical ideas about life, man, and the meaning of our presence in the universe. According to Ville we are only shadows, remnants of the past, “animated sparks of energy”.

In summary,
Shadows of the Dying Sun is a beautiful album of melodic death metal for those who like easily listenable extreme metal. To put it euphemistically, perhaps an evolution towards a less extreme direction.

Notes:
Shadows of the Dying Sun was released on April 28, 2014 on Century Media.

Tracklist:
1. The Primeval Dark
2. While We Sleep
3. Revelation
4. Black Heart Rebellion
5. Lose to Night
6. Collapsing Words
7. The River
8. Ephemeral
9. The Promethean Song
10. Shadows of the Dying Sun

03:17

06:20
05:15
07:03
04:59
04:38
07:57
04:01
06:41
06:32
56:43
Personnel:
Markus Hirvonen: Drums
Markus Vanhala: Guitars
Niilo Sevänen: Vocals, Bass
Ville Friman: Guitars, Vocals (clean)
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

Unholy Black Metal zine