Melancholy Death

A widower, visiting the crypt that holds the body of his wife, is accidentally trapped therein. That night, he finds that she seems to have been cataleptic, rather than dead, and frees her from her coffin. things, of course, are not what they seem.

Insomnium is a melodic death metal band from Joensuu, Finland, whose music also reveals links to other, neighboring metallic subgenres like doom, melancholy, and dark metal. Originally formed in 1997, the group released a pair of demos in 1999 and 2000 before signing a contract with England's Candlelight Records, and making their full-length debut via 2002's In the Halls of Awaiting CD. Two additional albums – Since the Day It All Came Down, Above the Weeping World and Across the Dark– have since followed, in 2004, 2006 and 2009 respectively, and not only confirmed Insomnium's enduring passion for their chosen musical style, but also their stable lineup consisting of Niilo Sevänen (bass/vocals), Ville Friman (guitar), Ville Vänni (guitar), and Markus Hirvonen (drums)

Emerging from dusky woods, the untamed and forlorn nature of Finnish quartet WOLFHEART leads them to one of the most picturesque regions of their home country, Karelia. Just as wildlife itself maintains harmony through a violent clash of the beautiful and unpredictable, Wolves of Karelia explores the previously coined genre of winter metal -smoothly connecting a traditional approach towards extreme genres (‘Reaper’) with atmospheric or acoustic details (‘the Hammer’, ‘Horizon on Fire’), crowned by the instrumental interlude, ‘Eye of the Storm’. With the noted complexity of their fifth album, WOLFHEART master the art of sonic storytelling through eight multi-faceted stylistic eposes with a virtuosity of riffs, guitar solos, and abrupt tempo-changes. Above all, however, Wolves of Karelia attack with complex arrangements and melodically-grasped melancholy, creating a release as bewitching and intense as it is atmospherically resonant.

Three years after their critically acclaimed debut 'The Will' and almost a quarter of a century after their first endeavour together, Rapture's doom death seminal landmark 'Futile', guitarists Jarno Salomaa and Tomi Ullgrén (both of them also members of funeral doom legends Shape of Despair) are back with their haunting and otherworldly twin-guitar harmonies on the sophomore release of Counting Hours 'The Wishing Tomb'.
On yet another surprising expansion of their signature sound, the Finns continue building a set of colossal and unforgettable melodies using unnerving and gazing grooves as the backbone of their compositions, only to be intertwined with the emotional vocals of singer Ilpo Paasela (of The Chant fame), culminating in what will be one of the gloomiest yet, oddly enough, most memorable releases of the year…

The Crestfallen EP (1992). The style of early Anathema was a strange juxtaposition between smooth, melancholy guitar leads and deformed death metal children with one leg longer than the other trying to dance. The rhythms are sometimes absolutely horrible and do not even create distinctive riffs, just juddering patterns that do nothing for atmosphere or heaviness. Many of the riffs are dominated by bass and drums, but when we get something with recognizable shapes and moods it picks up something from the scuzzy production and works a treat, conjuring real feeling with ease. The first two songs definitely have the pick of the riffs and manage to express their anguish a little better: the melodies are also all over them, and these features give the release its character…

Few bands bring together sounds of darkness, melody, and musicality like Finland’s Insomnium. With Anno 1696, the ninth installment in their sonic explorations that include masterworks like Shadows of the Dying Sun (2014) or Winter’s Gate (2016), Insomnium continues to weave together bitter branches of sound that set the standard for nightmares to come. From the sweeping soundscapes and spare chords that open the record with the track "1696" to the sonic stormcloud and deathly snarl of ‘White Christ’, the haunting "Godforsaken", the catchiness of "Lilian" to the album's epic closer, The Rapids", Anno 1696 is a soundtrack of intensity and despair that pulls you in and never lets go. A tour de force of Finnish melancholy.

Since their formation in Mechelen, Belgium at the dawn of 2008, Marche Funèbre have carved their own indelible mark into the annals of heavy music. Originally inspired by the renowned triumvirate of Peaceville bands - My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and Anathema - Marche Funèbre have long since shaped those influences into a sound that is all their own, a unique distillation of melancholy, atmosphere, beauty and soul crushing heaviness. With revered albums like 2017s "Into The Arms Of Darkness" and 2020s "Einderlicht" they have risen to a place of prominence within the mournful ranks of doom metal’s elite - and still their creative star continues to rise. With a new deal in place with Ardua Music, Marche Funèbre are ready to unveil their fifth full length album, After The Storm - the most impactful and emotive set of songs to bear their name…