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, teenage metalheads got together to play fierce music and have fun. Little did they knew that two decades later they would be saluted as the spearhead 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 Ville could not combine the touring anymore with his another career in York university. Hence the band decided that a third guitarist was needed to get the machinery running. They did not have to look far, since Jani Liimatainen had already been a live guitarist on tours. So blood oaths were done and the band became a quintet.
With this upgraded firepower Insomnium wrote their 8th album. Consisting of 10 songs Heart Like a Grave (2019) evolved to be an epic tour de force of Finnish melancholy, drawing inspiration from some of the bleakest tales of the north. With four composers in the band the sound of Insomnium is now richer and more versatile than ever. And yet the essence 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.
