Insomnium Are Heading Deeper Into The Darkness With ‘Netherworlds’

There are bands that spend decades gradually sanding away the things that made them interesting in the first place, Insomnium have never really been one of them.

Nearly 30 years after emerging from Joensuu, Finland, melodic death metal veterans Insomnium are preparing to release their tenth studio album, Netherworlds, on October 16th via Century Media Records.

With its release now creeping closer, the material already out there suggests Insomnium aren’t suddenly interested in lightening the mood. ‘Shadowlife’ sits right in the band’s sweet spot, balancing weight and aggression against the melancholic melodies that have become inseparable from their sound.

For vocalist and bassist Niilo Sevänen, the song also provides an important window into the emotional territory surrounding Netherworlds.

“As a story, ‘Shadowlife’ can be seen as a thematic gateway to the entire record — an elegy not only for a lost beloved, but also for the fading belief that anything beautiful can remain untouched by time. It is a realization that love, youth, summer, and warmth cannot be preserved forever.”

Insomnium ‘Shadowlife’ video

Another direction entirely

Guitarist and clean vocalist Markus Vanhala approached the track from another direction entirely.

“‘Shadowlife’ opens the dreamy next chapter of INSOMNIUM with a certain self-aware catchiness. I set out to write an obvious hit — perhaps even a so-called ‘banger’ — to kick things off, but don’t worry: The deeper cuts will follow.”

Alongside ‘Shadowlife’, ‘Gleam in the Black’ (below) has already offered another glimpse into album number ten.

There’s change happening behind the scenes as well.

Netherworlds marks a new production chapter for Insomnium, with producer and engineer Miiro Varjus becoming a close creative collaborator during the making of the album. Jens Bogren, whose credits include Arch Enemy, Dimmu Borgir and At The Gates, handled the final mix, while Tony Lindgren took care of mastering.

After albums, international tours and festival appearances spanning Hellfest, Graspop and Brutal Assault, Insomnium don’t have much left to prove when it comes to their place within melodic death metal.

Netherworlds instead sounds like a band going further into the qualities that got them there.

Melancholy, melody and enough darkness to make a Finnish winter seem reasonable.

Netherworlds arrives October 16 via Century Media Records.