Interview by Kris Peters
It's been almost ten years since Finnish melodic death masters Insomnium last graced Australian shores, but that means nothing now with the band is set to bring their signature blend of haunting melodies and crushing riffs to fans Down Under this May.
Founded in 1997 in the Karelian city of Joensuu, Insomnium first gained recognition in 2002 with their wintry debut In the Halls of Awakening. Quickly building on this with fierce death/doom juggernaut Above the Weeping World (2006) or melancholic masterpiece One for Sorrow (2012), the band surprised everyone with their sublimely beautiful, achingly forlorn Argent Moon EP in 2021, only to shed their skin once more with Anno 296 in 2023, proving emphatically that Father time has no grip on pure metal.
HEAVY recently spent some time with bass player/unclean vocalist Niilo Sevanen to get the rundown on what we can expect. We start by asking what has changed with Insomnium in the eight years since we last saw them.
"Well, our guitarists keep changing," he laughed. "Jani Liimatainen left the band last year, or the previous year actually, and now we have a touring member guitarist, Tomy Laisto, touring with us, and he's an excellent friend of ours. Excellent player, very good singer, super nice guy. And he's kind of a permanent live member at the moment. Let's see what happens with our guitarist situation in the future. But at least at the moment, we're touring with Tommy and Australian's are going to get to witness his vocals and his playing. I can promise he's an excellent guy."
For the benefit of those who may not have witnessed Insomnium live before, we ask Sevanen to run us through a typical performance.
"On the albums we are very serious and sad and melancholic and dramatic," he began, "but I think the live show is more about having fun. So we are having a good time there. We hope people are enjoying too. It's a lot of headbanging and good times, and we try to deliver a very energetic show every time, no matter how jet-lagged or tired we would happen to be. But once you go on stage, you forget everything, and you get your energy up and for that hour or hour and a half, you'll be on and after that, it's time to rest again. But for the shows, we give everything we've got."
In the full interview, Niilo provided more details about their current tour, expressing confidence in the live performance of the new material, noting positive crowd reactions and describing the shows as energetic and fun. Additionally, he mentioned their collaboration with fellow Finnish band Omnium Gatherum, enhancing the concert experience for fans.
Reflecting on the band's origins, Niilo recounted how he and Markus started Insomnium in 1997 in Joensuu, Finland, inspired by melodic death metal bands. He highlighted the vibrant 90s music scene in Joensuu, and the challenges faced by aspiring musicians today. Niilo explained the band's evolution from imitating their influences to developing a unique sound that blends progressive metal, black metal, folk metal, and doom metal.
He emphasized the organic nature of their creative process, where all members contribute to songwriting and arrangements, ensuring the music aligns with their identity, and more.
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