Although Sweden and Norway are the first countries that come to mind when one thinks of Scandinavian metal, Finland has turned out to be an impressive player as well -- impressive for black metal, impressive for folk metal, impressive for goth metal, and impressive for death metal.
Insomnium
have epitomized the melodic side of Finnish death metal and they continue in that vein on
Across the Dark
. This 2009 release isn't a radical departure from
's previous albums, but there is one noticeable difference: this time, they incorporate some clean vocals -- which are provided by
Jules Naeveri
(who, in European metal circles, is known for his contributions to the bands
Profane Omen
,
Misery Inc.
Burning Empire
, and
Enemy of the Sun
). However,
Naeveri
's clean vocals take a back seat to the extreme vocals of
Niilo Sevaenen
Sevaenen
continues to favor a deep, guttural, "Cookie Monster" growl. Unfortunately,
still makes
's lyrics difficult to understand at times; that was a problem on previous
discs and is a problem on
as well. But all things considered, this is an engaging, nicely crafted effort.
's melodies and harmonies are undeniably attractive, and their ability to combine aggression with nuance and intricacy serves them well. A lot of that aggression comes from
, whose Cookie Monster vocals are fun to listen to even though one wishes that he were consistently easy to understand. If
didn't come between the listener and the lyrics as often as he does,
might have been a great album instead of merely a good one. But this 45-minute CD has more pluses than minuses -- and despite its imperfections,
is well worth hearing if one has a taste for Nordic death metal that is unapologetically melodic. ~ Alex Henderson