Album Review: Insomnium - Netherworlds
51 minutes ago
7 min read
Written: 4th October 2026
Approaching the thirtieth anniversary of their formation and the twenty-fifth anniversary of their debut album, In The Halls of Awaiting, Insomnium can truly be considered veterans of melodic death metal. With Tomy Laisto now completing the three-guitar lineup following Jani Liimatainen’s departure, Netherworlds - their tenth album - finds them continuing to develop a sound that has remained remarkably distinctive throughout their career. "One of our goals was to take a couple of steps back towards the classic northern melancholy of albums like Shadows of the Dying Sun and Heart Like a Grave", states guitarist / vocalist Markus Vanhala. Netherworlds - produced by Miiro Varjus - also brings back Jens Bogren (who last worked with the band on Heart Like A Grave) behind the mixing desk alongside Tony Lindgren.
Synth-led, The Cold Song opens the album in icy fashion with its steady processional tempo. Giving a bleak invocation of winter and death, the spoken words reflect a longing to return to the stillness of death rather than endure the living world. What power art thou, who from below / Hast made me rise unwillingly and slow / From beds of everlasting snow? Originally appearing in Henry Purcell's 1691 semi-opera King Arthur, Insomnium's decision to record their first ever cover feels entirely fitting, with guitarist Markus Vanhala noting that a song about freezing to death could hardly be more in keeping with the band's aesthetic. Evocative of a Vangelis score, it sets the scene for Netherworlds in much the same way that many of the band's previous prologue tracks have done.
Shadowlife is the first of the songs proper and, without doubt, Insomnium know how to write a catchy melodic death metal song. However, it could be argued that Shadowlife is a little safe by their own extremely high standards. Nevertheless, Niilo Sevänen can still deliver an impressive vocal performance and the ending guitar solo gets the pulse racing. The slower instrumental section at its centre provides a welcome shift in mood and shows that the band have not lost their knack for creating atmosphere. It is a solid opening statement and an enjoyable listen, even if it feels more like a reaffirmation of familiar strengths than a genuine surprise. The song’s more straightforward approach is perhaps unsurprising when one reads Markus Vanhala’s recent comment. “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.”
The opening moments of Remembrance immediately feel more insistent than Shadowlife and, whilst there is a certain polish in the production, it provides a more convincing demonstration of the balance between power and melody at which Insomnium excel and finds Netherworlds moving in the right direction. Lyrically, Remembrance is a poignant reflection on loss and memory, urging us to remember the moments of joy and companionship rather than dwell on absence and regret. Please don’t remember all the hours spent alone / Unspoken words, the deeds left undone / And please remember all those days between the nights / When we held the world together (before the darkness) / Before the brooding darkness.
Gleam in the Black marks the first point at which Netherworlds truly begins to make its presence felt. Following Vanhala’s statement about aiming to recapture the sounds of some previous albums, it is highly reminiscent of Ephemeral from Shadows of the Dying Sun. There is a galloping urgency throughout, whilst Markus Hirvonen is on thunderous form behind the kit and live, the track has already received much praise from fans. Niilo Sevänen comments, "Being one of the faster songs on the new album, this is a track that should get the crowd moving when played live. It definitely carries a classic Insomnium spirit. The lyrics tell a dark and mysterious love story, capturing the mood and atmosphere of the entire album.” Balancing shimmering synths with rapid guitar work, Gleam In The Black feels like a prime example of where Insomnium's heart lies nowadays. The combination of wistful melody, muscular riffing and an expansive sense of scale plays directly to the band's strengths.
At just over eight minutes, The Hour Grows Late – which features Tomi Joutsen, Tomi Koivusaari and Santeri Kallio of Amorphis - is the longest and most ambitious song on Netherworlds and it is pleasing to say that every single second is fully justified. Moving through a range of tempos and sonic templates, it becomes an elegiac meditation on ageing, loss and the cruel realisation that time slips away far more quickly than we ever expect. Searching for you amidst the flickering shadows / Yet nothing but vapor and dusk I find / Mere phantoms of the past. Crushing passages sit comfortably alongside delicate acoustic sections, subtle string arrangements and some genuinely startling keyboard work, all of which contribute to the song's exploratory nature. The shifting dynamics feel entirely organic rather than forced, whilst the interplay between the various vocalists is handled with remarkable skill – the defining moment on the album.
Arch of the Sky – one of the previously released singles – is inspired by Sami mythology. Ville Friman comments, “Celestial hunters pursue a deer across the arch of the sky in perpetual motion. According to the legend, if the deer were ever caught, the world would come to an end as the roof of the sky collapsed.” This fascinating lyrical perspective, combined with a more progressive edge and a number of carefully judged tempo shifts, makes it the most interesting of the three singles for me. One of Insomnium's greatest strengths has always been their ability to balance quieter, more contemplative passages against moments of considerable weight and Pathways of the Night showcases that quality particularly well, the shifts in mood feeling fluid and purposeful.
Bringing something different to Netherworlds, Ethereal Sleep is exactly what its title suggests: a slow-burning, deeply introspective piece that spends its opening minutes unfolding with considerable patience. Hints of doom metal drift through the arrangement as delicate piano, beautiful guitar melodies and mournful clean vocals gradually establish a dream-haunted aura of isolation and surrender. Nothing is rushed, every note feeling carefully considered as the song steadily builds towards heavier territory. The lyrics present a bleak acceptance of darkness and nothingness, yet there is also an undeniable beauty. Even when the guitars finally ignite and the song gathers weight, that yearning, lamenting quality remains at its core. Perfectly positioned on the album, Ethereal Sleep provides a welcome change of pace whilst demonstrating Insomnium's willingness to explore different textures and emotions. It ranks among the most affecting compositions in the band's recent discography.
The Banished opens with acoustic guitar and piano, creating a sombre, reflective mood before executing a dramatic about-turn. When the full band arrives, the contrast is startling, with Sevänen's guttural vocals tearing through the speakers above some of the most aggressive and relentlessly driven riffing on Netherworlds, some of which can certainly be credited to new guitarist Tomy Laisto. “Everything has worked brilliantly with Tomy,” Niilo Sevänen explains, “He plays and sings like an unholy archangel. At first he brought us these beautifully atmospheric demos, but then he hit us with the crushing ‘The Banished’ and we were instantly sold.” The verses possess a ferocity largely absent elsewhere on the album, whilst the choruses retain the band's melodic sensibility, creating a compelling balance between weight and accessibility. More than any other song here, The Banished serves as a reminder that, for all the introspective qualities explored elsewhere, Insomnium have not forgotten the death metal foundations upon which their reputation was built. It is the album's most visceral and exhilarating composition and one that feels almost certain to become a live favourite.
Netherworlds draws to a close with Journey's End, in which the band explore death as a final resting place rather than something to be feared. A slow, haunting composition, it moves between spoken-word passages, where death is imagined as a welcoming inn in which those who have passed before patiently wait, and melodic doom-laden passages rich in sepulchral grandeur. The tempo barely shifts throughout, recalling the closing moments of Karelia from Heart Like A Grave, yet the song never feels static. Instead, there is a beautiful sense of stillness to it, as though time itself is slowing as the narrator approaches the end of the journey. Suffused with a profound sense of wintry sorrow, Journey's End feels less like a conclusion and more like a gentle fading into darkness. After the drama and movement that precede it, the song gradually recedes from view, bringing Netherworlds to an understated and deeply moving close.
Discussing the album, Ville Friman states, "Reaching album number ten naturally made us look back as well. You could say we adopted a bit of a 'Best Of' philosophy. It may sound like a cliché, but the goal was simple: write songs that capture everything people love about classic Insomnium - while still pushing the sound forward with a few new twists." On the evidence presented here, that ambition has been fulfilled. It draws together many of the characteristics that have defined Insomnium throughout their career, whilst introducing enough subtle variations to keep the formula feeling fresh.
The Hour Grows Late stands as the album's crowning achievement, whilst the closing sequence of Ethereal Sleep, The Banished and Journey's End ensures the record finishes strongly. Gleam In The Black and Arch Of The Sky provide welcome injections of urgency and momentum, preventing the album from becoming overly reliant on its more sombre tendencies. Netherworlds is Insomnium's most satisfying release since Heart Like A Grave and it feels like it will continue to grow in my estimation over time. More importantly, it demonstrates that, ten albums into their career, the band still possess a remarkable understanding of what makes their music resonate so deeply with so many listeners. Dark. Beautiful. Liminal.
Netherworlds is released on 16th October 2026
For those interested the deluxe artbook edition of Netherworlds features three additional tracks (Fading Aurora, Netherworld, Severed Blooms) to which I did not have access at the time of writing. "We simply ended up with too much great material for a single album, but we didn't want to make the main record unnecessarily long," Friman explains, "Think of the bonus tracks as the encore after the main performance."
INSOMNIUM online:
Comments