ALBUM REVIEW: Insomnium – Anno 1696


 

In essence, Melodic Death Metal began at some point in the early nineties when the Gothenburg scene laid a foundation for the subgenre to flourish. A lot of bands took flight later in the decade and pushed the boundaries of this newly formed category. Insomnium is known for taking its heavy, melodious riffs beyond the norm and conjuring a truly inventive tone full of dreamy dismalness and gripping gloom. Their ninth studio album, Anno 1696 (Century Media Records) is coming to light soon on which they share the perplexing horrors of humanity in vehement ways. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Nightwish – Human. :||: Nature.


With gaps of up to five years between studio albums, it takes some serious dedication to be a Nightwish fan these days. Since 2007, the band has only released four albums, but in that time, their fanbase has grown so large that the symphonic Finns (well, mostly Finnish) have been able to make that often treacherous leap from mid-sized venues to selling out full arenas. Continue reading


EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Auri Discusses Making Their New Album


Auri, the incredible side project of Tuomas Holopainen of Nightwish is bringing forth their new opus; the self-titled album Auri tomorrow, March 23rd via Nuclear Blast. Holopainen is joined by his Nightwish bandmate Troy Donockley, as well as incredible Finnish singer Johanna Kurkela. Together they unite to create a mind-blowing dreamscape of compositions, full of all the depth and texture you would expect from this talented trio. In this exclusive video, watch the members of Auri discuss mixing the album at Real World Studios. Continue reading