Melodic death metal…is like marriage. You go into it admiring its splendors and feel quite comfortable with your find. Those first couple years are magical because you think you’ve found something special…and then things turn ugly. The more and more you stick with it (find new bands), the more you realize that things are just getting worse, and unbearably predictable. You start to scream “Why do I keep doing this to myself?!” and soon abandon futile attempts at retaining any sense of compassion, because she (melo-death) just doesn’t give a *** about you or your hunger for something non-monotonous and exciting. The lack of sex (progression) is the metaphorical John Hancock on the divorce papers, and you soon after slowly murder her (sell your records) for the torture thrown on you.
Anyway, this record, like 23458934 others, follows this example to the tee. Insomnium are yet another band who chooses to write songs about nature and not knowing things with standard riffing patterns of the genre, and of course throwing in acoustic parts to show they can do it too! This being a debut, errors in songwriting can be understandable, however most of these sound like some of the first songs Niilo Sevanen (Bass, Vocals) had ever written, illustrated by the very repetitive, simple, and predictable flow of almost every song.
Obviously it’s apparent that songwriting is the main flaw, so let’s delve into the subject. A main problem with every song (excluding The Elder) is that each verse riff is the exact same kind of riff, using the down-pick/palm mute pattern. As if it’s not enough, the screamed vocal rhythms are impossible to differentiate, therefore making most of the verses on the record sound too similar. Other factors can also be taken into account. The main riff in Medeia has the kind of riff/lead structure where they just don’t line up together correctly and sounds awkward (if you’re a composer you know exactly what I mean), and to throw in its reuse throughout the song just makes the whole track feel extremely annoying. Also, there are certain rhythm patterns that have been established and put to extensive use over the years that Insomnium has chosen to implement all too much, making many riffs sound as if you’ve heard them elsewhere. You’ll notice that with every rhythm, there’s a lead, but the lead serves no purpose a lot of the time. Perhaps the band had little confidence in their riffing that they tried to consistently mask it up with redundant leads? Though ironic, it’s merely speculation.
Aside from the songwriting itself, the instruments are seemingly capable of doing what they do, though it doesn’t stray far from the standard melo-death formula except for the title track. Vocally, there’s spoken word and low growls, and that’s about it. The lyrics are the extremely processed “I’m sad and introspective” you’ve seen many times before. It’s not that the topic is overused but rather the apparent lack of inspiration to produce any quality out of it is all too obvious. At times the lyrics try too hard to be naturally poetic that they just don’t make any sense at all. To combine the tedious lyric style with the monotonous songwriting makes the record as a whole seem wholly displaced from itself, and you don’t get the feeling that band even tried to…do anything really. It’s like the band didn’t give the songs a chance to naturally grow and improve themselves, but rather they were hasty in getting signed instead of putting their name behind something worthwhile.
That is, until you reach the title track. The only “epic” song on here, the eleven minute journey shows promise for the future of the band. They don’t really switch anything up at all, but somehow the execution makes the riffs feel right. Since there’s room for the song to breathe, there’s a noticeable lack of repetition, exceptionally more interesting, and the structure of the song is at least less predictable than previously. Even so, a pretty enjoyable track cannot save a whole album bogged down by useless songs. The only track that shows the band has potential is the closer, and it’s so strange how labels can constantly sign bands that produce drivel, but I suppose they have to sometimes when they have one of those hunches the band could go somewhere. Either way, In The Halls Of Awaiting was a needed stepping stone for the band, and unless you care about their history, it’s strongly encouraged to avoid.
This Message Edited On 02.03.09
