Insomnium

Finland's Insomnium is a standard-bearer of melodic death metal. Their signature sound is identified by rich atmospherics, twinned lead guitar lines, lush harmonics, and melded harsh and clean vocals encompassing lyrical themes of sorrow, loss, pain, and pagan nature worship. 2002's In the Halls of Awaiting revealed their signature sound as existing apart from the established and accepted Swedish Gothenburg model. Their approach flows more naturally, even when using tenets from power metal or old-school death metal to get a musical idea across. 2006's Above the Weeping World and 2011's One for Sorrow are deeply imbued with seductive melodies and powerful emotions, entwined in intricate, almost progressive instrumental interplay. By the time they released 2016's Winter's Gate, Insomnium had become so influential that other Finnish acts cited them as forbears. The full-length Heart Like a Grave followed in 2019, with the concept LP Anno 1696 appearing in 2023.