| | Insomnium Above The Weeping World CD - Import Insomnium Discography of CDs
 (2 Customer Reviews)
When bad boys mature, they don't necessarily quit being bad boys, but they do become more complex and multi-faceted. They may evolve into the deep-thinking Pedro Almodóvar of All About My Mother, Talk to Her and Bad Education rather than the younger Almodóvar, who had so much fun with screwball dark comedies like What Have I Done to Deserve This and Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down. They may evolve into the Marlon Brando of The Godfather, instead of the punky young Brando of A Streetcar Named Desire. And in death metal, that quest for maturity has given us the nuanced world of melodic death metal -- a world that death metal's stubborn, myopic purists denounce as watered down, but a world in which engaging albums like Above the Weeping World are created. Anyone who doubts that death metal has more than one flavor (ultra-fast, amelodic and consistently vicious) needs to give this 52-minute CD a very close listen. Insomnium's sense of melody and harmony is striking. Exquisitely crafted, the songs on Above the Weeping World demonstrate that the term "melodic death metal" is no oxymoron for Insomnium. The most extreme thing about this Finnish band continues to be Niilo Sevänen's lead vocals; some singers in melodic death metal (and its very close relative symphonic black metal) offer an extreme-vocals/clean-vocals contrast, but the vocally uncompromising Sevänen sticks to a straight-out-of-hell type of growl. Unfortunately, Sevänen still makes the lyrics hard to understand; that was a problem on Insomnium's 2003 recording Since the Day It All Came Down, and it remains a problem on their follow-up Above the Weeping World. For that reason, this 52-minute disc only merits a good rating instead of an excellent one. But even so, Above the Weeping World is an enjoyable, worthwhile effort that fans of melodic death metal need to be aware of. ~ Alex Henderson
Recording information: Fantom Studio (04/07/2006-05/14/2006).Kerrang (Magazine) (p.57) - "Not since Opeth's first two records has metal sounded this vast, stirring and darkly romantic." Above The Weeping World Music Insomnium Above The Weeping World Songs | 1. | Gale, The |
| 2. | Mortal Share |
| 3. | Drawn to Black |
| 4. | Change of Heart |
| 5. | At the Gates of Sleep |
| 6. | Killjoy, The |
| 7. | Last Statement |
| 8. | Devoid of Caring |
| 9. | In the Groves of Death |
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Above The Weeping World Music Review Average Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)   Mediocre
I ordered this cd expecting a little more. It isn't bad, it isn't spectacular. The vocals don't stand out at all, but the music is pretty good. Decent riffs, the drummer is good. I just wasn't overly impressed. I listen to this and I do like it for what it is, but I'll take Scar Symmetry, Opeth, old In Flames over this.
Submitted by wither98 (Hudson, Florida) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
 Melodic death metal at it's finest
I would have never thought Gothenburg-style melodic death metal would impress me so much again. The last time I really, really enjoyed albums like this was in the late 90's; and even though I have never grown away from the genre, I felt many of the stuff was far from exciting. Finally, Insomnium's third album Above the Weeping World has come along and taken me by storm. A great improvement over their previous albums, this disc will totally slay any death metal fan who likes his music both heavy and melodic. This could be the best melodic death album of the year. This is melodic death metal perfection. So what are you waiting for? Go out and buy this CD now!!
Submitted by JT (Albuquerque, NM)
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Although Artie Traum has long been a folk-rock artist first and foremost, the word "jazz" frequently comes up in connection with the veteran singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist. Traum has often brought a major jazz influence to his work, and he is quite capable of functioning in an instrumental setting (the Traum CD Acoustic Jazz Guitar is a collection of instrumental performances spanning 1992-2004). But Thief of Time is strictly a vocal album; it is also one of Traum's most rewarding and consistent efforts. Traum has, on occasion, recorded albums that were inconsistent and uneven, but this 2007 release is memorable from start to finish -- and Traum (who wrote or co-wrote most of the material) excels on tracks that have a strong post-bop jazz influence (such as "Midnight Blue," "Back in the Sugarcane," and the infectious opener, "Bonnie Jean") as well as tracks that don't (for example, "Halifax," "Last Tree in the Bronx," and the haunting "Insult a Man"). A few of the songs find Traum playing some electric guitar (including "Bonnie Jean" and "Cuckoo Bird," another selection with a definite jazz influence), but Traum plays a lot more acoustic guitar on this 48-minute CD -- which is appropriate because even though he clearly knows his way around the electric guitar, he is really an acoustic-oriented artist at heart. Traum's ability to perform instrumentals on other albums does not erase the fact that he is very much a part of the storytelling troubadour tradition; acoustic-oriented settings have a long history of serving troubadours well, and an acoustic-oriented approach certainly serves Traum well on the captivating Thief of Time. ~ Alex Henderson
Back in the '60s -- when a young Artie Traum was building his résumé on the New York City folk scene -- baby boomers had a saying: never trust anyone over 30. But from a musical standpoint, one of the problems with that assertion (apart from the fact that it was just plain ageist) is the fact that some musicians get better and better as they grow older. Traum is a perfect example. The Bronx-born singer/songwriter was in his late fifties when he recorded South of Lafayette in 2002, and he is very much on top of his game throughout this excellent album -- which is best described as folk-rock with frequent jazz overtones. Not all of the songs on this 45-minute CD are jazz-influenced, but many of them are -- and Traum's appreciation of jazz is a major asset on memorable offerings like "The Ballad of Frankie O," "The Map," the cynical "In Paris," and the haunting title track. Musically, "Memorial Day 1959" isn't as jazz-influenced as the abovementioned ...
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