INSOMNIA ASYLUM: The Hourglass (ALTERNATIVE METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Insomnia Asylum is a French one-man band whose melancholy music could be classified as progressive doom or progressive metal, and whose influences range from Pink Floyd to Opeth, via Anathema and Radiohead. Their previous album (“Alprazoland”), although of good quality, suffered from an average sound and a scattering of styles that sometimes blurred the musical line.

The album juxtaposes magnificent, stripped-down guitars that cuddle the ears ('A Lullaby'), intense guitars with sharp riffs, sequences of limpid arpeggios ('Little Snowball'), a crystalline piano that adds a welcome note of freshness, symphonic accompaniments that are never ostentatious ('The Palace Labyrinth') and a few passages bordering on death ('Lamia, Queen Of Lybia') interspersed with contemplative moments. Variety is the key word here, as Insomnia Asylum's music strikes a balance between graceful moments ('Mahogany Tree') and dark violence. The songs offer a padded sweetness somewhere between Pink Floyd for the guitar and Genesis for the vocals, while the shadows of metal giants loom large: the vocals on 'The Creature's Weep' recall James Hetfield, while the gothic facet is reminiscent of Paradise Lost on 'One Second' ('Haumea').

“The Hourglass” is melancholy, intimate and more personal than its predecessor, more moving and better constructed. Between fury and voluptuousness, its sole ambition is to build lasting emotion. It's an album that's a pleasure to listen to, and one on which you can feel Insomnia Asylum's commitment and desire to deliver an accomplished work. - Official website

INSOMNIA ASYLUM

THE HOURGLASS

AUTRE LABEL

ALTERNATIVE METAL