Insomnium debuted the video below for their new song “Lilian“. The song is from the band’s upcoming ninth full-length studio album Anno 1696, which is set to release through Century Media on February 24th. The press release for the album detailed the concept of the album stating:
”Anno 1696‘ is a gateway into another world. This time around, Insomnium tells us a tale based on a short story by Niilo Sevänen (bass/vocals), woven with sorrow and the last crumbling vestiges of hope, plus wrath and morbid lullabies. Welcome to 1696. Welcome to hell. This is an age of unrest. The age of great famine in the North.
The witch hunt is in full swing all across Europe and the gruesome witch trials have even reached the remote and majestic landscapes of Finland and Sweden. ‘The Torsåker witch trials were a horrible source of nightmarish inspiration,’ Sevänen says of his ghastly muse. ‘All that talk about 70 women beheaded in this small Swedish parish? It’s real stuff from history!’ he groans. ‘And as if that weren’t enough, there are also some very dark tales of cannibalism and child murder from the years of the great famine.’ Stories don’t get any more metal than this.’
Regarding the new single below the band’s guitarist Markus Vanhala commented:
“‘Lilian‘ is probably the most traditional Insomnium hit song on the album – and an easy starter as single – before the heavier main course comes in. It shows the lighter shade of the album, before all hope leaves.”
Sevänen added:
“This is Ville‘s composition, and it has some of that old Insomnium feel in it. Felt like a video-song from the start. Lyrically, it tells how the tragic couple in the story met each other in the first place.”
Guitarist Ville Friman added:
“One of the first songs to emerge during the pandemic era. It has this old Insomnium vibe and tonality that I tend to steer towards every time I pick up the guitar.”
A three-song EP called Songs Of The Dusk will accompany select editions of the album, with Sevänen saying:
“We simply had eleven great songs, and we thought that this material is too good to be ‘just’ bonus tracks. They are part of the big story, so you can think of them as the director’s cut material that tells a little extra. For those who want to have more.”
Anno 1696 track listing:
01 – “1696”
02 – “White Christ” (feat. Sakis Tolis of Rotting Christ)
03 – “Godforsaken” (feat. Johanna Kurkela)
04 – “Lilian”
05 – “Starless Paths”
06 – “The Witch Hunter”
07 – “The Unrest”
08 – “The Rapids”
Songs Of The Dusk (EP) track list:
01 – “Flowers Of The Night”
02 – “Stained In Red”
03 – “Song Of The Dusk”
