Insomnium have premiered a new music video for “The Hour Grows Late,” a track from their newly released album ‘Netherworlds.’ The song finds the Finnish melodic death metal veterans joined by three members of fellow Finnish metal outfit Amorphis, bringing additional vocal and keyboard contributions to one of the record’s more expansive compositions.
Amorphis vocalist Tomi Joutsen, guitarist/vocalist Tomi Koivusaari, and keyboardist Santeri Kallio all guest on the track. The video was directed by Jari Heino and arrives as Insomnium embark on a busy run of European and North American touring, including upcoming dates alongside Amorphis.
Insomnium guitarist Markus Vanhala described the song as one of the album’s more epic excursions, drawing comparisons to some of the band’s established fan favorites while exploring the record’s darker, more progressive side.
“‘The Hour Grows Late’ falls on the more epic side of the Insomnium spectrum, perhaps alongside classics like ‘Pale Morning Star’ and ‘Godforsaken.’ It’s a longer adventure in music, venturing a little further into the progressive dark side of the album’s moon. We’re paying respect to the people who have fallen before us while we’re left alone in the dark and cold, with only two companions by our side: misery and sorrow. The new album deals with themes of loss, growing old, and missing all the people and creatures who have left us behind and headed to the Netherworld. The rest of us will follow with certainty, but not yet.”
Vanhala also explained how the Amorphis collaborations came together, revealing that he had envisioned Kallio contributing a psychedelic synth solo to the song’s chaotic middle section. Around the same time, producer Miiro Varjus suggested bringing in both Tomis for guest vocals.
“I had been thinking about asking my good buddy, and band bro from Cemetery Skyline, Maverick or Goose, depending on the day, Mr. Santeri Kallio, to play an acid-trippy synth solo in the chaotic middle section of the song. At the same time, our producer, Miiro Varjus, came up with the idea of asking both Tomis to guest on vocals on this very same song. The fact that these two ideas came together felt like such perfect synchronicity that we simply couldn’t not make it happen. The boys did well, and I’m especially happy to hear good old cookie monster, old-school Tomi Koivusaari growling.”
The video also draws on Finnish and Karelian folklore, incorporating white ribbons tied to trees. According to the accompanying press release, the imagery references karsikko, a traditional memorial-tree practice in which trees marked the boundary between the living and the dead.
“If you’re wondering about the white ribbons seen throughout the video: Karsikko is a sacred memorial tree tradition in Finnish and Karelian folklore. These trees served as symbolic boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead.
During funeral processions, a mark was carved into a designated tree to commemorate the deceased, while ribbons and strips of clothing were hung on ancestral trees to honor their memory and help ensure their souls found peace.”
With ‘Netherworlds’ now available, Insomnium are taking the new material on the road. Their upcoming schedule includes Finnish shows with Kaunis Kuolematon, North American dates with Amorphis and Hinayana, and a European run with Amorphis and Unto Others.
With Kaunis Kuolematon:
- 10/16 – Helsinki, FIN – Kulttuuritalo
- 10/17 – Lahti, FIN – Möysä
- 10/23 – Seinäjoki, FIN – Rytmikorjaamo
- 10/24 – Tampere, FIN – Tavara-Asema
- 10/30 – Joensuu, FIN – Kerubi
- 10/31 – Jyväskylä, FIN – Lutakko
- 11/06 – Kuopio, FIN – Circus Live
- 11/07 – Kotka, FIN – Satama Areena
With Amorphis and Hinayana:
- 11/17 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
- 11/18 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Beanfield
- 11/19 – Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall
- 11/20 – Columbus, OH – The King of Clubs
- 11/21 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
- 11/23 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
- 11/24 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
- 11/25 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
- 11/27 – Denver, CO – The Gothic Theatre
- 11/28 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
- 11/30 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
- 12/01 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
- 12/02 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox Market
- 12/04 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
- 12/05 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater
- 12/06 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater
- 12/08 – Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live
- 12/09 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
- 12/11 – Orlando, FL – The Abbey
- 12/12 – Jacksonville, FL – The Albatross
- 12/13 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
- 12/15 – Richmond, VA – The Canal Club
- 12/16 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
- 12/18 – Reading, PA – Reverb
- 12/19 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
With Amorphis and Unto Others:
- 01/22 – Hamburg, GER – Große Freiheit 36
- 01/23 – Leipzig, GER – Haus Auensee
- 01/24 – Berlin, GER – Huxleys Neue Welt
- 01/25 – Warsaw, POL – Progresja
- 01/27 – Budapest, HUN – Barba Negra
- 01/28 – Vienna, AUT – Arena
- 01/29 – Munich, GER – Backstage
- 01/30 – Wiesbaden, GER – Schlachthof
- 01/31 – Antwerp, BEL – Trix
- 02/02 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
- 02/03 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
- 02/05 – Stuttgart, GER – Wagenhallen
- 02/06 – Pratteln, SWI – Z7 Konzertfabrik
- 02/07 – Padova, ITA – Hall
- 02/09 – Barcelona, SPA – Sala Apolo
- 02/10 – Madrid, SPA – Sala La Riviera
- 02/12 – Paris, FRA – Elysee Montmartre
- 02/13 – Oberhausen, GER – Turbinenhalle 2
- 02/14 – Tilburg, NET – 013
If you’re rocking with The Mosh Network, hit the link and add us as a Preferred Source on Google. That’s the easiest way to keep our latest metal, hardcore, and alternative news, tours, and releases showing up directly in your feed.
