INSOMNIUM marked the October 16 release of their tenth album, Netherworlds (Century Media), with an official video for "The Hour Grows Late". The track brings in three AMORPHIS members as guests: vocalist Tomi Joutsen, guitarist Tomi Koivusaari on growls, and keyboardist Santeri Kallio, who plays a synth solo in the song's chaotic middle section.
Guitarist Markus Vanhala puts the song on the epic end of the INSOMNIUM spectrum, next to "Pale Morning Star" and "Godforsaken": a longer piece that leans toward the record's progressive side. Its theme is respect for those who have gone before, with the living left behind in the dark and cold with only misery and sorrow for company. Vanhala says Kallio, his bandmate in CEMETERY SKYLINE, was always his pick for the solo, while producer Miiro Varjus came up with the idea of bringing in both Tomis. He was especially happy to hear "old-school Tomi Koivusaari growling."
The video was directed by Jari Heino of Coldstore Productions. The white ribbons seen throughout refer to the karsikko, a Finnish and Karelian memorial-tree tradition: marks were carved into trees during funeral processions, and ribbons were tied to ancestral trees to help the souls of the dead find peace.
Netherworlds deals with loss, aging and missing the people who have left. Varjus became the band's closest creative partner on the album, and Jens Bogren and Tony Lindgren mixed and mastered it at Fascination Street Studios.
INSOMNIUM start touring with Finnish shows, then head to North America with AMORPHIS in November and December, with HINAYANA in support. A European run with AMORPHIS and UNTO OTHERS follows in January and February 2027.
Earlier from the album: "Arch Of The Sky".