On February 24th, 2023, Insomnium will release our ninth full-length album, “Anno 1696”, via Century Media Records. Mixed by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Orgone Studios) and mastered by Tony Lindgren (Fascination Street Studios), “Anno 1696” is a gateway into another world. This time around, we tell you a tale based on a short story by Niilo Sevänen, woven with sorrow and the last crumbling vestiges of hope.
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. In the small, godforsaken village, tragedy awaits.
Few bands bring together sounds of darkness, melody, and musicality like Finland’s Insomnium. With “Anno 1696”, the ninth installment in their sonic explorations that include masterworks like “Shadows of the Dying Sun” (2014) or “Winter’s Gate” (2016), Insomnium continues to weave together bitter branches of sound that set the standard for nightmares to come. From the sweeping soundscapes and spare chords that open the record with the track “1696” to the sonic stormcloud and deathly snarl of “White Christ”, the haunting “Godforsaken”, the catchiness of “Lilian” to the album’s epic closer, “The Rapids”, “Anno 1696” is a soundtrack of intensity and despair that pulls you in and never lets go. A tour de force of Finnish melancholy.
Watch the video for the new single “Lilian” below.
“Anno 1696” is available in the following formats:
• Ltd. Deluxe 2CD + 44 pages Artbook incl. 3 exclusive songs on the “Songs of the Dusk” EP and Niilo Sevänen’s short story “Anno 1696” in English and Finnish
• Gatefold 2LP+CD & 12 pages LP-Booklet, etching on D-side
• Standard CD Jewelcase
• Digital Album
Pre-order “Anno 1696” here.
Tracklist:
1. 1696
2. White Christ (feat. Sakis Tolis)
3. Godforsaken (feat. Johanna Kurkela)
4. Lilian
5. Starless Paths
6. The Witch Hunter
7. The Unrest
8. The Rapids
