Stream / Track by Track interview with Insomnium – Covering the new album ‘One for Sorrow’

Insomnium’s One For Sorrow track-by-track commentary
by Ville Friman (guitar)

1. Inertia

Ville Friman: Having an intro song has really become one of the Insomnium trademarks over the years. This time the intro grows slowly from lonely, eerie guitar to full roar of the whole band. Maybe not the most commercial decision, but we do not want to rush into things. It is important that the opener sets the right mood for the rest of the album. 

2. Through the Shadows

Ville Friman: One of the first songs I finished for this album. The chorus was written in Milan during Dark Tranquillity’s sound check in autumn 2010. Quite a compact song and obvious choice for the first single. Lyrically the song is about loving and hating something at the same time.

3. Song of the Blackest Bird

Ville Friman: One of Niilo’s songs on the album. A really epic piece with very strong melodies. I pushed the arrangement towards a more aggressive approach, and Ville Vänni came up with some of the riffs in the verses. Good collaborative effort with really great lyrics by Niilo.

4. Only One Who Waits

Ville Friman: This song originally lasted over 7 minutes and had a really progressive ending part. Luckily, I came to my senses and turned it into a more aggressive and shorter one. Daniel Antonsson from Dark Tranquillity delivers a great guitar solo in the end.

5. Unsung

Ville Friman: The other Niilo song. We finished this one last, just a few days before entering the studio. This one bows down to our roots and the whole nineties Swedish melodic death metal genre. I tried out some Alice in Chains vocal harmonies in the interlude, and for some odd reason they fit there perfectly.

6. Every Hour Wounds

Ville Friman: One of the fastest, riff-oriented songs on the album with a very epic chorus. Aleksi Munter from Swallow the Sun came up with a really good orchestral arrangement for the interlude part, which is one of my favourite moments on the whole album. Will definitely be included on the upcoming live set.

7. Decoherence

Ville Friman: Acoustic interlude to cool down things a bit. We first thought about leaving the song for a bonus track. To our surprise, however, the song found its place on the album in the end.

8. Lay the Ghost to Rest

Ville Friman: Probably the most epic song on the album. Pays homage to our second album “Since the Day it All Came Down” in its progressiveness. Lyrically about leaving the past in the past and moving on. One of my favourites.

9. Regain the Fire

Ville Friman: A pretty catchy and simple song with some clean vocal choruses. A quite sad and sorrowful piece all in all, and the song reminds me a bit of old Sentenced and Katatonia. Perfectly captures the feeling of being alone in the world.

10. One for Sorrow

Ville Friman: An epic album deserves an epic ending. My personal favourite. Bit similar to opener, “Inertia”, in the way that this song also represents something new and a bit different to Insomnium’s sound. One about taking chances and losing your trust in the process. A universal story that never gets old.