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Atmospheric black metal can be pretty. Even with the many layers and nuances that go into making an album sound as it does, the reason I keep coming back to this genre is because it can be pretty. It can be the one beautiful thing in a terrible day, the one thing that makes me appreciate music the way I do. Of course, we don’t spend a lot of time talking about the beauty of music – most of us are too busy breaking down each part line by line – but, sometimes, it’s best to appreciate music as it can be: an experience.
Insomnia is the first full-length from Antigone’s Fate, but the origins of the music are not new. Runn, the man behind Antigone’s Fate, wrote a lot of music during a hard period in his life. After a time, he let it sit on his hard drive, not considering it for release. However, when writing for his other bands he decided to reactivate this project, and we got Insomnia, a rather emotional album that deals with heavy topics and themes that were influenced by Runn’s experiences.
Insomnia starts innocently enough: opener “In endlosen Eiswüsten” begins with an acoustic intro before dropping all pretense and going straight into atmospheric black metal territory. All the elements are present: the howling vocals; the soft yet melodious instrumentation that moves the soul; and the ever-present atmosphere that allows you to transcend elsewhere. However, unlike the consistent nature of some atmospheric black metal, where it can get quickly get stale because there is no variety, Insomnia is not a stationary record. While it always keeps coming back to the same musical theme, Antigone’s Fate takes the time to build the suspense, taking the listener to other places before placing them back at the beginning. They also add other sounds to give the music texture and heaviness, shifting it from a melancholic tone to a funerary one. This is mostly evident on “Insomnia 32.3”, one of the more complex tracks on Insomnia. The music not only provides the aforementioned elements, but it also has chanting, syncopated, melodic drumming – almost as if it was going into a welcoming melodeath tone – clean vocals, and quiet guitar riffing that becomes a feature towards the latter half of the song. It’s such a compelling change, one that made me focus on what the music was showing me rather than whatever else was happening. It was calming amidst the atmosphere and the deep melancholy that seems to color this album. Even for nothing else, that part of “Insomnia 32.3” is worth listening to, even if you don’t find Insomnia compelling enough.
What I love most about Insomnia is how its production adds to its layering. I already mentioned that the album has texture and heaviness that allows it to shift without the music becoming stale, adding a form of vibrancy that focuses on the atmosphere. It’s very clear that Runn had a vision when it came to producing this album – he wanted it to stay true to his experiences and his sadness, so he created this deeply layered, emotional album that makes you feel for him. The pain of whatever happened to him is evident, and he will continue to discuss it whenever someone listens to this album.
All in all, Insomnia is a deeply emotional album that truly takes the “atmospheric” description and takes it to a new realm. However, while it may not grab your attention at first, repeated listens make the theme clearer and easier to understand. I will be forever curious about what happened to Runn that made this album so compelling to listen to, but I will be waiting patiently to see what happens next with this project. I hope it is as intense as Insomnia.