INSOMNIUM > AGALLOCH

Of all the great injustices in the world (oppressive leaders in the Middle East, the war in Darfur, Eastern European sex slave trafficking, the Yankees, etc), one stands gravely ignored: that Agalloch are more popular than Insomnium. To be clear I love Agalloch, but the deafening stranglehold of hype surrounding their really good but not OH MY GOD 2010 album Marrow of the Spirit was just too much to stand given it seemed to be based on more than just the music itself. Why don’t Insomnium inspire such fervor in metal fans? They’ve been a band for just about as long, traffic in essentially the same brand of melancholy doom-death and are, uh, better. Are they too awesome for their own good, soaring above the minds of whimsical hype-susceptible metalheads? Too slickly produced? Should they issue more limited edition vinyls that go for $300 on eBay? Are they too European???

No matter: as all Insomnium fans like reader Geoff Hansen know, Insomnium are “champions of excellence.” Axl told you on Tuesday about the new video and digital single for the song “Weather the Storm” featuring Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne on vocals; turns out that digital single has a B-side called “Beyond the Horizon.” It’s creepy and dark, and it’s entirely instrumental. Very Agalloch-y, I must say. Thanks to Mr. Hansen for sending it in.

-VN