While many bands out there dabble with mixing thrash, metalcore and who knows what else into the melodic death style, Insomnium have crafted a rather dark album that is pure melodic death. The vocals on this release are mostly the same, a lighter guttural sound reminiscent of current Dark Tranquillity with a few voice alterations that just sound a bit off on the final product (like the tracks "The Moment Of Reckoning" and "Bereavement"). The drum work on this release is superb as well, being somewhat restrained and very well recorded. However, this release features some great, original guitar work that the style hasn't really seen much of lately, like on the tracks "Bereavement" and "Closing Words." Each song will hold your attention, including the rather gothic sounding instrumental tracks "Nocturne" and "Resonance."

Those who have heard of this band tend to compare them to pre-Whoracle era In Flames, and even Dark Tranquillity. However, Insomnium is perhaps the best of the three. True, some guitar chords have a similar tablature to those bands, but the riffs themselves are unique, and the solos aren't over the top and suit the music perfectly.

Most of the tracks on this release are rather slow and sound somewhat depressing (such as "Daughter Of The Moon" and "Disengagement," which is the longest track on the release), but there are some faster tracks here too, like "The Day It All Came Down" and "Death Walked The Earth." Since The Day It All Came Down shows a lot promise from this band, as well as talent, and hopefully their next album will only surpass this one.

written by Jason Thomas Weiss

Playing time: 53:45