Insomnium @ Cathouse, Glasgow (23rd January 2020)

with: Conjurer
Hosted by: Triple G

WORDS: Ross Donald

I bought my ticket for this gig as soon as I’d listened to and fallen in love with Insomnium’s latest album Heart Like a Grave (review here), so the hype was already real. Then the promoters announced that the amazing Conjurer would be supporting, so this went from being an anticipated gig for me to being one of the most exciting gigs of the year. Could it live up to this amount of hype and excitement? Let’s see.

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Conjurer started the show off, but despite being inside the venue 20 minutes after the doors opened, I still managed to miss the beginning of the set. The Cathouse is apparently not great at timing their events and also can’t handle decently sized queues... 

Looking at the online setlist though, it looks like the only track I missed was‘Behold the Swine’, as I joined the crowd just as ‘Scorn’ was beginning. Nice to see some of the rarer tracks from their first EP being played. I won’t get into too much detail here as the review here of the band's Attic show from October last year describes their proper headline show. Not much has changed since, as Conjurer are sincerely one of the best live bands going today and they deserve their ascension to a higher level when that day eventually comes.

Tracks from 2018's Mire, including ‘Retch’, ‘Choke’, ‘Hollow’, and ‘Hadal’ came across as absolute juggernauts. ‘Hollow’, with its quieter moments and growling vocals which blasted out without the need of a microphone, made this song stand out in particular and it kept the crowd in the palm of their hands. Just incredible. 

I could see by the crowd reaction that they were largely unfamiliar with the band but by the end of the set they were all on board. The amount of people who were at their merch stand afterwards really shows how quickly these guys can convert people with their heavy riffing sound. I myself even ended up purchasing one of their hoodies after promising to myself that I wouldn’t buy anything. 

If you haven’t checked these guys out already (and even more so if you haven't seen them live), you’re really missing out. If you’re going to Bloodstock, make sure that you don’t miss their set. It’s essential viewing.

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It was then time for the main act of the night with Insomnium and.. my god. What a tremendous set this was. 

The main single from the latest release Valediction began proceedings in epic fashion. The main riff is just so damn good that you can’t help but headbang along to it. The big singalong moments are just the cherry on the cake as well. We were then treated to 6 tracks from the new album and all of them just fit so well with the band’s classic discography that they feel like they’ve been there all along. ‘Pale Morning Star’ was a particular highlight, as it managed to be one of the more melodic and slower songs of the set while still managing to hit as hard as a heavyweight boxer. 

I was in the pit for most of the set, yet I still felt like I was truly able to enjoy each track. Imsomnium’s tendency to lace their tracks with melodic moments made it so easy to stop and enjoy them before launching back into the chaos of the pit. Another set highlight was the classic ‘Ephemeral’ (the track that actually got me into the band). Having one of the catchiest choruses I’ve heard from a melodeath metal band, the song also had some major uplifting lyrics that had the entire crowd singing along. Ever had one of those out of body moments during a gig where time stands still and you forget about the world? ‘Ephemeral’ was one of those occasions. 

In another crowd pleasing moment, the band brought back the 10 minute epic ‘In the Groves of Death’ from 2006’s Above the Weeping World. Of course the track only felt about 4 minutes long just due to how enjoyable it was. The encore then began with the intro track ‘The Primeval Dark’, which then blasted into ‘While We Sleep’ to really send the crowd into one last frenzy. The night wasn’t over yet though as we still had the title track from Heart Like a Grave to come. 

I still believe this was one of the best tracks to come out of 2019, as well as being the best song Insomnium has released yet. The pit completely stopped for the entirety of this song- almost out of respect for the track. It has one of the most heart-wrenching guitar riffs ever recorded which manages to just rip into the crowd’s very soul. Something very special indeed. 

Fantastic way to end what was an epic show and for me, the bar has now been set for every gig in 2020. Spectacular evening. 

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Thanks to Ross for writing this review on Insomnium at the Cathouse, and thanks to you for checking it out! Feel free to leave a comment below or support RWEI by giving us a like/follow over on the socials. 

Cheers!