Way back in 1993, Marco Kehren began his project DEINONYCHUS, taking elements of Doom, Death and Black Metal and eventually morphing into the suicidal juggernaut found on “Insomnia.” This is Doom par excellence, with exceptionally mournful riffage and Kehren’s incredible vocals, which at times come in the form of a Death vocal provide a sort of narration over the music and at other times comes as a tortured Black Metal shriek. The overall product is one classy product and something that all fans of extremely dark and miserable Doom should check out.

Aside from the rather short, five-minute opener “Nightfall Guides Insomnia To Be An Everlasting Mental Torture, With This Being The Consequence,” each track runs upwards of ten minutes and comes with a similarly hefty and spectacular title. For the most part, this is extremely slow Doom, almost at a Funeral Doom pace, but occasionally it picks up to mid-paced Death Metal speeds, such as during “We Have Uncovered A Question And Now We Must Unearth The Answer” and “To Diagnose The Fortunes Of Paranoia Consuming Consciousness And Sanity.” I love these titles! The closing track features creepy layered vocals and a sound that reminds me a lot of “Dance Of December Souls”-era KATATONIA. All throughout, the riffing remains despondent and the keyboards remain subtle yet very efficient for creating that forlorn atmosphere. Each of the five tracks is a quality slab of Doom, with virtually no weak points and absolutely no filler. From start to finish, “Insomnia” is a quality experience.

A great album by a great band! With great song titles! (Online September 6, 2005)