The Swedish outfit Insania is back after a long hiatus, but nothing has changed from a purely musical perspective as such, and these veterans still deliver galloping power metal with a strong melodic flair to it and as much bombast as you could possibly want. Double-bass drumming and heavy bass lines, sharp and beefy riffs, guitar leads that lend color and class to the proceedings, epic keyboards and blistering solos, and some pretty damn decent vocals are the order of the day here and I admire the level of determination that course through these eleven compositions. Although there is absolutely nothing new or revolutionary to what they do, they tear through the song material with gusto and are clearly having a great time doing so, which makes this an enjoyable listen.

 

The LP is slightly uneven in the sense that album opener "Praeparatus Supervivet" is an exceptionally cool opening track with a sense of purpose and power to it whereas the following four tunes are a little more hit or miss. By the sixth song, "We Will Rise Again", they regain their momentum, and the remaining cuts are all memorable, huge-sounding metal epics with the standouts undoubtedly being "Like a Rising Star", "Blood, Tears and Agony", and the atmospheric closing track "The Last Hymn to Life". If you have a problem with cliches and some of the usual power metal tropes, you can skip "V (Praeparatus Supervivet)", but personally, I found this a worthwhile listening experience, and the amount of pomposity and grandeur that is on display on this well-produced disc suits my mood this week just fine.

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