Anno 1696 is the ninth studio album by Finnish melodic death metal band Insomnium, released on 24 February 2023 via Century Media. Insomnium began working on the album shortly before the release of Argent Moon, in 2021, with the album originally planned to be released in 2022. Like their 2016 album Winter's Gate, the album is based on a short story by vocalist/bassist Niilo Sevänen, first hinted on October 24, 2022, less than two weeks before the album's official announcement. It is the final release to feature guitarist Jani Liimatainen.
Release and promotion In April 2023, the band embarked on a North American tour to promote Anno 1696, together with Enslaved, whose album Heimdal released a week after the release of Anno 1696, with support from Black Anvil.
Track listing
Personnel
Insomnium Niilo Sevänen – bass, lead vocals Ville Friman – guitars Markus Vanhala – guitars, clean vocals Jani Liimatainen – guitars, clean vocals Markus Hirvonen – drums
Additional musician Sakis Tolis – guest vocals (track 2) Johanna Kurkela – guest vocals (track 3) Coen Janssen – keyboards
Production and design Insomnium – production Teemu Aalto – recording (acoustic guitars, bass, vocals) Jaime Gomez Arellano – recording (drums, acoustic guitars), mixing Coen Janssen – recording (keyboards) Ville Friman – recording (electric guitars) Markus Vanhala – recording (electric guitars) Jani Liimatainen – recording (electric guitars) Tony Lindgren – mastering Sami Makkonen – artwork Terhi Ylimäinen – photography hafensatz.de – layout
Charts + Chart performance for Anno 1696 Chart (2023) Peakposition Australian Digital Albums (ARIA) 38
References