Since the release of the latest album, Anno 1696, Insomnium have been busy. A further three-track EP with extras from the recording sessions has been released as Songs of the Dusk, and many a festival across mainland Europe and further afield has been hit. Now, an extensive headline tour throughout Europe kicks off in the UK, with night two at O2 Academy Islington in London. Openers Kvaen are a somewhat heavier band on the spectrum than the other two playing tonight, with blastbeats scattered liberally in their pagan-influenced black metal. There’s often a frenetic pace in their music, with the contrast of those slower and more epic moments like in “Damnations Jaw” hitting all the harder as a result. These are their first shows in the UK, and with the whirling circle pit started in set clo...