Death Walks With Me

Finnish Melodic Death metal band, Noumena have released their fourth album after a gap of almost seven years, their last one being Anatomy Of Life in 2006. It was a cause of concern as to whether or not the band was on a hiatus or whether they were so engrossed in creating something that'll blow your brains out. And I have to say it's much, MUCH more than that. It's got some new elements to it, making this album stand out from all of the others.

If you think Melodic Death Metal from Scandinavia, Noumena is definitely one of the first bands that pops up into your head. They've always been one of my favourites to listen to in the genre but little did I expect their latest release to be this maddening. The end of Noumena's hibernation period has certainly proved to be  time well spent, because Death Walks With Me is absolutely brilliant! It gives the person listening to it a strong feeling of the band's versatility which at times has been doubted. Noumena indeed share a significant part of their music and music style with fellow countrymen and counterparts Omnium Gatherum and Insomnium, both bands which I'm a BIG BIG fan of ( they're Finnish, DUH), with the constant flow of beautiful, melodic harmonies. Highlight of this album to me, was the addition of Suvi Uura's vocals, and oh my god, the woman has the voice of an angel to say the least! Soothing, eerie and powerful all at the same time, Suvi's gothic sounding vocals complement Antti's husky, death growls almost too perfectly. The entire album is full of moods and emotion with a good balance between traditional melo-death sounds and more doomish and gothic tracks.

It starts with the catchy, typically Finnish folk-sounding Handful Of Dust, which actually makes you want to get up and dance. The leads are engaging and aggressive, blending in perfectly with the uplifting mood of the song. Let It Run Red is also one of the catchier, fun tracks on this album with a good pace and some fine riffs to go. The track Sleep is softer, with some nice acoustic segments and Suvi's haunting voice and Antti's maddening death growls don't really make you want to sleep. That's what I really love, in any metal album, the unpredictability factor. Songs should bounce from one mood to another to keep you wanting more and maintain the interest of the listener and Noumena have managed that in this album pretty well! Suvi seems to be their magic ingredient throughout, bringing her talents up in all the right places. Sundown is probably one of the most morbid songs I have ever heard, with the enough-to-make-your-blood-curdle syncing of tranquil violins with the sheer awesomeness of Antti and his voice.

The versatility element comes in with the use of a range of instrumention apart from the usual melo death set up such as the ghostly sounds of the Sax and the mandolin. Mysteries Of Motion and Seasons Of Suffocation are filled with charming, but impressive riffs along with Suvi are also tracks to keep your ear tuned in to. The album is based as typical of Noumena, on themes of death, mourning and loss but the music communicates it in a way that death is actually not such a bad thing and that life must be lived till the very last moment. So really, if listened to with the utmost attention, you'll actually feel enlightened and more optimistic. This music may seem rather unorthodox due to the genre-mixing throughout all of the tracks but just goes to show that the band doesn't shy away from standing out in the crowd, the crowd of Scandinavian melodic death metal being a rather large one at that!

Noumena have maintained their traditional musical features but at the same time have managed to create something that again, cannot be categorized into one specific genre. It's groove, melodic and aggressive and definitely one that every metal fan should check out! It'd be a crime to not give them the credit they deserve!

FINLAND I LOVE YOU.