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October 12, 2008 |
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01. The End Of The Century
02. Everlasting Ward
03. The First Drop
04. Slain Memories
05. A Day To Depart
06. Prey Of The Tempter
07. Here We Lie
08. All Veiled
09. The Dream And The Escape
10. The Great Anonymous Doom
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The most remarkable thing about Spinefarm records is the incredible talent of each and every single band they have signed. What is even more amazing is that the overwhelming majority of these bands are from Finland, a sparsely populated country of 5 million souls. NOUMENA are one of the most interesting discoveries from this cold Northern land. Founded in 1998, they first received a record deal in 1999 with a Singaporean label, which went bankrupt shortly thereafter. NOUEMENA would then have to wait three years to release their debut album, "Pride/Fall", on the Australian label, Catharsis Records. In 2004, perseverance finally paid off and NOUEMANA signed with Spikefarm. Their new album, "Absence", has now been released.
What immediately stands out with the first track, "The End Of The Century", is the mélange of influences between traditional Goteborg Death Metal and other acts issued from the Finnish Folk Metal scene such as AMORPHIS, ENSIFERUM, and MOONSORROW. Opening with a killer intro, "Everlasting Ward" really caught my attention especially with the addition of the clear vocals performed by Tuomas Tuominen (FALL OF THE LEAF). Obviously NOUMENA decided to hire the services of a real singer rather than taking care of it themselves, therefore increasing their chances to make it sound good. The third track, "The First Drop", has more of a doomy-like atmosphere, and could have easily been on a RAPTURE album. The folkish "Slain Memories" is the first song with female vocals, while "A Day To Depart" kicks in with a very dark and aggressive composition, and the band never lose focus from the melodies, and especially the guitar work.
"Prey Of The Tempter", "Here We Lie" and "All Veiled" all keep the same vibe, making it impossible to pick a favorite. The clear vocals blend in amazingly with NOUMENA's style without ever going unnoticed. With "The Dream And Escape", it is obvious that IN FLAMES and DARK TRANQUILLITY might have had a major influence on these guys. You can't really appreciate the voice of Hanna Leinonen until the last track (and highlight of the album),"The Great Anonymous Doom". It almost sounds like an Irish ballad.
Altogether, this record represents a huge accomplishment for a fairly new band such as NOUEMENA. "Absence" is one of those albums that makes you feel like a kid in candy store - music with total "Absence" of mediocrity!
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