Noumena has recorded one of the best Finn melodic death metal albums in recent times; the guitars have ingenious and simple riffs that capture your attention, the deep growls are great, and the interventions of male and female clean vocals are perfectly introduce with the right amount of dosage that enhances the material and prevents the songs from ever becoming predictable.

From the very beginning the album catches you and forbids you from stopping until there is no more music there to listen. “The End of the Century” is a fast and precise introduction to the melodic yet angry death metal played by this band; deep growls and ingenious riffs make this track and the entire album something that could resemble those frenetic segments on a little band called Opeth. The little instrumental segment played by the guitars is simple yet beautiful, really a great opener.

“Everlasting Ward” is probably one of those songs that you will be singing hours after you have listen to the album; catchy, melodic, powerful. On this track you will also be introduce to the male clean vocals of Noumena, they are…well clean, nicely done, nothing mind blowing but perfectly fitting for the mood of the song.

“Slain Memories” on this track 4, you will listen for the first time the female vocals; really a nice way of keeping you interested on the record, first it was the little segments of guitar solos, then the male clean vocals and now the female intervention, everything done in a sort of escalated attack on your senses and put together by a tight drum and some great growls. A little later into the song the clean male vocals appear once again, blending everything into one catchy and almost progressive way of intercalating the way metal can be sing.

Just in case you were getting a little bored of growls, male and female clean vocals, Noumena places some fade back clean vocal effects on “Prey of the Tempter” another great way of keeping you interested in every single riff and catchy choruses.

This is one of those albums that will give you back the fate in melodic death metal, really an awesome production.