lista zespołów Melodic Death Noumena Absence

Noumena along with Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum are another one of those Finnish bands who play a dark and atmospheric style of Melodic Death Metal. However unlike the aforementioned bands the sound here is a bit more folky allowing the integration of more interesting and unique styles. The sound on Absence is wonderfully original and of course comparisons to Insomnium are inevitable Noumena are a band with their own sound and shouldn’t be considered a clone band but rather a similarity of style more than anything else.

The guitar work on Absence is phenomenal, mixing extremely melodic and catchy riffs with some brilliant acoustic passages. The guitar tone is thick and crunchy and plays some of the best riffs I’ve heard no matter the genre. The End of the Century is a great starter to the album being instantly memorable and amazingly catchy. If this song doesn’t make you fall in love with this band then it’s fair to say that you don’t like Melodic Death Metal or at least the non-cheesy kind. This track sums up everything right about this band and the genre as a whole, mixing brutal growls with extremely melodic riffing and a great acoustic break.

Absence is an album that flows smoothly. There are no rough transitions or anything that would be out of place, consistency rules supreme here and I can safely say this album does no wrong. Too many times I come across albums that are consistently good but are lacking in any particular stand out moments, Absence is different because it’s jam packed full of stand outs. Whether that’s from the glorious riffing of The End of the Century, the chorus for A Day to Depart or the intro for Here We Lie, Absence is an album that is constantly full of highlights from the moment you hit play. This isn’t an album that will ever get boring and each second it’s on I find myself constantly hooked and lost in the atmosphere that Absence emulates.

There really are no weak points about Absence, even the clean vocals which for me could make or break the album are done tastefully and integrated well. The female vocalist has a beautiful voice and it has been handled well in Absence. I also like the male cleans as well, being fairly strong and carrying a lot of emotion behind them, it’s a perfect fit. The growling on Absence is phenomenal, being deep and very powerful; they’re certainly a lot better than most bands working within the genre. If there’s one complaint about the harsh vocals is that there isn’t enough high vocals, on the track A Day to Depart Antti Haapanen has shown to have a wicked rasp but unfortunately it’s used rarely throughout. However this isn’t really a negative criticism and this album is still flawless.

Atmospherically this album is brilliant, having a similar feel to Insomnium at their darkest and most folky. Absence isn’t a depressing album by any means but the atmosphere certainly comes across as dark and really has a genuine folk feeling without any real folk instruments. At times I am reminded of Agalloch as during the softer moments it carries with it that same forlorn feel that Agalloch is known for.

Absence is just hands down the best Melodic Death Metal album I’ve ever listened to and one of the best albums I’ve heard no matter the genre. Absence is full of stand- out moments and some of the best guitar work I’ve listened to. I highly recommend this album to all metal fans out there as Absence won’t disappoint. It’s just a perfect album.