NOUMENA from Finland play melodic variety of Death Metal with additional female Vocals. They primarily sing in Finnish. They were formed in 1998 and have been consistently putting out releases for over two decades. "Anima" is their new studio full length. Let us find out what we find in their newest output.

The first track, "Kaiku," serves as the intro. Intro tracks are very important if they are being used; this sets the mood for the whole album and occupies precious minutes of it. But NOUMENA seems to think the run time is a joke. The intro sounds like it is unnecessary and would not hurt the album even if it was take out.

"Saatto" opens with somber guitars and female vocals. It sets a motif and keeps repeating it throughout. The guttural vocals come off as severely annoying rather than adding anything to the song or, to be honest, the album, or the band. It damages the replay value of the album. This track is boring. It is to be noted that this was released as a single.

"Murtuneet" builds a motif at the intro. There is good build up in the beginning but it becomes stale as it is repeated so many times. But the climax to the buildup is fruitless and one dimensional. The guttural vocals are not a great addition to the sound. It sounds like it is separate from the album and functioning on its own. It does contribute anything to the album.  It is to be noted that this was released as a single.

"Seula" is one of the better tracks on the album. This track is not tiresome to listen to and is very pleasant. This band is best when they occupy this space of somberness with guttural vocals that do not employ so many layers. "Ajaton" maintains the momentum set by the previous track and showcases good progressions within the track.

The album is an example of how Melodic Extreme Metal has morphed into Metalcore like progressions, and substandard song writing. This album has only very few high points. Most of it is merely filler and it really wears on the listener. At its best, the album is somber and peaceful, but at its worst this is just filler all over with Metalcore influences. One can see that the band is influenced by later era DARK TRANQUILITY, IN FLAMES, and bands of the similar vein. But all in all, it falls behind on a lot of areas Melodic Death Metal is supposed to achieve.  The album cover is dope though!