Since ANATHEMA started to move from Doom Death Metal from their earlier works into a more Progressive and Alternative Rock, it revealed many different ways to play an introspective and melodic form of Rock. These paths aren't exactly Metal, but you can see the value in each one of them. Let's be honest: the Finnish quintet NICUMO, with their second album, called "Storms Arise", is another band following one of these paths.

Playing a melodic and introspective form of music that sometimes gains musical weight and aggressiveness (as we can hear on some parts of "Unholy War"), their work is focused on creating easy and tender melodies, with very good clean vocals and fine instrumental parts. It's like a heavier and melodic form of Gothic Rock with some Metal influences. But their musical work is really good and uses charming melodies, and with some parts with a more heavier and aggressive tendency. The sound quality of "Storms Arise" was conceived to be clean in a way that their musical efforts can be fully understood, but as their songs have some aggressive and heavy melodies, the production had to balance the clarity of the sound with aggressiveness and weight. And it is done in a very good way.

Their songs are all good, but there are some really great moments, as we can hear on the melodic lines of the guitars and vocals of "Old World Burning", the almost introspective beauty of "Beyond Horizon", the heavy and aggressive approach of "Unholy War" with its fine work of bass guitar and drums, the charming melodic lines of "Death, Let Go" and its good vocals, the aggressive grasp of "Guilt", and the tender and introspective ethereal feeling of "Sirens". They are a very good band, but "Storms Arise" is showing that they still have more to offer. So, let's hope that the future will make their work mature more and more.