Listening to Noumena is a delight, their music in perfect harmony with the Autumn grey clouds and icy winds outside. _Anatomy of Life_ brings back memories of classic releases like Amorphis' _Tales From the Thousand Lakes_ and Godgory's _Resurrection_, for it operates in a very similar field. One might easily call it melodic death, but besides some similarities with At the Gates or In Flames, it's a wholly different beast altogether. I'd rather call it a post-death hybrid of distorted heavy riffing in the background and melodic guitars that obviously dominate the sound of the record.

The tracks are pretty lengthy (some of them well beyond five minutes in length), evoking just the right brooding, somber atmosphere thanks to the most important ingredient of the Noumena mix: the mournful acoustic guitar sections adding up to the melodic edge of _Anatomy of Life_. Characteristic death grunts are employed, as well as clean male and female singing -- though the latter lay buried in the mix and too off-key to really impress. None of the tracks really stand out from the rest; this is instead an album that compels a thorough listen from beginning to end -- a skilfully crafted release, with undeniable Finnish feel and quality.