Many of us will always remember all the fascinating fairy tales we were told in our childhood. Nowadays, some choose to find inspiration in fictional movies or series. However, sometimes they return to those folk stories and see them through a different, more adult perspective. That’s exactly the case with NUMENTO, too. The progressive melodic death metal act from Finland expresses its visions on psychological matters by introducing us to its own fantasy world. Founded back in 2010, the band has been entertaining metal lovers with several releases up till now. Their discography contains a few albums, starting with “The Cataclysm” in 2019, followed by “The Vile Entity” in 2022.
NUMENTO’s ambition brings its latest, successfully released via Inverse Records album, “The Antimatter Fantasy.” Out on June 7th, 2024, it presents a combination of subgenres and wild fictional stories. Choosing not to limit themselves to just one metal style reflects the contrasting sounds of NUMENTO’s music. Unlike their previous work, “The Vile Entity,” where the songs have a much rawer sound, “The Antimatter Fantasy” carries a complete, upgraded version. If you enjoy what NUMENTO has delivered before, their new album continues strongly in the same style and takes it even further. It’s noticeable that the group has put effort into improving the quality of the production and mixing. What surely connects the new release with the band’s earlier ones, though, is the Finnish national instrument, kantele. That’s one of the most recognizable marks NUMENTO has implemented in their music, and it differentiates them from other bands. Throughout the whole new album, “The Antimatter Fantasy,” Katri H-A’s contribution plays a key role. She doesn’t only apply her kantele skills, but also a range of vocal techniques. Using everything from operatic to death growls contributes to the ethereal, yet heavier sides of the band’s music.
Among the eight tracks in “The Antimatter Fantasy,” a few spoke to me the most. However, atmospheric and sinister elements add a specific tone to each piece of this entire release. The opening track, “Equinox,” as well as “The Solipsist,” “Gargantua,” and “The Dark Web,” are effectuated by driving guitars, bitter growls, and atmospheric clean vocals. By contrast to these melodic death pieces, “Elevate” demonstrates a more consistently peaceful, uplifted mood, accompanied by acoustic guitars and harmonious singing.
Even though ballads are a rare case scenario for death metal bands, NUMENTO decides to put their own signature once again. The result is “Singularity” – a melodic ballad that conveys lyrics for the soul, harmonized with solid operatic singing. Kantele has an important impact here, as it even takes place already at the very beginning of this track. Throughout the lyrics, Katri reminds us how important it is for one to find their own path to follow in life and to listen to their own intuition.
Another song I like and find valuable is “Timetrap.” What caught my attention at first was its title, since everyone has felt “time trapped” at some point in their life. I bet it’s a song that will be easily relatable to many. It starts in quite a dynamic manner and later on gets a more aggressive, heavy feeling. As Katri sings, “Timetrap” covers the subject of how a person’s fate is fully dependent on every decision or action they make in life. Consequences are part of this entire loop, but in the end, everybody is a victim of time, which is not escapable to anyone. It’s always interesting to hear one’s point of view about such existential matters, especially when they have put deep thought into them and have found a beautiful way to express it.
Continuing with “Opilion” – one of this album’s pieces, for which NUMENTO presents a music video. Illustration lovers will surely appreciate and enjoy the clip, since it introduces the band members as if they were colored sketched characters. This concept gives a feeling of simplicity and clarity and doesn’t add any further distraction in the video. The song tells a story about a fantasy world in which one is trapped. That world is a dangerous, psychedelic place, in which an odd, spider-like creature is a predator. “Opilion” is an imaginary and innovative piece, which is captivating even by its story alone.
Overall, “The Antimatter Fantasy” is a solid album with potential. Those who are strongly into melodic death metal and are open-minded to something experimental should definitely give it a try. NUMENTO makes a confident step forward by introducing improved skills, and artistic and musical ideas. The band will undoubtedly continue to create more of those creative fictional stories in the future and will keep attracting many with them!
Written by Stephanie Vasileva
Tracklist
- Equinox
- Opilion
- The Solipsist
- Gargantua
- Singularity
- Timetrap
- Elevate
- The Dark Web
Lineup
Atte Asikainen – guitars / backing vocals
Katri H-A – lead vocals / kantele
Simo Mattila – bass
Aleksi Vehmasallo – guitars
Mikko Virtanen – drums
Label
Inverse Records
