Noumena is a powerful party of harsh, folkish metal in the vain of old Amorphis and a whole bunch of melodic giants. They have been growing a steady fan base all over Europe for a number of years now and just released their third album late last year. Guitarist Tuukka Tuomela (T) and vocalist Antti Haapanen (A) sat down with metalreviews for an in-depth chat.
Dear Noumena, welcome to your Metalreviews interview! Your band is most likely new to many readers out there, so give short synopsis of your history so far.
T: Well, the band was founded in 1998 and in a few years a few demos were made. Right now we have just released our third album. We’ve been usually called melodic death metal and normally compared to Amorphis and some of the melo-bands from Sweden.
A: Yeah, even though were not really a death metal band, which has caused many hilarious remarks. I mean, often I hear people saying to us, “dude, youre such a crappy death metal band”, when were not really even death metal. We are Noumena. I think everyone should listen to our albums, preferably all of them, and then pass judgement and not beforehand.
A: Yeah, even though were not really a death metal band, which has caused many hilarious remarks. I mean, often I hear people saying to us, “dude, youre such a crappy death metal band”, when were not really even death metal. We are Noumena. I think everyone should listen to our albums, preferably all of them, and then pass judgement and not beforehand.
People can surely find more info from the bio on your website…which is?
A: Oh yes, www.noumena.info Check it out!
By browsing these pages, I found out that your past hunting for a record deal has been colourful to say the least. You seem to have crossed many countries of the world with your labels. Is my understanding correct when I say that youve gone through Singapore and Australia on your way to Finland and Spikefarm Records?
A: Yes, just to put it accurately, the Australian company was located in Tasmania *laughter*. It’s quite simple, we just didn’t have a whole lot out there to choose from. A drowning person tends to grab whichever helping hand there is within reach.
T: Indeed, as I recall it was after completing the second demo when we sent demos to labels all around, but didn’t get very much feedback. Then this company from Singapore got in contact with us, who the hell knows where they found out about Noumena. They gave us an offer for a record deal that seemed very good on paper. So it was off into Astia-studios to make a record. We were pretty cocky then, thinking that “this is gonna be awesome”. Then when it was time to pay the bills for recording, the record company was nowhere to be found. Or well, we did hear that much that it was on the verge of bankruptcy. So we were left with the studio payments in our hands, in total 26000 old Finnish marks (about 4300 euros to give you perspective – ed. note –), which was quite the sum for a bunch of students and guys completing their military service. We spent a couple of years paying that thing off and persevered making music regardless.
A: I must add to this that the original contract in the situation was between Astia-studios and the record company, so technically, we weren’t required to do anything in the situation. We could have simply left the master tapes at the studio. But since we are a bunch of too-honest-for-our-own-good Finns, we payed for the tapes little by little through the years.
T: Eventually these tapes turned out to be very useful when this guy from Tasmania contacted us. He had read somewhere about our woes and put together a record company just to get our album out there. He was simply hell-bent on the notion that our material had to be gotten on the shelves for all to see.
A: Yeah, he apparently pressed about 1500 copies of the record over there, working three jobs at once to make it works. His humongous effort must really be commended.
T: Then, after some clearance work with overtly eager customs officials we finally got some sopies to be distributed here in Finland as well. Then we went in to make another demo in 2004 and I think it was the Tempter-demo that brought Spikefarm into the picture.
A: Yes, Spikefarm was very interested and we struck a deal with them. Things have gotten a lot better since now that we can actually go and meet the company guys in person. Give ‘em some nudges then and there if all is not going well with advertising or whatever. It has been feeling like this whole debacle with the company in Singapore and all the qugmires have been some cruel joke perpetrated by our friends without us knowing about it*laughter*.
T: Indeed, as I recall it was after completing the second demo when we sent demos to labels all around, but didn’t get very much feedback. Then this company from Singapore got in contact with us, who the hell knows where they found out about Noumena. They gave us an offer for a record deal that seemed very good on paper. So it was off into Astia-studios to make a record. We were pretty cocky then, thinking that “this is gonna be awesome”. Then when it was time to pay the bills for recording, the record company was nowhere to be found. Or well, we did hear that much that it was on the verge of bankruptcy. So we were left with the studio payments in our hands, in total 26000 old Finnish marks (about 4300 euros to give you perspective – ed. note –), which was quite the sum for a bunch of students and guys completing their military service. We spent a couple of years paying that thing off and persevered making music regardless.
A: I must add to this that the original contract in the situation was between Astia-studios and the record company, so technically, we weren’t required to do anything in the situation. We could have simply left the master tapes at the studio. But since we are a bunch of too-honest-for-our-own-good Finns, we payed for the tapes little by little through the years.
T: Eventually these tapes turned out to be very useful when this guy from Tasmania contacted us. He had read somewhere about our woes and put together a record company just to get our album out there. He was simply hell-bent on the notion that our material had to be gotten on the shelves for all to see.
A: Yeah, he apparently pressed about 1500 copies of the record over there, working three jobs at once to make it works. His humongous effort must really be commended.
T: Then, after some clearance work with overtly eager customs officials we finally got some sopies to be distributed here in Finland as well. Then we went in to make another demo in 2004 and I think it was the Tempter-demo that brought Spikefarm into the picture.
A: Yes, Spikefarm was very interested and we struck a deal with them. Things have gotten a lot better since now that we can actually go and meet the company guys in person. Give ‘em some nudges then and there if all is not going well with advertising or whatever. It has been feeling like this whole debacle with the company in Singapore and all the qugmires have been some cruel joke perpetrated by our friends without us knowing about it*laughter*.
What has the feedback been like, now that your third album, Anatomy Of Life has just recently been released on Spikefarm?
T: The feedback has been mostly excellent. Of course there have been some reviews that are less admiring, just like with the previous album, Absence. We are very happy with the album ourselves and are glad that this has caught up with some people.
The material on the new record is much more epic and the production is fatter than on your previous works. How would you consider you’ve progressed on your way to this album?
A: I think our material has become much more tight and unified. Tuukka and Ville, our main songwriters, have a very solid vision nowadays on what a Noumena-song should sound like. Personally, I enjoy this more epic direction we are heading to very much.
T: Yeah, in our early days we used to make these longer tracks and then cut it down a bit a few years ago with shorter songs. Right now, were heading back in that direction of longer compositions, at least longer by our standards.
A: Although in our early years those long tracks were pretty much repeating the same two parts on and on and once there was six, seven minutes of that repetition, we decided that “that’s a great song, leave it be.” Nowadays the length isn’t there for just itself, it has a purpose as well.
T: Yeah, in our early days we used to make these longer tracks and then cut it down a bit a few years ago with shorter songs. Right now, were heading back in that direction of longer compositions, at least longer by our standards.
A: Although in our early years those long tracks were pretty much repeating the same two parts on and on and once there was six, seven minutes of that repetition, we decided that “that’s a great song, leave it be.” Nowadays the length isn’t there for just itself, it has a purpose as well.
Your music has surely been compared to older Amorphis and some of the melodeath-greats of Gothenburg. Personally, I also hear flavours of some Dan Swanö’s projects, like Edge Of Sanity. What influences would you name as the foundations of Noumena?
T: My musical influences really began with Metallica, when I started playing the guitar. Now that you mentioned Mr. Swanö, I must say that Edge Of Sanity has been and still is one of my favourite bands.
So do you have your own Crimson waiting in the wings? An album containing just one song, maybe 45-minutes long?
T: Well, I wouldn’t go that way, even though Crimson is a marvellous record. I guess it would be possible, but no.
A: We could at least try to make a song even longer than Crimson. Repeat the same two parts for three quarters of an hour. *laughter*
T: Our Swedish influences number in more than one, for example In Flames. In its current state it doesn-t appeal to me that much anymore but their old albums have been in very heavy rotation. Opeth is a great band, regardless of album.
A: Amorphis is one of my all-time favourites. Thousand Lakes was like this awakening that is great, but wasn’t something that I listened to non-stop. That credit would go to Elegy. It is still such a fantastic record that words can’t describe it.
A: We could at least try to make a song even longer than Crimson. Repeat the same two parts for three quarters of an hour. *laughter*
T: Our Swedish influences number in more than one, for example In Flames. In its current state it doesn-t appeal to me that much anymore but their old albums have been in very heavy rotation. Opeth is a great band, regardless of album.
A: Amorphis is one of my all-time favourites. Thousand Lakes was like this awakening that is great, but wasn’t something that I listened to non-stop. That credit would go to Elegy. It is still such a fantastic record that words can’t describe it.
As we can imagine from the list mentioned above, your music has extremely numerous elements mixed together. Are there any musical styles that you couldn’t or wouldn’t want to experiment within the limits of Noumena? At least not without doing a funny-haha-drunken-thing-on-a-single’s-B-side?
T: Well, personally I would not flirt with the kind of 80s wailing, double-bass flurry-filled power metal elements. I can’t stand that stuff.
A: I think a groovy sambarumba-thing would be a bit tough on us as well, being as we are a bunch of stiff northerners. We would try to find other ways to break into the Latino market.
A: I think a groovy sambarumba-thing would be a bit tough on us as well, being as we are a bunch of stiff northerners. We would try to find other ways to break into the Latino market.
You employ quite the wide array of vocal styles on your records. Is this thing based on your personal preferences?
T: Our female vocalist, Hanna, has been on just about every Noumena-recording through history, so we have wanted to keep onto that consistently. Then on the latest few records we have also had clean male vocals, provided by Tuomas Tuominen of Fall Of The Leafe fame.
A: Hello to him out there!
T: Hello indeed! But despite these clean voices, Andy here is our main man. His vocals are our focal point.
A: Hello to him out there!
T: Hello indeed! But despite these clean voices, Andy here is our main man. His vocals are our focal point.
It seems your touring plans are quite tight for the beginning of the year. How are they actually shaping up?
A: Right now it seems pretty good. At the moment we are waiting for the gig in Joensuu to start and we’ve got about ten gigs in Finland alone waiting for now. In the beginning of May we have stern plans to head back into Germany and the neighbouring areas to spread the joy.
A: Yes, maybe we’ll get all the way into Holland, Belgium and France this time.
T: We were sampling the atmophere over there last spring and we plan on making a big return.
A: Yes, maybe we’ll get all the way into Holland, Belgium and France this time.
T: We were sampling the atmophere over there last spring and we plan on making a big return.
If you picture yourself into an audience at a gig, would you rather see über-technical playing that doesn’t include much mistakes nor a lot of movement between the players or a mad show with leaps, flips, poses and all, even if that affects the playing of the band?
T: I’m such a shitty guitarist anyway, that if I tried to play perfectly all the time, I couldn’t move at all out there. It is quite exciting how you take these risks on stage. You start to spin your hair wildly around and before you know it, you’re guessing the notes that are supposed to be in that solo and chords go almost there. So we aim to put as much in the action as possible.
A: I respect some good showmanship and performing above all. I mean, those who are really interested in what were doing, know how the songs go on record. You can listen to it in its prefect form at home as much as you want. There’s no sense paying for a ticket to a gig if the band just stares at the tips of their shoes. Like Tuukka said, he can’t play his leads correctly even if he was sitting at home, so why not go nuts?
T: Indeed, since I’m going fuck up the song in the same place every time. *laughter*
A: I respect some good showmanship and performing above all. I mean, those who are really interested in what were doing, know how the songs go on record. You can listen to it in its prefect form at home as much as you want. There’s no sense paying for a ticket to a gig if the band just stares at the tips of their shoes. Like Tuukka said, he can’t play his leads correctly even if he was sitting at home, so why not go nuts?
T: Indeed, since I’m going fuck up the song in the same place every time. *laughter*
Like you said, you have toured some of continental Europe as well. How have the lands of Germanic power metal and tharsh metal madness taken in your music on your visits?
T: Well, on the latest tour we had, what, eight or nine shows. Three or four of them were very good, two were OK and two were the kind that we could just forget without mentioning for a number of reasons. On a couple of those shows we could see how the people were nearly bursting out of the windows, really liking what they heard and saw. We sold a lot of records and some even came to talk to us.
A: Maybe they just wanted to touch a foreigner. Tuukka a bit more and the rest of us a bit less.
A: Maybe they just wanted to touch a foreigner. Tuukka a bit more and the rest of us a bit less.
According to some twisted sources, you enjoy to have little competitions amongst the band members, such as tabasco-drinking sprints. Any other challenges you would like to tell us about? ?
A: Well, we’ve had some of those, but they have been mostly put aside in favour of empirical studies. For example, right now we are working on seeing if a male human can effectively urinate while standing on his head. If it is possible, then we will see if it is easier with a flaccid dick or, as we call it, a “semi-hard German”.
So a type of Mythbusters-thing going on?
A: Yes, although I have not heard of a myth that a man would lose his eyesight if he urinated while upside down or anything similar.
T: These are the kind of things that we think about while travelling on tour. Make plans, so that we won’t get bored.
A: We’re not called the thinking mans band for nothing, you know.
T: These are the kind of things that we think about while travelling on tour. Make plans, so that we won’t get bored.
A: We’re not called the thinking mans band for nothing, you know.
A genuine Queensrÿche of our times, excellent! Now that we have gotten you into the world of mental imagery, let’s try a small mindgame. The whole band is in a Cadillac Convertible in the middle of the desert on a long stretch of highway. No one in sight, just sand and a road that goes on forever. You are equipped only with the following: a megaphone, a potted cactus, Acapulco-shirts for everyone, an inflatable rubber swimming pool, an acoustic bass, a pair of bongos and in the trunk, a crate of Captain Morgan-rum. All of a sudden, a horde of pink giant lizards appears in front of you. What do you do? What happens?
A: Can I get a specific? Do we have a stereo system built in the Caddy and are we blasting out some Hellacopters?
Of course!
A: Well good! Now, what all did we have with us?
T: We could put on the Acapulco-shirts.
A: But you can’t! Because only big fat party animals and sexual minorities can wear those. You being so slim and fit couldn’t be without a shirt, but the rest of us would put on the Acapulcos.
T: Okay, I’ll buy that. Besides, shirts like that on ugly guys like you could frighten the lizards away. Then with the cactus, we could perform more scientific experiments.
A: Yeah, like does a potted cactus slide smoother into a persons rectum spikes first or the pot first? Then we fill the rubber swimming pool with the Captain Morgan and mix some juice from the cactus into the mix to make a cocktail. If that doesn’t get the lizards excited, nothing will. It’s a shame that the chances of a busload of hot babes getting stranded right next to us are pretty small. So I guess we would just have to have a huge party with the lizards.
What about a mirage about megababes, that the rum would magnify in your mind?
A: Ahh, that’s brilliant! Because often your imagination is all you need.
Of course!
A: Well good! Now, what all did we have with us?
T: We could put on the Acapulco-shirts.
A: But you can’t! Because only big fat party animals and sexual minorities can wear those. You being so slim and fit couldn’t be without a shirt, but the rest of us would put on the Acapulcos.
T: Okay, I’ll buy that. Besides, shirts like that on ugly guys like you could frighten the lizards away. Then with the cactus, we could perform more scientific experiments.
A: Yeah, like does a potted cactus slide smoother into a persons rectum spikes first or the pot first? Then we fill the rubber swimming pool with the Captain Morgan and mix some juice from the cactus into the mix to make a cocktail. If that doesn’t get the lizards excited, nothing will. It’s a shame that the chances of a busload of hot babes getting stranded right next to us are pretty small. So I guess we would just have to have a huge party with the lizards.
What about a mirage about megababes, that the rum would magnify in your mind?
A: Ahh, that’s brilliant! Because often your imagination is all you need.
Let’s get philosophical for a while. What is the deepest essence of heavy music?
T: Jeezh, that’s tough.
A: In my mind it is the sense of unity that the players and the crowd experience together. Any other kind of music just can’t reach the same kind of an intimate relationship.
T: Indeed. Metal has the fine side that even when it is brutal, it is also beautiful. It has got such a wide array of emotions involved.
A: For example, in the kind of music that mainly features rapid-fire stuttering speech, it seems to be awfully hard to bring forth any emotions. You just get really pissed off and then you have to run off to shoot people.
A: In my mind it is the sense of unity that the players and the crowd experience together. Any other kind of music just can’t reach the same kind of an intimate relationship.
T: Indeed. Metal has the fine side that even when it is brutal, it is also beautiful. It has got such a wide array of emotions involved.
A: For example, in the kind of music that mainly features rapid-fire stuttering speech, it seems to be awfully hard to bring forth any emotions. You just get really pissed off and then you have to run off to shoot people.
This seems like an excellent place to present closing arguments. If you would like to say hello or challenge someone to a duel, please do so now.
A: I would like to ask some hellos from Mr. Vänni of Insomnium.
T: I would simply like to send greetings to every reader and metalhead!
T: I would simply like to send greetings to every reader and metalhead!
Metalreviews thanks you, Noumena. Keep the metal soaring and stay steely!
T: Thank you!
A: Thanks very much!
A: Thanks very much!
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