I emerged from the dark halls of my house and entered the only fully lit arena therein: a kitchen with wide, tall windows that welcomed the rising sun. I sat down at a small wooden table where scrambled eggs and toast waited for me on a dull, silver plate. My mother stood at the sink, washing dishes, and exchanged with me a brief “good morning” that I returned as quickly as I vanquished the food prepared for me. No sooner was the last bite entering my innards than I was returning back into the veins of my house…

Anatomy Of Life, from the Finnish melodic death metal group Noumena, is unreal—a gem tucked away into the vastness of chaos. There are heavy riffs, soothing melodies, and best of all, a haunting allure that is indescribable. The combining force of the three different vocalists (guttural, male clean, female clean)—blending and dispersing—is like a hurricane of splendid sound, resounding powerfully and purely into ears of a chosen few. The simple yet stunning guitar work tells relic stories that hang in the boundaries of distant realms, opening the mind to see places never known. Every song speaks its peace, but those metal lovers that fail to listen will never rest in peace.

Become one of the few and pick up this album; it must be listened to. I cannot, literally, speak more highly of a band and its music. I listen to Soilwork, In Flames, Scar Symmetry, Mercenary, Kalmah, Darkane, Dark Tranquility, Opeth, Children of Bodom (and more), and yet this band and this album still blazes above them all, cutting to the top of my metal priorities with uncanny resolve. This album is one of my favorite metal albums (of all genres). Do not take what I say lightly.

The spider coins were laying there upon the moistened soil. I knew they were the true compensation of my underpaid, strenuous toil. They glistened and gleamed with the shine of moonbeams and held a crystal valor. They sung a tuneless song to eyes that met the mind in uncontrollable clamor.

My luck had finally come, I thought to myself with a grin, so I scooped up the coins and soil and celebrated with aged and delightful gin. I placed the coins upon my mantel and watched and watched for their work to persist, and soon the coins did give way to wander and began to multiply in rhapsody and thunder. Before not long, my home was full to the brim with wealth, but with so many coins, I had nowhere to go; I was stuck in the prize of the legions of my dreams and not even a nearby animal could hear the horror of my screams.

The Birthday Massacre, in their debut album, Violet, is the first band I have heard to initiate a sound that I can easily deem as Alice in Wonderland Goth. For me, their sound seems to have come from a darker ’80s in a parallel universe. The ambiance of the music is in a league of its own—completely unique, completely alluring. The electronic melodies are so simple and yet so hauntingly delightful. The mixture of whispering within the singing also helps to set the surreal mood. If you listen to this album, you will know there is something special immediately and that it absolutely should not be overlooked. An appropriate comparison to The Birthday Massacre would be Donnie Darko; just as Donnie Darko is to movies, The Birthday Massacre is to music.

While I only give this album four stars out of five, I do not want to detract from its powerful impact; the fifth star was only lost for me because of production quality and some pitchiness in the singing. I have also already listened to the newer album, Walking With Strangers, which is a complete masterpiece—a progression of quality and exceptionality.