November Doom - Hippie Death Cult : "111"

The key selling point of this band to me is their singer,This guy is fucking outstanding as  he encompasses a great deal of dynamic range while retaining a bluesy sound. Phil in Down could be a fair comparison, though this guys can back off into a smoother rock sound. Not saying that Phil can not do that, this is just not as a overtly metal sound having more in common with Thin Lizzy though with more colors to his voice.  The first song is more Sabbath like with "Unborn' going off into Deep Purple tinged prog. They go off more into jams here. "Pigs" is more of a boogie. Yes, Sabbath has moments like these and those are not doom either.  It is not until the middle of the song the singer gets to use something other than a whiskey tinged blues belt.

"Treehugger" is more melodic and give him room to open up and sing again. There are the Sabbath like riffs as well , so they can do this without turning their backs on their heavier side. The bass cuts through on this one and is Geezer influenced in that is remains melodic without following the guitar parts. The vocals have a call and response dynamic with themselves. The singer also lets out some harsher Pantera like screams . The last song things get much more Sabbath like, leaning into the heavier side. The melodic section three minutes in reminds me of how Sabbath uses a similar dynamic on songs like "Fairies Wear Boots'.  The vocals are not allowed as much singing room, but do keep from falling until just a straightforward belting. They guitar also has more of a a metallic attack, reminding more of Sabbath's "Born Again" album than the Ozzy years. The Pantera screaming becomes a thing again as the song builds.

The last song and perhaps the second song are the only two that fall under more conventional realms. There plenty of things like guitar solos to keep most metal heads happy. There is more proto metal to the riffing, the singer is what really sets these guys apart . Sure there is a little Ian Gillan to his voice at times, but that is better than another half ass Ozzy imitator.This album is a solid 9. Will be searching for a down load of it for sure.

November Doom - Slow : " Vi Dantalion"

When I first started reviewing this album I had vowed that this along with  Profetus would be the will be the only crushing funeral doom album I cover with this kind of gurgle vocal, where the dense slabs of dark guitar seek to bury you rather than really write a formal song.  There have been others . Some better than others. It is a case of a sound being more prevalent than the writing of songs  that  that could work in small doses.  I say this about many extremely heavy band, you might wow me with the first song off the sheer heaviness of what you are doing but after that I am going to ask, "But can  You write a song?" The main shift is in the passing dynamics that are allowed to soar into a grandiose place with a huge sound. This band from Belgium is great at big sounds.

By the time we get to the 3rd song everything is sounding the same to me. The vocals sound like they are being scraped from the back of his throat. Going into the 4th song after taking a break from this album, I am returning with fresher ears. The piano part does break it up, Much like the Mesmur album I also reviewed today, when they do these kinds of break downs I think this would be better served as the intro to a new song. Granted this does bring the contrast to make it feel like the punch back in is heavier. The first powerful riff that resonates with me is the march of "Lacune". It does pick up the pace, but I think that is the change this album needed as it does not sacrifice any of the ominous mood.

"Incendiarie" goes to some beautiful places that pulls them from the standard crushing drone. It almost reminds me more of symphonic death metal. The last 'song" is a symphonic ambient outro. It has some great moments and it's a band I wish they were more song focused and less into the sound. It sounds great but falls into the pit fall of the genre . If you however are really into atmospheric funeral doom you might dig it.

November Doom -Mesmur : 'Terrene"

I like the angular edge this disjointed and dissonant guitar sound invoke in the first. The vocals are the kind of gurgle you expect.  This is the band's third album. The first two flew under the radar. I am beginning to see a trend in this genre where the drums are mixed low and now given enough balls. Otherwise the production is great. At the ten minute mark this could have just been another song rather than forcing this one to be 16 minutes, it is not like it really adhere to the song 's theme aside from slow and heavy once coming out of the melodic break. I am all for dynamics as long as they are smooth and natural.

At 11 minutes "Babylon" is more conservative in it's sprawl. It is maybe a few bpms more up tempo, but only a handful if that. There is a flute in the layers of guitar. The growls do have a form and function and are not relying on the guitars to survive. The problem occurs at "Eschaton" which in it's own right is a decent song with some interesting sections and a cool melodic part at the 9 minute mark, however as a whole this album becomes a atmospheric lull that drones together . It was not until I was at said cool melodic part 9 minutes in that I looked up from my computer so see we were at a new song. When I went back and listened to it again I heard that this is one of the album's strongest songs. Ok of the four.

The last sogn is more like the first in the angular guitar riffs that do not connect but still managed the odd flow. I think stronger drum mix would benefit moments like these. When the more straight forward doo metal guitar lumbers up from it's pit to take over the sogn pretty much finds them falling in line with all the other funeral doom I have heard over the years that keeps the unhappy medium and follow the herd rather than the greats like Lycus or Evoken who reach for something grander. I will give this one 8. This is better than most.  A solid effort that will please fans of the genre. This places these guys on the second tier and not on the same footing as the Esoterics or Mournful Congregations of the world.
 

November Doom - Adversvm : "Dysangelion"

This German band takes an interesting route with funeral doom. The fact that these guys might not create the most mournfully melancholy music is counter balanced by them being  dark as fuck. More dissonance than most funeral doom. There is something ugly beneath the surface of their sound. The vocals are largely in a low guttural growl with the some whispered moments. I like the fact they can still allow the song to move and do not have to creep along . The guitars are not as refined, in fact their is something a little rough around the edges. Te drums might have the rawest sound .Some of the guitar layers are more refined. They are more focused on songs than a sound, aside from capturing the sound of the genre as a whole.

There more spoken vocals on "Fire Tongues Sermon" . The guitar solos are a mixed bag .There are some zany Slayer like moments in them. There is an interesting atmosphere to both their sound and songs. Sound as in how they perform it , and songs as in how they use what they perform. I do like their sue of guitar solos. Sometimes it feels like the double bass might be more of a default.  The longest song is the 11 minute "Paradigms Beneath the Malefactor". Which for funeral doom, is a pretty respectable length. There is one almost four minute interlude that sound effects and whispering. The drums could stand to come up way further in the mix on " On the Eucharist it Shines" . The more croaked vocals become more of a thing. The song after this seemed like an extension of this one until maybe mid way into it. It does have one of the better guitar solos for what that is worth .

Does this album sometimes slip into a sound and the songs become hard to tell apart, yes though thi is the exception to the rule . There are many reoccurring themes sonically, double bass and whispered vocals being two of the most frequent offenders. Could this album have used some more love in the mix? Yes But what sets this album apart from many of the other extreme metal release I come across on any given day , is how the guitars are layered and how it breaks the rules when it comes to funeral doom and it works rather than just playing it safe, for that reason I will give this album an 8.5 , just released on Moribund Records.

November Doom - Julinko - "Nektar"

This is doom in the same way Chelsea Wolfe touches on it, but even more so and even more depressing. At first I thought this was going to be another person jumping on the Chelsea Wolfe band wagon. There are similarities  after all , it is a woman playing dark heavy music with depressive overtones.  A more doomy version of King Woman might be a more fair comparison. She does go into her head register more so I suppose the ghostly way in which she does this is more like Chelsea.The intent of her much in the dynamic swells seem to be more sonically doom oriented, The production is less dense than say "Abyss". When it gathers steam I can also hear PJ Harvey intentions. Her voice wavers more almost like the singer of Gold. Not intentional hooks in the song writing approach, but more drive than what I would consider drone.

It does get into some  drone . The song 'the Hunt" falls into such. The distorted guitars clunk heavier on the song after wards, but experimentation begins to over shadow songwriting. We get more into sounds. It breaks down to fragile folk, though in Italian everything takes on a more classical feel. It is also the most Chelsea moment so far. "Death and Orpheus" picks up the pace. It would be interesting , but it is another moment that almost sounds too much like Chelsea Wolfe for me. the Guitar sets apart as beign more post- rock. It is more sonic yet minimal. I find myself starting to listen for the moments that do not sound like her or attempt to as those would be more unique. There is more of a pound to "the woods the wheel" . It has more of it's own sound, she is singing in a more ghostly manner but its pretty much  put in a different context. The guitar is a little more post rock in its approach. It is almost more like Brutus in the heavy way it pounds.

Things get more atmospheric for the title track that closes out the album. Midway into the song it takes a darker turn in the plodding beat. The album Jarboe did with Neurosis is a fair place of reference to this album.  I will give this album an 8.5. I like it for what it is , I am not sure how many repeat listens I will get out of it despite noticing that it does seem to grow on me with each listen. Think just off  the influences I listed you can decide if this is something for you. Not the most original , but heading in the right direction,. /

November Doom - Worm : " Gloom Lord"

This album does not come out until next year so this is the shap of doom to come. Production and equipment are never my main concern as they do not write songs. I have complained this years about bands that have sounds but not songs. I think the reverse can be true you can have songs but if you do not have the sound it can be also problematic when it comes to getting the point across. This band has a very thin guitar sound. It might worh for some music , but doom needs to be dense. This band does still have some things going for it. I like how dark they are. I like the creepiness of the part dark parts. I think they will not rise from where they are without spending more time dialing their sound in and getting some old vintage cabs that sound good. It sound like they are in high school running distortion pedsl into a practice amp. Volume is doom's only friend.

By the end of " Rotten Spheres of Sentiment Black" the guitar sound does improve. The vocals sound almost black metal in some place. Typical they are either a Gollum like snarl or a low death metal tone. The drums sound pretty good. The vocals are present in the mix, so why they cut corners on the guitar I am not sure. They are riff machines and look into some pretty cool death metal like chugs. This guys double bass is also on point. Drums are normally where some doom bands get to cut corners because of the tempo they are playing at , but not this guy. The solo on " Apparations of Gloom" make it clear these guys can play their respective instruments. I am not normally one for guitar solos but this one is good.

By the time they get to "Melting into the Necrosphere" the guitar sound fine. Granted on this song they are playing something much closer to death metal than doom. They do return to a more doom oriented sound for the last song. The guitar is creepier like it was earlier in the album. At 11 minutes it's the longest song on the album. There is a great deal of death metal stomp to this one, but it is balanced out with moments of atmosphere. Due to the production of some of this album I will round it down to a 8.5, but it's pretty impressive for a duo.

November Doom- Ecstatic Vision :" For the Masses"

Doom is a color these guys trade in, the other genres they encompass are all next door neighbors to doom, stoner rock & psychedelic so they belong here. They remind me of Monster Magnet more often then not. A little warmer and  more organic sound than Monster Magnet but in the same sonic sphere. They boogie and groove along, often making me wish I did not quit smoking pot as they would sound great high.. "Like a Freak" is pretty straight up rock n roll and too much of a Camaro party to make me want to give it a ton of replays. The vocals are pretty manic, they come forward in the mix where on the previous song they were buried further in the mix.

The title track is mainly trippy noise . It is not until "the Magic Touch" that they actually get back in the business of songs. I appreciate the darker hypnotic atmosphere the song works off of. The slinking bass gives it a slithering groove befitting of the mood This is a common theme of the album for the bass to really set the bass. The bass player must be the main songwriter as it feels like all of the songs are written around the bass line. This is not a complaint as I am more of a bass player than guitarist myself . In fact I think it is the bass and drums that actually makes music heavy and it's the guitars and vocals that make it metal. This also is reason that these guys might not meet the hard and fast definition of metal as the vocals are not aggressive and the guitar is warm and retro owing more to perhaps garage rock than Black Sabbath. On this song it proves this point as the vocals are  lower and ore Tom Waits like it their ranting rasp.

A fuzzed out bass propels the seven minute "Grasping the Void" . The guitar holds a static riff to bring the tension to more of a boil. The vocals take on the throaty sneer that really makes me think of Monster Magnet. I like it's ballsy attitude that adds some heft to some of the other whacked out hippie vibes they have going.I will give this album a 9. As far as the actual songs go the only one that did not fully click with me is the one that is also the most garage rock, so it might just be a matter of personal taste with that one, but for the most part me and this band are on the same page. This was released on Relapse Records.

November Doom - "Bask :"III"

These guys are on the fringe of a doom. I would say it is certainly their influence when it comes to t heavier side of what they do, but they have matured beyond it. This album has enough of that to appeal to fans of the genre.   This North Carolina band merges prog with their brand of stoner rock, with a great deal of moody melody. It's two minutes in before the heavier side starts to show. When they fully commit the results are powerful as the big riffs counter balance the soulful vocals. The second song is not as good at keeping this melodic balance with heaviness. It might be a case of me letting this grow on me. They are skilled musicians. The singer add a marginal amount of aggression to his voice , at his angriest he is on part with say Dave Grohl. Even with their plaintive quality, the vocals help set this band aprt from their peers. That is if they have any peers since they pull from so many different places there are not any bands I can think of off the top of my head doing this.

They do not have to be focused on heavy as there is a more math rock, indie rock feel to "Stone Eyed" it just works because it is a good song. It might seem that I c an get invested in a band staying within the bounds of certain genres, but at the end of the day it comes down to good song writing. They do get heavier on "Stone Eyed" midway into the song. They do this in a way that escapes becoming a formula. The pace gets more frantic and rock n roll. The more rambling country influence leads into  "Ride of You". The guitar is very wandering. There are some great tones on this album. The heavier side is more subtle here , but can be felt.  The drummer really starts showing off as the song builds. "Nobles Daughter' is a two part song. The second better than the more twangy first part which is still pretty solid it is just not as good, and the vocals feel more focused on the second part. There is also a heavier dynamic underlying the second part.

On the last song they pull out banjos and the country thing that was hiding in the corner of their sound some closer to center stage. They are not going full on Amigo the Devil or Devil Makes Three here as they are still maintaining their identity. I will give this album a 9.5, it is not the darkest or heaviest album you will here and doom is a color used but not the full spectrum, I am including it in November Doom as much like say Chelsea Wolfe it will appeal to fans of the genre.   Out on Season of Mist.

November Doom- Spiral Guru : " Void"

All the chick dig doom. Yet another female fronted band that falls somewhere with in the bounds of the genre. This band from Brazil is more focused on getting groovy. The formula in play here is pretty obvious . It goes as follows.  We break down into a palm muted groove for the verses when she sings. We throw in some hints of  our Sabbath influences, but do not go public with them until it's time to build back up. Maybe on the second song we might start jamming. Her voice is what keeps these guys from leaning too far into a Sabbath direction. In fact it gives them a more  rock n roll feel as a general rule . I am also not going out on a limb to guess they smoke a shit ton of weed. "Oracle" has more of a Blue Oyster Cult thing going on than Sabbath. It's more up tempo and straight up rock n roll. The jam around on "Mindfulness" . Some of the fat could have been trimmed to make more time for some of the riffs they have going.

There is more straight ahead rock to "Virtual Horizon" . Things begin to get more psychedelic once we get to "Empty Space". For these guys that also happens to mean darker. But this is more of an interlude than a song. They get back to more of the brooding tension with "Time Traveler. There bassist realy steps up to the plate on this one. "the Showcase of Dreams" starts off in a slower darker  and more blues based place, not unlike the first Black Sabbath album. The vocals are given room to wander , but stay pretty close to home.The last song has more of a stomp to it, but it offers no real surprises and holds the status quo for the genre.

These guys are really good at what they do. I think the hookiest and most infectious songs were at the beginning of the record and they slowly become more jammy as the album progresses. Even their filler is still pretty solid. There were no songs that I wanted to just skip past. I will give this album an 8.5 




5.4

November Doom - the Lone Madman : "Let the Night Come"

You can never trust other blogs. I guess that is why you read my stuff in the first place.  I heard great things about this one. Even their own press is misleading. This is just traditional heavy metal with a great deal of respect for Black Sabbath.This is the second doom band  from Finland I have reviewed today. In this case I use doom more loosely The vocals are plaintive and sound like Uriah Heap if they were bored and left  the keyboards at home. It is a little more on the proto metal side and dealing in retro sounds.  By the second song 'the DownFall" I am already getting bored. The bland vocals are the worst offender in this regard.All the tired metal tropes are paraded about here and turned up 11. If Spinal Tap had been a serious band they might have sounded like this.

"Haxan" is heavier. The guitar take on a more sludged rumble. The vocals go into a throaty bark. This compensates for a great deal. The vocals sound more like James Hetfield singing power metal when they come back in. There is a darker more solemn sense of melody to the last song "House of Mourning". This fall within the boundaries of doom. It is also more interesting than the previous songs.  The song drops down into an acoustic guitar before predictably building back up. The they jam out into heavy metal glory, like all the other heavy metal songs that seek glory in the same manner. `

The album does get better as it goes along. the album does get better as it progresses and more aggressive vocals surface. This is normally opposite how I feel as I prefer singing to growling or screaming, in this case the more throaty vocals work better. I will give this a 7.5. The album sound good, it is just the vocal preferences nag at me, but if you like traditional heavy metal and Candlemass is too dark and dramatic for you then you might like these guys.
 

November Doom- Profetus : 'the Sadness of Time Passing"

This Finnish band has always been one of the heaviest funeral doom bands. This time there is way more funeral as  the keyboards open the album " The production dialed in a  warmer more organic guitar sound I can tell I am going to like this new Profetus better than the Slow album I had to give a rest as it was putting me asleep as I was trying to write. While less riffy than Loss' newer work, they work off delicate guitar melodies  that haunt you. The vocals are similar as they are a low rasp, but not as low of a gurgle. Without sitting down to listen to this it can sound like these songs are running together and everything sounds the same. It took a second listen to this album before they really stood out. The second song the vocals are spoken in a low voice and there is lots of monks chanting, so sounds like an evil church.

The 3rd song finds the organ more prominent in the mix and the guitars playing subtle melodies. I think the bigger organic drum sound helps set them apart."Northern Crown' finds us back in the creepy church again.  It is just spoke word and pipe organ. Six minutes in a ghostly choir like vocals leads us to when the metal crashes back down. The last song begins just as "Northern Crown" before it. Tine does pass when this song plays , but I think the Sadness of the creepy church would have  been more truth in advertising. There are more grandiose swell than sorrowful mourning. The drums pick up a little as the song progresses. Far from being death metal of anything of the sort, though I can appreciate an adherence to doom.

"Tiamia" might have taken them in a more metallic motion, but all in all these songs do not shift much for the model of what this band does  They are good at what they do. What they do makes me appreciate bands like Evoken , Esoteric & even Mournful Congregation who write songs that stand on different legs rather than being one frequency. The frequency on this album does find the band progressing and growing. I enjoyed listening to this album , but I am unsure how much I would return to this records outside of what I have already heard. A good records is separated from the  great records as it does not emphatically meet the question of would like to listen to this again or do I need to listen to this again with a excited need. I will round it down to an 8.   

November Doom- Opium Lord : "Vore"

The Brits are busting out a lot of doom these days. There are moments of post rock angular ambiance set against more hard core like screaming. At times they are like Eyehategood with more doom. "Lead Magnet' is one such moment. The production might not be the greatest, but I appreciate how they still manage to layer the guitar sounds,. The are pretty skill with these dissonant riffs you can still nod your head to,. The guitar tone is dirty and sludgey, but some of the more monolithic riffs have a doom like darkness to their oppressive heaviness, "Centurion" finds the band capable of pulling one one riff more crushing than the next at every turn. Though it also seems like these guys were in hard core bands before they started doing this as the drumming has touches of Fugazi to it.

"Suture' is darker , heavier and closer to doom, but I like the previous song better. Not that there is any thing wrong with "Suture" it just plays it safe and stick to it's brand of heaviness. "Sherwood is Connector' sticks to a similar game plan though it might go in more doomy places. By the time we get to "Columbia" it feels like the band is leaning more into the Eyehategod direction. There is variation with a guest vocal. There moment of creeping tension are darker and more interesting. When they just focus on angry and heavy they lose some of the elements that make them who they are.

There is more of a sludge vibe to "the Gift" . The general mood is more punk in tone so they fall more in the sludge direction. The doom comes only at their darkest. This one ends getting heavy as fuck. The vocals are generally monotonous. I will give this album an 8. I think they do bring new ideas to the table and with a little more love in the studio and attention to detail in the song writing depart their next step could be exciting.

November Doom- Esoteric ; "A Pyrrhic Existence"

I love Esoteric. "Paragon of Dissonance" is one of my favorite albums. But I will only listen to a 30 minute song once no matter how good it is. That is how they open their new album. They are still funeral doom. It's three and a half minutes in until the vocals come in. Understandable as there are still 27 minutes left in the song. The vocals are lower and more inhuman this time around with weird effect on them to show case this fact. The vocals do shift into higher tormented screams. Eight and a half minutes in the ambiance gets really weird and spacey. This song is as long as Slayer's entire "Reign in Blood" album. Granted that one is thrash so moving at more of a punk speed while this one really lingers through the movements. At this length you have to think of it more along the lines of symphonic work. Midway into the song the pace picks up to more of a furious pounding. Yes the heavy guitar is there, but everything is bathed in far more atmosphere. The song could have ended at the 16 minute as it breaks down into swirling ambiance. There is the hesitant introduction of cleaner guitar being strummed. They tease you with a crashes of violence before committing to fully attacking you again. This is paid off at the 19 minute mark. It's quiet beautiful, but unless I am just leaving this album on I doubt this is a song I am going to cue up even to hear it's most memorable pasts. The last three minutes of this song is sound effects that could have been trimmed altogether .

This is follow by the almost sixteen minute sprawl that is "Rotting in Dereliction" though compared to the opener this is a pop song. It does have a nastier murkiness to it. Four minutes in things get interesting and build more drive.Some much so that it gather enough steam to muster a head banging groove for a few measures. Two minutes later it erupts into blast beats and guitar solos. They deserve credit for knowing how to pull of doom without vomiting up a bunch of tired Sabbath riffs. The song floats in a drone away from me becoming more of a background pulse. There is a four minute synth interlude and then they come back with " Consuming Lies". The delayed guitar sound is chilling. The staccato riff , finds an awesome groove even the vocals lock into that might be the album's finest moment.  This progress int of a solid chug. Around he 9 minute mark this drift of into a more progressive place with jazz under pining, particularly when it comes to the drumming here.  "Culmination" has a nasty snarl. At 18 minutes it still holds your attention. Progressive elements return midway into this song. At the 11 minute mark there is a swathe of white noise as the drums hold the tension. Double bass breaks this up. It's clear these guys are like the Meshuggah of doom.

The album closes with "Sick and Tired" .  More of their forward thinking guitar playing is shone upon. It is more like Pink Floyd than Black Sabbath.. It is perhaps one of the album's most melodic moments . The low growl of the vocals offset this, though it still has a soaring transcendent feel. At the five minute mark I am wondering how they are going to maintain this kind of sonic intensity as the vocals lash out into more of a scream. They don't instead they shift gears and lower themselves back into the dismal murk . This is a great album though there is fat that could have been trimmed from a song writing perspective, so I am giving this one a 9. This album is being released on Season of Mist.

the November Doom of November's Doom : "Nephilim Grove'

This ironically is going to be the only death doom band I cover this month, well because of their name. This is the same line up that has been enact for the past  9 years.  The first song finds the  clean vocals are more prominent, even the rougher ones are in a throaty sung growl rather than total cookie monster. The cookie monster vocals are not far behind as they kick in for the second song. There are melancholic shades, but the first two songs are more uptempo and rooted closer to death . It is not until title track that things darken into a more morose direction. Then it is doom in the same way Katatonia roughly is. The sung vocals remind me more of how Enslaved uses sung vocals. They are not soulful but more of a crooned despondency.

I do like the mellower shades of gray the work in on " What We Become", this finds all of their more typical tropes working with flowing precision.  They hit the chords with authority and the melody fits perfectly. I need more of this and less meandering. It is this part of the album where we here their more traditional doom sound. The growls return on "Adagio" . The chorus to this song works as it is heart felt. In these moments they remind me of My Dying Bride" .  "Black Light' finds them returning to more of a eath metal feel, but the morose vocals still linger. They return to the melodic gloom that beats their death metal on " the Clearing Blind". It has both groove and melody.  "Still Wrath" is pretty heavy and look more towards their death metal direction. As a song it is pretty straight forward.

The drumming on this album is excellent. I also the reason they go in more of a death metal direction at time, if it was less bombastic and more plodding this album would have more of a doom sound. This can also be heard in "the Obelus " .  Which is another uptempo song with more of a  death metal feel. I will give this a 9 as there are some where catchy songs that grow on you, even though this is almost  too well produced in terms of guitar tones for my taste.

November Doom - Year of the Cobra : "Ash and Dust"

There are few things that are surprising about this duo. The first being that they are a duo and this is fuzzed out bass not guitar.  The second is how I was so  shocked by the almost sugary pop like vocals that come in against the very dense and heavy fuzz. In fact she could sound just like Katy Perry and I would prefer it to another second rate Ozzy impersonation or tired grunting.  It stands to reason due to the approach to the vocals that they are influenced by Jucifer. If they had never  heard of Jucifer I would be surprised for a third though Jucifer is not the most well known name as they are not prolific these days. They do not just throw the more pop inflected vocals on you from the get go they gradually get there. On the first song there is a more droning pulse , with the vocals taking on a despondent chant. The music gets heavier on the second song, yet the vocals are harmonized in more pop like fashion. This song has more groove yet keeps the ominous shadow of heaviness.

They break from doom into a more Motorhead like punk with "Ash and Dust" . They are not bad at it , but I prefer their doom. They return to it with the even darker "Demons". Her voice goes lower and gain some grit. "Into the Fray" is where they hit you with the heaviest riff yet, but dial up the pop factor of the vocal melodies. Though it works. The drummer shine more on "At the Edge" the bass is moodier and more melodic as the vocals croon around it. The way the dynamic flow I can hear how this is  bass doing everything, but it's harder to hear when the distortion gets stomped on.I think it plays to their favor as it steers them in a more melodic direction.

Drone and groove are their stock and trade. The loud soft dynamic as seems to be a set part of the formula.  I had to listen to "Dark Swan" a few times for it to sink in. The closing track in despair is more melodic , but the heavier elements that define this due are not in place . This is due to the fact that it is mainly bass and vocals. If this was played on guitar it would be more of a darker folk feel. I will round up to a 9 because, I have gotten a great deal of mileage out of this one and the last song is the only one that doesn't connect with me much. The rest of the album continues to grow on me. 


 

November Doom - the River : "Vessels Into White Tides"

One of the points to doing November doom was to explore other sounds that  being tapped into in the genre. This sometimes means we are going to be at the edge of what is considered doom since that is where growth happens and I would much rather question what the fuck I am listening to than endure a band trying to be Electric Wizard. I  really appreciate this band's sound. Sure much like King Woman the flirt with the line of what doom can be. There is a melancholy to what they do that solidifies them as doom in my mind. The vocals are a timidly sung  by a woman whose voice falls some where between a higher alto and lower soprano. Her approach is very smooth. I can hear shoe gaze influence in what they do as well as slow core bands like Low.

 They go about this  tastefully and keep my interest even on a song like the fifteen minute "Into  White" where the vocals do not come in until the four minute mark. This is a very different kind of doom album, it even goes into some folk moments with the song "Open". It sometimes reminds me of the Gathering. "Passing " starts with almost more of an indie rock feel , when the distortion crunches to life , it has a more Catherine Wheel of Hum type feel. The vocals retain the more mournful feel.  'Tides" has a much more soaring shoe gaze feel, not unlike what many of the post rock bands were doing say 10 years ago. Jenny is playing the string parts that hover under the mix, so an instrumental is not surprising to fine here. They are not solely a doom band but bring a great deal of other influences to the table , when they shift into a heavier dynamic I would say doom is the direction they are leaning.

I will give this album a 9. It is one of those that I can leave on and let play. Granted the most doom
song is the opener and the other songs hint at this , really the only time it is totally abandoned is on the folk song.  I think fans of artists like King Woman and Chelsea Wolfe will find enough common ground here to make it worth their time. Those who are not metal flexible might have a hard time with this one.  This album is being released December 11th on  Nine Records. 

November Doom - Silvertomb :"Edge of Existence"

This is one half of Type O Negative. Kenny Hickey who would always be the higher snarly vocal in songs like "Black No 1" handles the vocals and guitar for this band and John Kelley is on drums. This one is a good example that doom doesn't not have to be slow all the time. There is a grunge feel in places and by that I mean Soundgarden. The doom in their veins is more obvious on the first song. They do not play it as safe as A Pale Horse Called Death. There are a great deal of varying sounds making this up. The only weak spot I can hear in their sound is the lyrics. They seem like if you took the lyrics from "Slow Deep and Hard" and tried to edit them to fit a more mainstream audience. The title alone of "Love Without No Lies" typifies what we are working here. But not unlike some of the lyrical content of "Louder than Love" . There is a great deal of slithering groove simmering over the darker mood.

A Pale Horse Called Death sounds closer to Type O Negative, but I can appreciate Hickey is not trying to really recapture that. "So True" is more of a thrasher. I like the way the vocals glide over it. The a minute and a half into it the song slows into a melodic section. These veterans know the art of employing dynamics in songwriting in a way that is not done like it used to be. This does sound like it could have come straight from the 90s.  The keyboards really give this is texture it needed. "Not Your Savior" is more straight forward and rock n roll. "One Of You" is more ominous and doomy, with some great guitar playing.  Screaming 'suicide over and over seems a little heavy handed , but the rest of the song compensates for this. It is at this point in the album it begins to feel like a concept album.

They stay with a doomy stomp as Hickey wails and screams between forming some actual interesting Melodies "Requiem" has an excellent chorus. The strummed "Waiting" is more grunge thus warranting the Soundgarden comparisons, though it also reminds me of Mindfunk at bit, if you are old enough to know who they are.  I will round this album up to a 9.5, it reminds me of better days.

November Doom

November is not being possessive here so it is not the band. Perhaps a wink in their direction. Black Metal has a month. Goth just had a month. It only makes sense my other favorite sub genre gets a month. November is the coming dark of the winter. Seasonal depression kicks in. You see too much family and want to die. It's the perfect month for doom. Much like the other months mentioned earlier the focus will be on doom, but other reviews will still slip through the cracks as needed. Do not hold your breath for a ton of sludge or stoner rock, though if they are in the same zip code and are dark enough to almost be doom, perhaps I will use them as an example to show what doom is not.

I am also going to steer clear of a ton of Sabbath Worshipers. I might let one through and obviously point out the folly of their ways. Black Sabbath themselves were not a doom band. They birthed riffs that influenced doom, but an album like "Paranoid" is not doom, though I might do a feature on Sabbath's top ten doom songs. Though even as I type that I am unsure if they have ten. Doom does not have to be a endless retro regurgitation of the past. In fact this month I am primarily focusing on bands that are bringing something new to the table. There will be no death doom. I think I have had enough of that for the year and the bulk of those bands are just slow death metal bands and not bringing the kind of darkness I desire.

We are not forsaking the past altogether as I will listen back to classic album and see how they measure up. I will also look at the top 10 doom albums of the decade , as well as the top 10 doom albums of the year. Right not I am listening to an album that comes out in December so by the time the month ends I will be listening to January's albums. I am obviously holding out for the new Esoteric, despite the fact it is going to be a massive double album with 20 minute songs. Let the seasonal depression take us as we dive into November's Doom.