Ulver : 'the Red Light"

 Rygg is back on the tip of the smooth groove, making music that comes close to the 80s homage synth-wave bands are making these guys. But with a dusky winter haze cast as he coasts down the beachside highway of life, these songs are cruising. Lyrically things are getting darker and more dystopian. He has been watching the news. "Locusts" drifts like a Tears For Fears b-side. Enough hook to keep you invested.  After an instrumental interlude, he fires back with "Hollywood Babylon' which has more of a disco feel. Lyrically it mockingly announces "Not Fuck With America".  It packs the most groove into a song thus far. 

"Forgive Us" falls back into a more Tears For Fears-influenced soulful pop ballad. This is followed by another one of the atmospheric pieces. These sound nice enough, but I am not going to count them for the purpose of this review.  "A City in the Skies" bounces with an 80s-like cadence, not as pronounced as perhaps some of the previous songs. Lyrically it upholds the bleak stage that was already set by the other songs. The elephant in the room might be the total lack of any heavier elements, and how this project might as well change its name, I get that but he has already covered such a wide range that if you are hanging on as a fan, then you have accepted this fact. 

There are two takes on "Ghost Entry" the first being the kind of chilled synth wave with the neon colored 80s groove. The second take finds robotic effects on the vocals and it is less of a song more of an outro, but there is enough going on to count it as a song for the purpose of this review. I will give this one a 9.5, as the parts that did not grab me on the first couple of listens will grow on me and they are great at what they do.

November is Doom -Toadliquor : "Back In Hole"

 This band that first brought their sonic anguish to ears in the 90s is back. They are doing what they do with raw emotion, and sonic fury that will make you a believer. I always say sludge is what happens when punks try to play doom, and this band proves that statement true again. The vocals howl against this with convincing misery, making no attempt at any kind of melody, just expelling their mental illness on your ears. While this is effective for the first song, how will this fare for the entire album? If the answer to this question hangs on the second song, then things are uncertain as it moves with a similar stomp. There is a little more rock nuance to the guitars but the vocals howl similarly. Then things break down midway into the sound and electronic accents bubble to life, making the atmosphere more interesting. This shows they are aware that plowing the same field will not suffice. 

They are already making more effort than Thou did on their most recent album. By the time we get to "Entry Level Position" I have accepted this is as good as it is going to get when it comes to the vocals. Which were powerfully emotive when you first hear them, but then when they fail to shift from that are something you tune into the background. They move in a doomier direction, which in the big picture is a sideways move from where they were.  "In Gold" is the first song where they switch it up, though the vocals stay the same. The riff is very Sabbath but it works.  "Basement" is a slow-motion chaos that never connects as a song. But that might have been what they were going for.

"Open Trough Funeral"  is carried by a more definite riff than some of the songs. The chug keeps it anchored as the vocals howl in the same manner they have been. The last song is sonically one of the best, but it really does not kick in until way half through the swathe of ambiance that consumed half the song. I'll give this album an 8.5, if you are a fan of this band then you might round it up a half a point as you know what to expect from the vocals and already have a tolerance for them.Only makes sense that this would be released on Southern Lord. /p>

pst557

November is Doom -Fire Ritual : "Apocalypse"

 

I normally avoid Black Sabbath worship, but it is a contrast to the Euro-doom I have been reviewing for the past couple of days, though the opening track of this album is really the only saving grace for them the piercing vocals. If not for them they would sound just like Sabbath, In some ways perhaps he is trying to emulate young Ozzy, but that is not how it is executed. It takes the influence and is run through the filter of who he is. The guitarist also does not solo like Iommi, so that is another thin saving grace. The second song finds them showing more of their true selves. The shuffling riff is more Sabbath, but the guitar embellishments and vocals are not. 

The vocals are really well produced, and their singer makes the most of the pipes he has. This aids in his delivery on "Sword of Vengence" which has a more "Children of the Grave" feel, the vocals are the chorus are hooky and stand out, almost more like solo Ozzy than something he would have done during the Sabbath years. "the Ring" finds them delving into Tolkien, the vocals sticking to the more robotic delivery. The guitar solo is more shreddy than Iommi worship would be, We are back to a more "Children of the Grave" style gallop for "Bought and Sold"  Lyrically it is the best song, as it is about the Pandemic, and strays from the accepted narrative to say somethings that need to be said. 

They continue down a more political path with "Number 46" which is about Joe Biden I would assume since he is the 46th president. But to their credit are getting to hear more of who they are as this song has more of a stoner rock feel to it.  "I Am Death' has a more "Into the Void " chug to it, but the accents break it up a little. Then there is a "Lord of This World" feel to "Queen of Darkness". Perhaps a teenager who does not know shit about shit is going to be fooled by, but I have listened to a shit ton of Black Sabbath over the years so not a person who is not going to hear this. 

Where I have to draw the line with these guys is when they steal from "After Forever" and try to play it off as an original when it comes to the melody of 'Evil Woman" showing even less creativity since that is the title of another Black Sabbath song. Then they cover "National Acrobat" which makes me feel they are a Sabbath cover band at some point. Granted they are going to do a spot-on job of it as it is what they do, this guy does not have the soulful quality to his voice that Ozzy does so he is singing the notes not fully feeling them I gotta round this down to an 8, due to the lack of originality, though when they show who they really are I enjoyed those moments, hopefully they will grow into their own band. 

psy556

November is Doom- Borer : "Bag Seeker"

 This New Zealand band is a grimy sludge monster that begs for drugs in the sewers. It is the most logical conclusion you can draw from the choked rasp of the vocals. The title track that opens their debut album carries a decent groove to it, that feels swampy for New Zealand. Drugs are the major theme of this album. With samples of Ozzy's interview from The Decline of the Western Civilization part two being sampled for the burly stomp of the opening track. "Ket Witch" is an ode to ketamine, with the atmosphere creating a dissociative mood that emulates the drug's effectiveness. 

Not what you might expect after the first song, as it carries a more post-rock texture. This kind of spaced-out playing allows you to hear the nuance their guitars are capable of summoning when called to do so. This also provides the needed calm before the storm to lull you into a false sense of security that makes the bang of heaviness carry more weight when it crashes down on your ears. They lash back out in a more pummelling fashion with a renewed nastiness to the mean-spirited "Wretched". They slow to more of a doomish lumber, but there are varied tempos and dynamics involved as well.  I was surprised by how melodic and tasteful the guitar solo was, but you can chalk that up to Iommi's influence. 

The spewed vocals are something I have gotten used to by this point in the album. In many ways, these guys occupy a similar sonic space as Fistula. The last song is the 21-minute "Lord of the Hanged". At the five-minute mark, they wander off into a jam, I appreciate this, but why not split this song up into four songs since it's the length of four songs. The vocals can not be understood, so it's not like it is going to disrupt the lyrical narrative. There are several points when they allow the feedback to ring out that should have marked the end of the song. The guitar solos are great and embody what I like about great playing, but do they need to sprawl on for the length of what could have been another song. They could stand to stream line some things and the vocals are an acquired taste at times, but I will give this album a 9.

pst555

November is Doom - Counting Hours : "the Wishing Tomb"

 This Finnish band is made up of former members of Shape of Despair, primarily their guitarist. Not as bound to their sorrows as Shape of Despair, but they do keep things interesting, Dark, and moody but they know when to give it a more 90s Euro death metal flare. Less progressive than Opeth, but similar vibe in the vocal trade-off. If we are thinking "Ghost Reveries" era. There is a hopeful feeling to the vocal that wrestles against some of the more melancholic hints in the guitars. "Away I Flow" has a sweeping moment to the riff. The vocals snarl to life, and double bass falls in behind it, establishing the tone. The sung vocals however dominate the verses. The trade-off is not the predictable good cop / bad cop vocal formula. 

The drummer certainly wants to push this in a more metallic direction, before  "All that Blooms " takes a turn to a more doom-ridden direction. Growled vocals tend to form the narrative here. This album sounds great, these guys are all pros so that should not be surprising. While there is a more romantic sense of mourning to the song, it does not have the drive of the previous song letting it drift. "Starlit/ Lifeless" has more of the drive the first two songs set our expectations for. This one works better with the vocal melodies. The guitars are well-layered with more nuance chords ringing out. By the time I get to the title track, I can hear what the trend seems to be with this doom-oriented music coming out of Europe as this album is not unlike Swallow the Sun or the Aiwaz, album I just reviewed. Here there is more willingness to kick into double bass, and let the snarled vocals at so heading to the heavier end of the sub-genre spectrum. The vocals continue to switch over into sung passages.

I prefer singing to growling, but do not think it has to be the kinder gentler way. "No Closure' tried the other approach of having screamed vocals over more relaxed guitar melodies to remind you they are playing metal. :A Mercy Fall" is a more uptempo take on a similar concept with the sung vocals gliding over the double bass that sits back further in the mix. This feels very late 90s. "Well of Failures" ends the album with a marginally doomier tone. I think some of these brighter more produced guitar tones throw some of the mood off for me. I will give this a 9, as it falls in line for melodic doom-leaning metal. If you miss Early Opeth this might scratch that itch.Not as heavy as Shape of Despair but I do not see thir fans shunning this either.  

pst554

November is Doom - The Gates of Slumber : "S/T"

 

I am not sure why I have never spent much time with this band, given the fact I love doom so much. They have kept this doom machine in motion since 97, so these guys know what they are doing. If you took the despair of Wino-era St Vitus and gave it Crowbar's guitar heft the results might be similar to what is being thrown down on this album. The vocals have purpose and care about writing songs, which 2024 puts them ahead of the pack. The vocals are given ample love  They plod into more despair for "We Are Perdition" which works better as a song for me than "Full Moon Fever", not that "Full Moon Fever" is a bad song, it just falls more alone predictable doom cliches and does not play to the band's strength's as much as the previous song which wallows in the misery in the best way possible. 

"At Dawn' finds the pace pick up into a grooving chug that works well. It proves you can capture the feel of doom, without always being at a snail's pace. The dark mood is not detoured by the more classic metal feel of the guitar riffing, even when it wanders off into a guitar solo. Lyrically it works well, the vocals are emoted in a manner that creates the needed hooks. The plodding creep of the guitar that leads into "the Fog" falls under what you expect from doom. There are hints of Sabbath in the drumming, but nothing really overt in the vocals or guitar, aside from it being doom. Once the song finds its groove it works well enough but we have heard stronger moments already on this album. Maybe it works better live? There is a pretty decent guitar solo on this one if you are into that sort of thing. 

They close out the album with "The Plague". The vocals have a more soulful Wino-like plea to them. It moves at a funeral march. Things are as downtrodden as you might hope for when it comes to this. Three minutes into this one it builds up, as the drums stir things up.  This drummer is the VIP of this album as he is working overtime to hold this together and keep the dynamics coming.   Overall the strong songs balance the less inspired moments, which never suck they just fall in line too closely into the color-by-numbers doom, by two of the six songs do this, so I will still give this one an 8.5, as the excellent moments are strong enough to compensate for this. 

pst553

November is Doom : Witnesses : "Joy"

This project has been one of my favorite doom bands since they released "Doom II". Looks like there have been a few albums I have missed throughout their career that I need to catch up on.  I prefer it when Kody Ternes is singing. But things change, he is not on this album Simon Bibby from Seventh Angel is handling the vocals this time around, and I appreciate that while he is more of a metal singer than Ternes, he does make melodic choices that think outside of the power metal box, some doom singers lean toward. Not as dark as some of their previous work the album deals more with self -actualization. There is a highly emotive nature they invoke with the atmosphere. It is one of Greg Schwan's strengths as a songwriter. Things are very dynamic, with the vocals soaring above it all. 

The second song finds it starting off in a balladic manner. When it kicks in the groove makes me think of Katatonia. The drums are more aggressive than they were in the first song.  Some stunning songwriting choices are made, that allow the vuly's voice to shine. "Beyond the Sound of My Voice" is even heavier thanks to the thunderous drummer. The production choices create a rawer version of their sound, whereas the previous album was more spacious to create a darker ambiance. Here everything is very up in your face and warmly intimate. The guitar interlude works for what it is, feels more like the intro to "The Endings". Speaking of that song it touches on a more mournful sound. Biddy has a unique voice in how he uses his lower register. The way he croons from it in this song is very effective. He even goes into an almost Sisters of Mercy-like baritone by the end of the song. 

The last song "Safety in me" has a more progressive feel. When it finds its groove it is more mid-tempo. Most of this album is not as despondent as what at least I think of when it comes to doom, so they are true to the genre without having their hands tied by it. The female vocals added at the end are an interesting touch to give a different sonic color. Overall this album works really well I will round it up to a 10, as I think despite not being as dark or a tone as "Doom II " which is the album I am always going to weigh their putout against, this is the album they intended to make, so they excelled and if I was to hear it without any other context I would be blown away. if you are a doom fan who enjoys melody then this album is a must.  

pst552