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.