November is Doom - Thou & Emma Ruth Rundle : "May Our Chambers Be Full"

I love Emma Ruth Rundle and have typically been underwhelmed by Thou. Her voice eventually cuts through a minute and a half into the first song. In places where the snarl vocals from Thous come into play sit behind her vocals . I am not sure what the point is . Her voice pretty much makes this and I like hearing it in the context of heavier music. SHe sounds a lot different on " Monolih" which is a well written song and more up tempo than the first song.  "Out of Exsistence" brings out some of Thou's better playing .We have heard them play in a more rock nroll manner on some of the covers they have done in recent years. This is nothing new her voice just brings out the best in them. When the snrled vocals take over they sound like most metal bands these days. Perhaps they are even more rabid here. 

"Magikal Cost" is almost more straight forward metal. Her vocal meloies are steeped in the trad mark intervals making this a good song, perhaps not the album's  best. If Emma Ruth Rundle is going to be involved then it raises the bar for every one.  "Into Being' is more mid tempo likea Hum song , but with her vocals once switching off withthe harsh ones. Her melodies sound more like what she did on "Marked For Death". This album keeps getting compared to 90s alt rock and while there is a grungey tone to the album there are more harsh vocals in the background than were ever present in mainstream music . That did not become a thing until post Korn. 

"The Valley" is the album's best song because it basically sounds more like an Emma Ruth Rundle song and is less encumbered by the trapping of Thou. That is not to say that I did not plike the heavy elements as  I did it is just clear she can open up and sing more here. "The Valley" is the album's best song because it basically sounds more like an Emma Ruth Rundle song and is less encumbered by the trapping of Thou. That is not to say that I did not plike the heavy elements as  I did it is just clear she can open up and sing more here. I will give this one a 9.5 , one of the better sludge releases, and it does not confine itself to the legacy of Neurosis full of darkness and gloom but still song oritented even at it's most metal.