November is Doom - Doomraiser : "Cold Grave Marble"

 

6 albums into their career and we still have not covered this Italian doom band? Ok, let's change that. The vocals are sung in the required minor keys. The riffs chug along in a more traditional metal manner. So the question becomes what is going to separate these guys from all the doom bands I have reviewed this month? What is going to make this album gain a position in my crowded playlists? There are more aggressive vocals in some places, and they do a good job of switching the riff, up the current one being even more ominous than the last. Guitar solos with some thought behind them that do not overdo it with shredding, not that this genre is normally guilty of that. 

They slow things down more with the more melodic doom power ballad "Once Upon the Fireflies" which, allows their singer to show more vocal colors. The use of harmonies almost creates an Alice in Chains feel in places. "Life in Black' by going in a darker more dismal direction to match the theme. Scowled vocals accent the chorus. The more sonically melodic title track proves to be the album's best song as it does not invest as much into metal tradition. This helps them find their own sound, and find more relevancy as songwriters. The vocals even drop into a more Type O Negative-like baritone by the end of the song. 

"Without a Shadow' picks up the pace into a more driving throb. The vocals gain a little grit to them. The vocals go higher on the chorus. The vocal approach overall on this album is what helps set them apart. "the Great Void" is more of a dirge with a more melancholy lethargy spread over it. "Fifty Shades of Death" is heavier with weighty chords lingering over more grungy vocal melodies. Organ sounds darken it more. The last two songs are more of a  style of rock n roll that makes me think of Ghost, though the last song is more depressive than Ghost, and both are heavier by not sounding like Andy Gibb. I will give this album a 9, not sure, how much I will listen to it , but they are great at what they do. This was released on Time to Kill Records last month. 

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