November is Doom-Drowned in Silver : "Mothers"

This band from Poland is interesting; the exotic drowning ambiance of the opening leaves the door to darkness open, and you are unsure of which shade of it will attack you. It is a slow build as it takes almsot three minutes into the song before the vocals take on a more aggressive grit. The odd dissonance summoned with the saxophone coloring the background is almsot as noisy as what Swans ventures in at times. Even when things build into a heavier dynamic, this remains a fair point of comparison, perhaps throwing in a doom version of what Diamanda Galas does as another point of reference. 

"Waves of Sorrow" is more melodic, though the song itself simmers in its own brooding, while the vocals belt it out in more fluid tones. Primordial becomes the next point of reference in terms of what they are doing sonically. The title track is dark and droning, though even more melodic with the dynamic dictated by the swell of the powerfully crooned vocals. There is a more reverbed out guitar jangle that unfolds on the shuffle of "Disillusioned". Not as jazz-focused as the band Morphine, but heading in their direction more than the Primordial-style bombast they hit you with earlier. The song carries a creep they jam out on. The vocals come in with the more minimalist atmosphere they use to set the stage. Once more, the powerful vocals control the dynamics that swell up around them. 

The main difference between the last song and the previous songs is how the drummer keeps things on a steady groove while the other dynamics ebb and flow over it, with the vocals once again the most dramatic thing in motion. Some pretty tasty guitar licks are more jazz-influenced than what you typically hear from doom, making me thankful for the experimental nature of what they have going on here. Obviously, I am a savant for deciphering influences and the origins of certain sounds, but overall all this is a pretty original effort. I will give it a 9.5 . If you are looking for doom done differently and like a slight Dead Can Dance ambiance, this album is for you. 

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