APHOTIC reviews

[Novembers Paul]

Eternal Terror
Review by Matt Coe

Imagine this reviewer neglecting to take the opportunity to see this IL doom quintet 20 minutes from his hometown when Novembers Doom headlined day two of the Metal Thursday fifth anniversary celebration in Worcester, Massachusetts. Especially in light of “Aphotic”, the latest studio record from this unique, forward thinking doom band with progressive and death nuances. Paul Kuhr exudes pain, sorrow, and anger through his natural death vocal proclivity and equally eerie, hypnotic clean voice - using both to extreme measures in one of the album’s highlights “Buried” as you can picture his words coming to life, ‘the rope around my neck’ visually imagining a life ending.

Anneke Van Giersbergen performs a duet with Paul on the acoustic-laden, softer “What Could Have Been” that should appease fans of both singers, another Novembers Doom track that musically really takes the listener into a different territory of aural surroundings. Where Novembers Doom excel is the tightness of their doom riffs, the energy displayed between bass, guitars and drums that just form this low, crushing sound that you can’t help but be moved by - coming to a head on the two part “Of Age And Origin” saga, with “A Violent Day” and “A Day Of Joy” taking on Solitude Aeturnus and Black Sabbath and wrapping them around in a killer Sasha Horn drum tempo that isn’t afraid to have double bass as a power emphasis.

The closing song “Shadow Play” contains some military snare strains and exotic, ethereal guitars from Larry Roberts and Vito Marchese before concluding with a “Children Of The Grave” like riff montage that certainly leaves you floored with metal power. As an eighth studio album “Aphotic” continues the fine style Novembers Doom have always employed and will not disappoint their long-standing following, and hopefully gain a few new converts as they are a powerhouse for the American movement.

 

[Novembers Paul]

Metal Revolution
Review by Bato
84/100


This is something special, an extra-ordinary release from Chicago’s Novembers Doom. Their latest offering is an eight-tracker entitled Aphotic and what a brilliant release it is. Slightly more aggressive than its predecessor, but still very much with this recognizable doom and dark sound.

The album has this doom vibe, with haunting acoustic parts, slow paced musicianship, catchy choruses, superb riffing and wide range vocals. Speaking of vocals, those are very diverse, ranging from clean and soft ones towards more powerful growling and emotive ones. All of the songs are perfectly composed and extremely well-balanced, offering a mixture of soft ballads, depressive and melancholic songs and heavier ones too.

My favourite songs are the “Harvest Scythe”, being a steady and mainly clean song with a catchy little chorus and interesting lyrics. Another equally good song is “What Could Have Been” where one and only Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering) is a guest-vocalist. However, this is not everything as Aphotic is simply packed with one pearl after another, and another surprise comes in the song “Of Age and Origin” where mighty Dan Swanö contributes with the vocals. Apart from this little contribution Dan is also responsible for the mixing and mastering of the album, and I must say; the final result is brilliant.

Aphotic is one of the best albums I’ve heard this year; portraying the band that is self-confident and highly skilled. Although Novembers Doom is in a league of its own, I would esp. recommend this album for fans of My Dying Bride, Saturnus, Type O Negative, Ashen Mortality and Paradise Lost.

 

[Novembers Paul]

Suite 101
Review by Chris Latta


Novembers Doom's eight studio album is progressive death/doom done right.
While Novembers Doom can be an easy band to underrate for some, there is no denying that they are one of the oldest and biggest American death/doom bands that the scene has to offer. Originally formed in 1989, they have persevered through that time and have consistently delivered a multitude of acclaimed releases despite also going through a long series of lineup switches.

This is the group’s eighth studio album and has been hyped as having a more progressive sound in comparison to the more death metal-oriented style of the last few releases. In addition, it features more guest appearances than any other Novembers Doom album before it but is also the last effort to feature drummer Sasha Horn.

Black Is The Soul Of A Dying Sun
The band will probably hate me for being the ten millionth person to make the following comparison, but Novembers Doom has always come off as being something of an American Opeth. In addition to having been formed around the same time frame, both bands use complex song structures, low tempos, melancholic autumn imagery, and a ton of harsh/clean contrasts in between.

Even before Opeth ultimately decided to embrace their prog-jazz rock calling, Novembers Doom managed to successfully stand out. Their songs have always been shorter, their imagery darker, their riffs heavier, and the transitions much smoother. In short, both bands are good but Novembers Doom have always been the better songwriters and arguably more creative overall.

But what really makes the band distinct is the performance of vocalist Paul Kuhr, their sole original member since 1989. Often going between a clear but powerful growl and a baritone reminiscent of Paradise Lost’s Nick Holmes, he seems to opt for the clean vocals a bit more than usual. There are a few moments where he goes into unintentional comedy (Sorry, the growls during the verses of “Buried” are so prominent, it’s rather amusing) but his contributions are quite impressive.

Fortunately, the rest of the band doesn’t slouch. The guitars have a dark sound that is aided by the clear production and go through a mix of murky riffs and somber melodies. The drums stand out on the album’s heavier moments and get plenty of opportunities to pummel the listener.

Also worth noting are the numerous guest appearances on the album. The touches of keyboards and violin are great but the cameos by vocal legends Dan Swano and Anneke Van Giersbergen are the most memorable. The former delivers some strong growls on the first part of “Of Age and Origin” while the latter effectively helps the band channel their beauty-and-the-beast roots on “What Could Have Been.”

Deeper Scars Than Any Wound Could Be
As expected by a project with clearly contrasting sides to their sound, the songwriting is varied and each song manages to sound distinct. “The Dark Host” provides a good summary for how the album will be as it features heavy chugging during the verses, a softer bridge segment, and a cleanly sung chorus with an oddly catchy hook.

But while “The Dark Host” is a memorable opener, “Harvest Scythe” is easily the album’s catchiest track. While its overall structure is similar to that of “The Dark Host” with its growled verses and clean choruses, it manages to stand out thanks to its interesting use of upbeat groove riffs and more elaborate hooks. Yeah, I can’t emphasize how weird it is to use the words “catchy” and “hook” in the context of death metal…

After the first two tracks, the album generally seems to stick with more somber, slower material with the heaviness still coming into play on occasion. “Buried” is an enjoyable track despite its somewhat disjointed contrasts and the closing “Shadow Play” features some particularly smooth harmonizing during its first half.

But the track that should have everyone talking is “What Could Have Been,” a gorgeous ballad that makes extensive use of the violin and a duet between Kuhr and Giersbergen. While the pairing would suggest a desperate grab at the old goth metal formula, the execution is quite emotional with the choruses tugging at one’s heartstrings. As far as I’m concerned, this is easily the most touching ballad that 2011 has to offer.

Show Yourself and Prove I Am Not Mad
As a listener whose previous experience with Novembers Doom is mostly limited to 2005’s The Pale Haunt Departure, this does manage to be an incredibly strong album and just might be one of the better that’s come out this year. However, it is also rather easy to overlook and its second half isn’t quite as emotionally powerful as the first.

There might be an earlier Novembers Doom release that’s worth looking into but this is one that shouldn’t be overlooked. If anything, I would highly recommend to seasoned death/doom listeners and the disgruntled Opeth fans that haven’t already gotten into them…