"Doom" or not?

heavier is better... I listened to the bit ya got on here "Absence of Grace", and if that is what the new album will be like, then it is much anticipated in my world....do ya have any specifics on the actual release date? screaming guitars, heavy sound, dirty vocals-hell, sounds like a party to me!
 
In the end, its the lyrics and the instrumentals (including vocals) that classifies the music. Its very hard to specifically classify a type of or music genre of a band. Many bands have at least incorporated different sounds from different music styles! I don't see any reason why people would compare a doom band to another, because some doom bands play and sound differently than others, although the music they play are still doom. Of course, unless you guys changed your style and began playing some epic music, singing about elves, then you guys would definitely be classified as a power metal band!
 
I think a lot of the problem is that bands are to often just tossed into general categories by the media and otheres, and that is because most of these people have no real idea what they're talking about. For example, a lot of people seem to always toss Katatonia into the same genre as Opeth, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that Mike Akerfeldt was on two Katatonia releases. But when you listen to any Katatonia, even those two releases, there are not a lot of similarities. But still they put Katatonia's new album in that category. I've also heard a lot of people put Novembers Doom in the same category as My Dying Bride. Sure, both bands have slow tempos, death vocals, and sorrowful music, but that does not make them the same.

I guess what I'm saying is that it's nearly impossible to use genres anymore, especially with so many new bands, and with a lot of bands who are very unique and cannot be categorized. New Age Doom Metal is a good idea though...

If Novembers Doom would just stop being so unique, this topic wouldn't be so hard to discuss. I'm just kidding, by the way. Don't stop being original.
 
I would have to say that it is doom metal with death and dark elements!
I try to stay more basic with my categories in metal to avoid confusion on my own behalf..lol :hotjump:
 
mrboogeyman said:
In the end, its the lyrics and the instrumentals (including vocals) that classifies the music. Its very hard to specifically classify a type of or music genre of a band. Many bands have at least incorporated different sounds from different music styles! I don't see any reason why people would compare a doom band to another, because some doom bands play and sound differently than others, although the music they play are still doom. Of course, unless you guys changed your style and began playing some epic music, singing about elves, then you guys would definitely be classified as a power metal band!
Well I love that epic power metal shit so I may just convince the guys to turn into the next Rhapsody. How great would that be huh? :D
 
i think the only bands that can definitely be categorized are the ones that try so hard to be in that category, in that box if you will. In other words, its a good thing that Novembers Doom are hard to categorize!
 
I don't agree. I don't think Dark Metal could be applied to almost any metal. Bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and Helloween, for example, aren't what I would call "dark". Heavy, yes, but just about all metal is supposed to be. I think "Dark" suits us best because we have elements of death, doom, black, epic, traditional, etc. in our music, which we put a dark moody spin on. We certainly aren't a doom metal band, I don't care what anyone says. There's too much about what we do, especially on our new album and even the last one, that just does not fall under the doom title, sorry. I still love doom metal, don't get me wrong, but that's all the more reason why I feel able to say honestly that we don't fit in with it specifically anymore.

As for being vague, technically nowadays Death Metal is too vague of a title as well, especially with how many bands out now use alot of DM touches to their sound....remember the days when you could pretty much label something as being death metal if it had deep guttural vocals? lol That certainly doesn't apply these days!!

"Darker metal" is pretty funny though, come to think of it hehe
 
I think 'doom metal' is way too wide a category to really best describe any band now. Sure, you have the classics, but even try to compare those bands would make me raise an eyebrow. Especially nowadays, theres SO many different kinds of sounds that people automatically lump in with doom...i mean, youve got your 'new finnish doom', like bands along the lines of Silentium.. dont strike me as doom at all! so theyre romantic, and operatic and what have you, but so are Theatre of Tragedy, and I certainly dont consider them doom. Then theres bands that no one would really call Doomy, like Agents of Oblivion, and in my mind, they certainly personify the idea of 'doom', even though their instrumental sound is more influenced by the 'N'awlins' metal that theyre so strong with.
And lets not even mention bands like Haggard, who are a major mish-mash of doom, folk, medieval metal. Now do i really want to put them in the same overall genre as a band like Saint Vitus?
 
NvmbrsDoom5 said:
I don't agree. I don't think Dark Metal could be applied to almost any metal. Bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and Helloween, for example, aren't what I would call "dark". Heavy, yes, but just about all metal is supposed to be. I think "Dark" suits us best because we have elements of death, doom, black, epic, traditional, etc. in our music, which we put a dark moody spin on. We certainly aren't a doom metal band, I don't care what anyone says. There's too much about what we do, especially on our new album and even the last one, that just does not fall under the doom title, sorry. I still love doom metal, don't get me wrong, but that's all the more reason why I feel able to say honestly that we don't fit in with it specifically anymore.

As for being vague, technically nowadays Death Metal is too vague of a title as well, especially with how many bands out now use alot of DM touches to their sound....remember the days when you could pretty much label something as being death metal if it had deep guttural vocals? lol That certainly doesn't apply these days!!

"Darker metal" is pretty funny though, come to think of it hehe
yeh i know... in all honesty i can say its better not to even care what ND is labeled as. The harder to label the better! Let's just keep it as "good metal"


Actually, no, i like darker metal too much.
 
There are a lot of people here going straight for the doom metal tag, but from the first time I heard 'To Welcome the Fade' I thought there was more going on than mere 'doom'. Even some of the material on 'The Knowing' reminds me of an almost laid back jazz sound at times.

There are certainly elements of doom in 'TWtF', and there are elements of death (although I'd NEVER call Novembers Doom a death metal band), I wouldn't call them either, and I certainly wouldn't label it as death/doom. I agree with the dark metal label I suppose. Dark metal with doom/death elements? :cool:

As for dark metal, that might not even work because there is a light sound behind many of the riffs and the production of the guitars at times that lifts the music a bit. As far as dark music goes, Novembers Doom aren't really all that dark. It's more of an emotional darkness I think.
 
I think ND is a mixture of many styles hard to put a label on, and that`s a good thing.
I think ND is doing theyre own thing, and thats great in a metal world where many bands have a hard time distinguishing themselves.
 
Novembers Paul said:
We're adopting "dark metal." It just works best for us I think.


If so, what about changing the band name to "November Darkness" :D

Returning to the topic... Im a Doom metal fan, in fact i mostly listen to just doom metal, i discovered the band through www.doom-metal.com.

but when i heard ur later releases i sense that ur music is not doom anymore, its little uptempo music, but with a doomy elemnt and influences, and i like it very much, it excuted very well. thats the most important that i enjoy the music.

BUT I WOULD LIKE IT MORE IF IT DOOM IN ITS PUREST FORM
 
As we've said before, just because the word "doom" is in our band name, we never intended it to limit us to being just a "pure" doom band. Frankly, to stay that way, would bore the living fuck out of me. And I think I can safely speak for the other guys as well. I am glad that people who enjoyed us when we were more doomy or whatever, can still enjoy our newer material that is, as you say, more up-tempo and such. But as for playing pure doom, or whatever, that was never really a goal of ours to begin with. One thing I cannot do, is write music that just comfortably fits in to any one genre or sub-genre. Everyone in this band listens to, and is influenced by, a large variety of music, doom being only one small part of it. There will always be that dark doom edge or vibe in our music overall, but to just play slow, lumbering, dismal songs all the time has NO appeal to me whatsoever. I enjoy listening to that music at times, and I have enjoyed playing it at times, but overall I want more out of life than that.

We write music we enjoy playing and hearing, regardless of what "style" it comes across as. Our only concern is that it still fits in with what we consider to be Novembers Doom music. We hope that people will appreciate it and enjoy it, and be able to accept and enjoy the growth and change that the band goes through. And if some people cannot, then that's okay too. You can listen to our old albums you enjoyed still. Or don't listen to us at all. I'm going to feel much better at the end of the day knowing I played music that I felt good about personally, rather than trying to please everyone else all the time.

The newest soon-to-be-released album has what I think is the best overall mix of what Novembers Doom is all about. I hope some of you can agree and enjoy it too. Either way, "The Pale Haunt Departure" is my favorite ND cd to date, hands down. =)