[IMGLEFT]http://www.russell.ultimatemetal.com/Interview/november.jpg[/IMGLEFT] By Jason Jordan
More often than not, frustrated bands will die after toiling away in the underground scene for myriad, unfruitful years. For the fortunate ones, however, the ride to stardom is quick and relatively painless. But I believe theres something to say for the stalwart veterans who continue to release monumental albums again and again, without deserved recognition. Enter the monstrous, Chicagoans Novembers Doom. As of late, the band is brandishing a contract with The End Records and a hefty new record known as The Pale Haunt Departure. Be forewarned: this sinister quintet is out to conquer your CD collection by storm.
How did Novembers Doom come to sign with The End Records? Why begin your career, with said label, by re-releasing To Welcome the Fade?
The End Records has been one of the only labels Ive seen in years that are constantly releasing quality bands time after time. Their roster has always been impressive, and anyone in the metal scene today can see that theyve been growing bigger and bigger. We wanted to be a part of a growing label, and to help that label reach its highest peak. Its good for all the bands associated with them, and only great things could come from it, so when our obligations were up with Dark Symphonies, we decided to see what other options there were for Novembers Doom. We were able to see Andreas, at work first hand, when we became part of a tour in February 2004, featuring two of his bands, The Gathering and Agalloch. Andreas was part of the tour, as acting tour manager, and seeing his professionalism made us want to be a part of The End that much more. So, after some talking between us, we decided to work together. We were not ready to record the new CD, but we managed to retain the rights for To Welcome the Fade, so we thought it was a nice release to help get the word out that we were part of his family now, and to help create buzz about the band in order to prepare everyone for The Pale Haunt Departure.
What recording methods (ProTools, triggers, tracking each instrument separately versus live in studio) did you use on The Pale Haunt Departure that you didnt utilize on To Welcome the Fade?
This time around we did record exclusively in ProTools, as last time the tracks were later transferred to ProTools for any editing. It certainly made things quicker during the recording process, and allowed us to focus on different areas, and spend more time on things we couldnt in the past due to time constraints. Other than that, the process of recording was very much the same. Weve always been pretty comfortable recording live but, other than the drums, the first take is always scratched and re-recorded separately as the days go on to make sure we can fine-tune anything we need to.
Even though the Novembers Doom catalog reeks of quality, the latest album is seemingly your swansong. What changes led to this new plateau? Were you listening to anything that inspired you during the recording process?
I hope its not our swansong, because we dont have any plans to quit just yet! We simply approached this CD differently than all the others. Before we started to write this CD, we all talked many times as a band, and everyone got on the same page. Our focus was on different areas of songwriting, and we really wanted to fix what didnt work for us in the past. We felt that all of the previous CDs left you with a feeling of uncertainty of where our heads were with writing. There was always a flow and continuity problem. Some of the songs really stood out and didnt seem to fit, or belong on the CD at all. This time, we wanted to continue to explore new ideas, but we made sure that every song had a comfortable place on the CD and sounded like a Novembers Doom song. Its the first time I really feel we achieved this, and were all really proud of its turnout.
We never really listen to much music while writing and recording, so nothing slips into our music subconsciously. Its happened to us before, so we really focus on nothing but the new material. We all knew and agreed on the basic foundation, and the main goal was to bring the heaviness and aggression back to the music. For the past couple of releases, the power took a back seat to the melody, mood, and atmosphere of the songs. And, this time, we wanted to kick the listeners ass from the word go, and when we hit you with a mellow song, we wanted it to feel like we were performing it to you and not at you. There was a lot of focus on the actual performance. It had to hold feeling, and be as honest as possible. We all put a lot of personal feelings into this whole process, and we feel its worked. Any inspiration came from ourselves, and our lives at the time we wrote the music. If I have to name one band that inspired us this time around, maybe Coldplay, as funny as that may sound.
The Pale Haunt Departures artwork is incredible. Care to explain what it signifies and how it plays into themes explored on the record?
The artwork, to me, is just as important in telling the complete story as the music is. I always work closely with the artist going over concepts and ideas. When I found Attila, I told him the CD title, and that was it. I rejected his first idea. I explained the scarecrow concept, and wanted it to be a theme throughout the booklet. After understanding this, I sent him all the lyrics to the album and let him illustrate each song in his own vision, sticking with the theme, and I think he captured each song beautifully. He did an incredible job, and Im personally blown away by his work. The artwork fits perfectly with the lyrics, and mood of the songs.
It seems as if a lot of bands use vocalists that distort words when they growl, whereas you are totally intelligible. Why do you think youve adopted this trait?
Thats something I worked a lot on in the beginning, and its just something I felt was important to the vocals. I would write lyrics, and I felt I had something to say, so it made no sense to me to sing in a way where people could not understand the words at all. So, early on I learned how to pronounce each word, and say them as clearly as possible. Its a trait of mine I think has set me apart from a lot of death metal vocalists.
Judging from the current reviews, I bet the band is sick of being compared to Opeth (despite that being a compliment). Set the record straight: how are you guys much more than shadow dwellers?
Im glad you asked this question, and I will give you a brutally honest answer. We are all sick and tired of webzine, Internet journalists who strap on their Internet muscles and make statements about the band and the music while never doing their homework. It just seems so hard to believe that the popular, newer European bands dont directly influence an American band in this style. Ive got news for you. Weve been around as long, if not longer, than most of the bands in this genre. We unfortunately have been a victim of geography. As an American band, were lumped into the must be a clone category. People cant possibly believe that maybe, just maybe, our influences come from the same or similar places as those bands. Dont get me wrong, I love Opeth, and think they are one of the most talented metal bands around today, but Opeth didnt invent the wheel. They did not invent the style they play of going from acoustic passages into distorted rhythms, back to mellow clean vocal arrangements and so on. We started doing this long before we knew who Opeth was. If you want one of our true influences on the style we play, its simple. Celtic Frost was doing this sort of music years before any of us, and this was the foundation for our thoughts. Weve always been influenced by early 90s death metal. Were all products of the early 90s Chicago metal scene. Bands like Trouble, Sindrome, Devastation, Maimed, Contagion We had an amazing scene here and guess what, most of these bands draw from the same musical pool we do.
It amazes me. People will review our material, from the very first CD all the way to our newest and fifth CD, and the reviews draw the exact same comparisons even though they sound nothing alike. This is just lazy reviewing, and its usually from some idiot who knows how to use his computer, and wants free CDs from labels, so he starts some shitty webzine and writes his opinions on music when he knows nothing about what hes saying. Its more important to us to be respected by our peers, and our fans, than the so- called journalists out there. Now, there are exceptions to this as weve read some reviews that are highly thought-out, and well educated, and we respect their opinions, whether they like our material or not. I dont care if people dont like what we do, but at least use your brain to give solid reasoning behind why, and dont go be lazy by calling us a clone of another band when nothing could be further from the truth. We stand in no ones shadow, and anyone with half a fucking brain can hear that. We just do our own thing, and have been doing our own thing since 1989. Were not a doom band anymore, and havent really been doom since the first CD Amid Its Hallowed Mirth. Some people are angry by this, and some embrace the new up-tempo and aggressive style. Either/or, were happy with it all, and to us thats what matters. Were not curing cancer folks. Its just music.
What about a full tour in support of The Pale Haunt Departure? What can the masses expect in the upcoming months besides a performance at the SXSW Festival?
We are certainly looking into a full, U.S. tour to support the CD. Hopefully well have something to announce on this shortly. I can also tell you, we will be making our European debut this October, so keep an eye out for those details.
Muster all the confidence you have and tell us why a person metal fan or otherwise should check out Novembers Doom now more than ever.
If you have never heard Novembers Doom, and call yourself a fan of dark, heavy, and aggressive metal, you need to pick this up. The Pale Haunt Departure has all the elements that make this style of music great. Weve worked hard to bring you our greatest achievement so far, and this is the first time the entire band is proud of this accomplishment. We are certain that if you give this CD a listen, and throw out all the pre-conceived notions you may already have about us and forget about whatever genre tag the journalists stick us with, youll be able to just listen to it for what it is: dark, powerful, beautiful.
Anything noteworthy coming from the Subterranean Masquerade camp these days?
The full-length CD, Suspended Animation Dreams, comes out this April. Its very different than the EP, and very unique. I think it will surprise a lot of people, and really turn a lot of heads. Its different than anything Ive ever been involved with, and with an open mind youll love it!
Ultimatemetals Review of Novembers Doom The Pale Haunt Departure
Official Novembers Doom website
Official Subterranean Masquerade website
Official The End Records website
More often than not, frustrated bands will die after toiling away in the underground scene for myriad, unfruitful years. For the fortunate ones, however, the ride to stardom is quick and relatively painless. But I believe theres something to say for the stalwart veterans who continue to release monumental albums again and again, without deserved recognition. Enter the monstrous, Chicagoans Novembers Doom. As of late, the band is brandishing a contract with The End Records and a hefty new record known as The Pale Haunt Departure. Be forewarned: this sinister quintet is out to conquer your CD collection by storm.
How did Novembers Doom come to sign with The End Records? Why begin your career, with said label, by re-releasing To Welcome the Fade?
The End Records has been one of the only labels Ive seen in years that are constantly releasing quality bands time after time. Their roster has always been impressive, and anyone in the metal scene today can see that theyve been growing bigger and bigger. We wanted to be a part of a growing label, and to help that label reach its highest peak. Its good for all the bands associated with them, and only great things could come from it, so when our obligations were up with Dark Symphonies, we decided to see what other options there were for Novembers Doom. We were able to see Andreas, at work first hand, when we became part of a tour in February 2004, featuring two of his bands, The Gathering and Agalloch. Andreas was part of the tour, as acting tour manager, and seeing his professionalism made us want to be a part of The End that much more. So, after some talking between us, we decided to work together. We were not ready to record the new CD, but we managed to retain the rights for To Welcome the Fade, so we thought it was a nice release to help get the word out that we were part of his family now, and to help create buzz about the band in order to prepare everyone for The Pale Haunt Departure.
What recording methods (ProTools, triggers, tracking each instrument separately versus live in studio) did you use on The Pale Haunt Departure that you didnt utilize on To Welcome the Fade?
This time around we did record exclusively in ProTools, as last time the tracks were later transferred to ProTools for any editing. It certainly made things quicker during the recording process, and allowed us to focus on different areas, and spend more time on things we couldnt in the past due to time constraints. Other than that, the process of recording was very much the same. Weve always been pretty comfortable recording live but, other than the drums, the first take is always scratched and re-recorded separately as the days go on to make sure we can fine-tune anything we need to.
Even though the Novembers Doom catalog reeks of quality, the latest album is seemingly your swansong. What changes led to this new plateau? Were you listening to anything that inspired you during the recording process?
I hope its not our swansong, because we dont have any plans to quit just yet! We simply approached this CD differently than all the others. Before we started to write this CD, we all talked many times as a band, and everyone got on the same page. Our focus was on different areas of songwriting, and we really wanted to fix what didnt work for us in the past. We felt that all of the previous CDs left you with a feeling of uncertainty of where our heads were with writing. There was always a flow and continuity problem. Some of the songs really stood out and didnt seem to fit, or belong on the CD at all. This time, we wanted to continue to explore new ideas, but we made sure that every song had a comfortable place on the CD and sounded like a Novembers Doom song. Its the first time I really feel we achieved this, and were all really proud of its turnout.
We never really listen to much music while writing and recording, so nothing slips into our music subconsciously. Its happened to us before, so we really focus on nothing but the new material. We all knew and agreed on the basic foundation, and the main goal was to bring the heaviness and aggression back to the music. For the past couple of releases, the power took a back seat to the melody, mood, and atmosphere of the songs. And, this time, we wanted to kick the listeners ass from the word go, and when we hit you with a mellow song, we wanted it to feel like we were performing it to you and not at you. There was a lot of focus on the actual performance. It had to hold feeling, and be as honest as possible. We all put a lot of personal feelings into this whole process, and we feel its worked. Any inspiration came from ourselves, and our lives at the time we wrote the music. If I have to name one band that inspired us this time around, maybe Coldplay, as funny as that may sound.
The Pale Haunt Departures artwork is incredible. Care to explain what it signifies and how it plays into themes explored on the record?
The artwork, to me, is just as important in telling the complete story as the music is. I always work closely with the artist going over concepts and ideas. When I found Attila, I told him the CD title, and that was it. I rejected his first idea. I explained the scarecrow concept, and wanted it to be a theme throughout the booklet. After understanding this, I sent him all the lyrics to the album and let him illustrate each song in his own vision, sticking with the theme, and I think he captured each song beautifully. He did an incredible job, and Im personally blown away by his work. The artwork fits perfectly with the lyrics, and mood of the songs.
It seems as if a lot of bands use vocalists that distort words when they growl, whereas you are totally intelligible. Why do you think youve adopted this trait?
Thats something I worked a lot on in the beginning, and its just something I felt was important to the vocals. I would write lyrics, and I felt I had something to say, so it made no sense to me to sing in a way where people could not understand the words at all. So, early on I learned how to pronounce each word, and say them as clearly as possible. Its a trait of mine I think has set me apart from a lot of death metal vocalists.
Judging from the current reviews, I bet the band is sick of being compared to Opeth (despite that being a compliment). Set the record straight: how are you guys much more than shadow dwellers?
Im glad you asked this question, and I will give you a brutally honest answer. We are all sick and tired of webzine, Internet journalists who strap on their Internet muscles and make statements about the band and the music while never doing their homework. It just seems so hard to believe that the popular, newer European bands dont directly influence an American band in this style. Ive got news for you. Weve been around as long, if not longer, than most of the bands in this genre. We unfortunately have been a victim of geography. As an American band, were lumped into the must be a clone category. People cant possibly believe that maybe, just maybe, our influences come from the same or similar places as those bands. Dont get me wrong, I love Opeth, and think they are one of the most talented metal bands around today, but Opeth didnt invent the wheel. They did not invent the style they play of going from acoustic passages into distorted rhythms, back to mellow clean vocal arrangements and so on. We started doing this long before we knew who Opeth was. If you want one of our true influences on the style we play, its simple. Celtic Frost was doing this sort of music years before any of us, and this was the foundation for our thoughts. Weve always been influenced by early 90s death metal. Were all products of the early 90s Chicago metal scene. Bands like Trouble, Sindrome, Devastation, Maimed, Contagion We had an amazing scene here and guess what, most of these bands draw from the same musical pool we do.
It amazes me. People will review our material, from the very first CD all the way to our newest and fifth CD, and the reviews draw the exact same comparisons even though they sound nothing alike. This is just lazy reviewing, and its usually from some idiot who knows how to use his computer, and wants free CDs from labels, so he starts some shitty webzine and writes his opinions on music when he knows nothing about what hes saying. Its more important to us to be respected by our peers, and our fans, than the so- called journalists out there. Now, there are exceptions to this as weve read some reviews that are highly thought-out, and well educated, and we respect their opinions, whether they like our material or not. I dont care if people dont like what we do, but at least use your brain to give solid reasoning behind why, and dont go be lazy by calling us a clone of another band when nothing could be further from the truth. We stand in no ones shadow, and anyone with half a fucking brain can hear that. We just do our own thing, and have been doing our own thing since 1989. Were not a doom band anymore, and havent really been doom since the first CD Amid Its Hallowed Mirth. Some people are angry by this, and some embrace the new up-tempo and aggressive style. Either/or, were happy with it all, and to us thats what matters. Were not curing cancer folks. Its just music.
What about a full tour in support of The Pale Haunt Departure? What can the masses expect in the upcoming months besides a performance at the SXSW Festival?
We are certainly looking into a full, U.S. tour to support the CD. Hopefully well have something to announce on this shortly. I can also tell you, we will be making our European debut this October, so keep an eye out for those details.
Muster all the confidence you have and tell us why a person metal fan or otherwise should check out Novembers Doom now more than ever.
If you have never heard Novembers Doom, and call yourself a fan of dark, heavy, and aggressive metal, you need to pick this up. The Pale Haunt Departure has all the elements that make this style of music great. Weve worked hard to bring you our greatest achievement so far, and this is the first time the entire band is proud of this accomplishment. We are certain that if you give this CD a listen, and throw out all the pre-conceived notions you may already have about us and forget about whatever genre tag the journalists stick us with, youll be able to just listen to it for what it is: dark, powerful, beautiful.
Anything noteworthy coming from the Subterranean Masquerade camp these days?
The full-length CD, Suspended Animation Dreams, comes out this April. Its very different than the EP, and very unique. I think it will surprise a lot of people, and really turn a lot of heads. Its different than anything Ive ever been involved with, and with an open mind youll love it!
Ultimatemetals Review of Novembers Doom The Pale Haunt Departure
Official Novembers Doom website
Official Subterranean Masquerade website
Official The End Records website
