NOVEMBERS DOOM - The Knowing
Label: www.darksymphonies.com
1. Awaken
2. Harmony Divine
3. Shadows of Light
4. Intervene
5. Silent Tomorrow
6. In Faith
7. Searching the Betrayal
8. Last God
9. In Memories Past
10. The Day I Return
11. Aura Blue
12. Silent Tomorrow (dark edit)
The Knowing = Pure. Fucking. Emotion.
It hits you immediately with the first track, Awaken. Just a glorious instrumental except for the spoken verse exuding emotion like you wouldnt believe. It completely sets the tone for the rest of the album because of the prominent feature in the way the two guitars just play off each other. No, scratch that, FEED off each other. Its like a mass collision of melodies meshing over fantastic interplay: lead, rhythm; rhythm, lead -- you cry, and Ill cry with you, you mourn, and Ill offer you all the grief that I could give. It is SO effective to hear the two guitarists playing simultaneously; even their vibratos compliment each other so effectively, one bending high while the other reverse bends back into the main melody. Its brilliant stuff making this is an instrumental for the ages.
This tone is maintained throughout, and for sure I would suggest that the dual guitar work carries this entire album somewhat, but I cant deny the hint of desperation found in Kuhrs vocals. His growls arent as coherent here as they later became in To Welcome the Fade and Pale Haunt Departure, and that level of blurring in his words just makes him sound like a man in torment, and not necessarily reading from a lyric sheet. The drumming has that same level of nonchalance, if you will. There seems to be something rather genuine about the way all these tracks were laid down, as if there were less takes, less emphasis on getting things to sound perfect. A simple fuck it, lets roll attitude. That works for me. I dont want perfect I want grit, determination, and honesty.
Harmony Divine bursts out, Kuhr grunting, Come follow me as it literally explodes into a gallop of riffs, and followed by Shadows of Light again showcasing the two guitars working together so perfectly: both carrying the rhythm and lead (heightening the song writing strengths in the rhythm and the melancholy vibe in the harmonious leads.) This is displayed brilliantly again on Silent Tomorrow, probably their best song. Ever.
Intervene is another instrumental, this time played on a single acoustic guitar. Its only 1:52 long but it brings a sense of calm, immediately breaking the vibe to reaffirm the general eclectic nature of The Knowing. Yes, eclectic, progressive, and unique to NOVEMBERS DOOM. This happens twice more in the album: with Sarah Wilsons clean softly sung vocals in Searching the Betrayal; and the piano sections in The Day I return, Aura Blue, and the dark edit version of Silent Tomorrow. All these variations help keep the album spinning.
Then comes a surprise
In Memories Past aka what the fuck?! Talk about GROOVE this song is about the jazz of it all, the SABBATH penned Sabbra Cadabra type swooshing licks and swinging riffs. To add to the tangent, it even falls into a short SANTANA-of-old inspired interlude before breaking out into some fuzzy bass licks just bouncing off the tube amps. And full credit to Kuhrs clean vocals on this one, his scales reaching new dimensions (SOUL ASYLUM anyone?) perhaps making this the least traditional NOVEMBERS DOOM song Ive heard, and a small risk that inevitably pays off in spades.
Of course, when the poignant piano piece introduces The Day I Return, the vibe returns to where The Knowing started off. The gallop returns, the guitar melodies return, the darkness fades in, the candles flicker, and the mood is set for the close. (Nice vocals added towards the end of this song by Burnley by the way).
As you can guess, The Knowing is my favorite NOVEMBERS DOOM album. The production is simple, the musicianship is relaxed, and the adventurous use of song instrumentals, piano sections, acoustic interludes, and female vocals just makes this entire album a standout. Its cloaked in darkness, and smothered in improvised rough-edged playing. Thats what makes it sound truly genuine, at least to me. Two thumbs up!
9.75/10
Label: www.darksymphonies.com
1. Awaken
2. Harmony Divine
3. Shadows of Light
4. Intervene
5. Silent Tomorrow
6. In Faith
7. Searching the Betrayal
8. Last God
9. In Memories Past
10. The Day I Return
11. Aura Blue
12. Silent Tomorrow (dark edit)
The Knowing = Pure. Fucking. Emotion.
It hits you immediately with the first track, Awaken. Just a glorious instrumental except for the spoken verse exuding emotion like you wouldnt believe. It completely sets the tone for the rest of the album because of the prominent feature in the way the two guitars just play off each other. No, scratch that, FEED off each other. Its like a mass collision of melodies meshing over fantastic interplay: lead, rhythm; rhythm, lead -- you cry, and Ill cry with you, you mourn, and Ill offer you all the grief that I could give. It is SO effective to hear the two guitarists playing simultaneously; even their vibratos compliment each other so effectively, one bending high while the other reverse bends back into the main melody. Its brilliant stuff making this is an instrumental for the ages.
This tone is maintained throughout, and for sure I would suggest that the dual guitar work carries this entire album somewhat, but I cant deny the hint of desperation found in Kuhrs vocals. His growls arent as coherent here as they later became in To Welcome the Fade and Pale Haunt Departure, and that level of blurring in his words just makes him sound like a man in torment, and not necessarily reading from a lyric sheet. The drumming has that same level of nonchalance, if you will. There seems to be something rather genuine about the way all these tracks were laid down, as if there were less takes, less emphasis on getting things to sound perfect. A simple fuck it, lets roll attitude. That works for me. I dont want perfect I want grit, determination, and honesty.
Harmony Divine bursts out, Kuhr grunting, Come follow me as it literally explodes into a gallop of riffs, and followed by Shadows of Light again showcasing the two guitars working together so perfectly: both carrying the rhythm and lead (heightening the song writing strengths in the rhythm and the melancholy vibe in the harmonious leads.) This is displayed brilliantly again on Silent Tomorrow, probably their best song. Ever.
Intervene is another instrumental, this time played on a single acoustic guitar. Its only 1:52 long but it brings a sense of calm, immediately breaking the vibe to reaffirm the general eclectic nature of The Knowing. Yes, eclectic, progressive, and unique to NOVEMBERS DOOM. This happens twice more in the album: with Sarah Wilsons clean softly sung vocals in Searching the Betrayal; and the piano sections in The Day I return, Aura Blue, and the dark edit version of Silent Tomorrow. All these variations help keep the album spinning.
Then comes a surprise
In Memories Past aka what the fuck?! Talk about GROOVE this song is about the jazz of it all, the SABBATH penned Sabbra Cadabra type swooshing licks and swinging riffs. To add to the tangent, it even falls into a short SANTANA-of-old inspired interlude before breaking out into some fuzzy bass licks just bouncing off the tube amps. And full credit to Kuhrs clean vocals on this one, his scales reaching new dimensions (SOUL ASYLUM anyone?) perhaps making this the least traditional NOVEMBERS DOOM song Ive heard, and a small risk that inevitably pays off in spades.
Of course, when the poignant piano piece introduces The Day I Return, the vibe returns to where The Knowing started off. The gallop returns, the guitar melodies return, the darkness fades in, the candles flicker, and the mood is set for the close. (Nice vocals added towards the end of this song by Burnley by the way).
As you can guess, The Knowing is my favorite NOVEMBERS DOOM album. The production is simple, the musicianship is relaxed, and the adventurous use of song instrumentals, piano sections, acoustic interludes, and female vocals just makes this entire album a standout. Its cloaked in darkness, and smothered in improvised rough-edged playing. Thats what makes it sound truly genuine, at least to me. Two thumbs up!
9.75/10
