- Oct 22, 2006
- 142
- 0
- 16
Novembre – The Blue
Peaceville Records – No Barcode – Out Now
By Dan Fisher
Holy shit if this album sounded anymore like Katatonia's Brave Murder Day they would to change their name to Novembretonia. Now don't get me wrong this is a beautifully cold album which has been produced impeccably but come on. You even chose to use Travis Smith for your artwork who created some very iconic album sleeves for Katatonia and Opeth. The Blue shows that Novembre, while clearly possessing the musical tools to be huge, lack the originality of their peers to really stand out and be recognised. This really pisses me off because if they just grew a pair of balls they would probably be one of my favourite bands. I mean, their grasp of melody is incredible. Listen to the ending of 'Triesteitaliana'. Haunting. Then there is the atmosphere created which rivals the very best doom masters in conjuring a scene of winter solstice, perfect and frozen.
Another listen and another problem that is apparent to me is the lack of clarity in the vocals. They are almost used as just another instrument in the mix but in doing this, they loose the ability to tell a story. The worst song on the album is 'Bluecracy' which has some god-awful angsty vocals screaming "I can't see where you are". Deep. Then this disappointment is replaced with wonder on the next track 'Architheme' which again uses an inspired sense of harmony to create a wall of sound that really shouldn't be missed. If I was to sum up this album in a nutshell it would be 'hit and miss'. With equal measures of banality and genius, it is hard to figure out how this could have happened. Anyway, pick up a copy and make your own mind up. And guys, come on: Opeth have just lost a couple a members and Katatonia's last album was a bit samey. Calmly step out into the cold light of winter where you belong.
Official Novembre Website
Official Peaceville Website
Peaceville Records – No Barcode – Out Now
By Dan Fisher
Holy shit if this album sounded anymore like Katatonia's Brave Murder Day they would to change their name to Novembretonia. Now don't get me wrong this is a beautifully cold album which has been produced impeccably but come on. You even chose to use Travis Smith for your artwork who created some very iconic album sleeves for Katatonia and Opeth. The Blue shows that Novembre, while clearly possessing the musical tools to be huge, lack the originality of their peers to really stand out and be recognised. This really pisses me off because if they just grew a pair of balls they would probably be one of my favourite bands. I mean, their grasp of melody is incredible. Listen to the ending of 'Triesteitaliana'. Haunting. Then there is the atmosphere created which rivals the very best doom masters in conjuring a scene of winter solstice, perfect and frozen.
Another listen and another problem that is apparent to me is the lack of clarity in the vocals. They are almost used as just another instrument in the mix but in doing this, they loose the ability to tell a story. The worst song on the album is 'Bluecracy' which has some god-awful angsty vocals screaming "I can't see where you are". Deep. Then this disappointment is replaced with wonder on the next track 'Architheme' which again uses an inspired sense of harmony to create a wall of sound that really shouldn't be missed. If I was to sum up this album in a nutshell it would be 'hit and miss'. With equal measures of banality and genius, it is hard to figure out how this could have happened. Anyway, pick up a copy and make your own mind up. And guys, come on: Opeth have just lost a couple a members and Katatonia's last album was a bit samey. Calmly step out into the cold light of winter where you belong.
Official Novembre Website
Official Peaceville Website
