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Novembers Doom - The Pale Haunt Departure (The End)* Review by Metal George
Wow, I cant believe that metal renaissance man Dan Swano would allow his name to be attached to such a devastatingly mediocre and bottom-dwelling band as Novembers Doom. To be fair, it isnt really the musical core of the band which is the proverbial albatross, so to speak. The name of that anchor goes by the name of Paul Kuhr, vocalist of said also-rans.*
For truth be told, the music contained within The Pale Haunt Departure is suitably melancholic and depressive, everything this sort of Death/Doom is supposed to be. However, the moment Mr. Kuhr opens his mouth with his absurdly childish and immature lyrical skills and inept pseudo-growl, everything the band has musically erected up until*
that point crumbles to dust.
Its painfully evident that Novembers Doom desperately wishes to capture the vibe of the mid-90s Peaceville Doom Metal explosion, when bands like My Dying Bride and Anathema will still the master purveyors of 10 minute, epic dirges of neo-gothicism. However, those bands have long since grown up and achieved greater success by venturing on to greener pastures, at the same time creating true masterworks which display the true artistic talents that lay within those early, primordial efforts.
Of course, there will always be a market for nostalgia, as evidenced by the Bride themselves getting on the old horse again and riding the Doom/Death train for all its worth, to mixed results. Within this market lay the fortunes of Novembers Doom, for their genre of music is not a forward thinking one, but one with an eye solidly affixed to the past.
Not that this is necessarily a terrible thing, but in this case, I simply feel that most fans of a certain age (like myself), enjoyed this sort of thing the FIRST time it came around, and may not be totally on board with going through it a second time, especially from a band like N. Doom, who isnt even performing it that well in the first place.
Again, I need to refer back to the track record of American bands attempting to mimic a genre that has already been perfected by their European counterparts; it very rarely is successful. The Pale Haunt Departure tries oh-so desperately to enter the upper echelons of the Doom Titans, yet even when the album succeeds (the end of Autumn Reflection, and Dark World Burden, where Swano himself makes a guitar appearance), the fact that Paul Kuhr seems to be unhappy unless hes continually doing his best Aaron Stainthorpe (MDB) imitation will always keep this band from being anything more than an opening act.
If I want to hear real emotional Doom/Death, Ill go listen to the British masters, or old Katatonia. If I want to hear a real American band performing this style well, Ill listen to While Heaven Wept, and leave Novembers Doom to endlessly imitate and never innovate. A shame www.novembersdoom.com* | www.theendrecords.com*
Novembers Doom - The Pale Haunt Departure (The End)* Review by Metal George
Wow, I cant believe that metal renaissance man Dan Swano would allow his name to be attached to such a devastatingly mediocre and bottom-dwelling band as Novembers Doom. To be fair, it isnt really the musical core of the band which is the proverbial albatross, so to speak. The name of that anchor goes by the name of Paul Kuhr, vocalist of said also-rans.*
For truth be told, the music contained within The Pale Haunt Departure is suitably melancholic and depressive, everything this sort of Death/Doom is supposed to be. However, the moment Mr. Kuhr opens his mouth with his absurdly childish and immature lyrical skills and inept pseudo-growl, everything the band has musically erected up until*
that point crumbles to dust.
Its painfully evident that Novembers Doom desperately wishes to capture the vibe of the mid-90s Peaceville Doom Metal explosion, when bands like My Dying Bride and Anathema will still the master purveyors of 10 minute, epic dirges of neo-gothicism. However, those bands have long since grown up and achieved greater success by venturing on to greener pastures, at the same time creating true masterworks which display the true artistic talents that lay within those early, primordial efforts.
Of course, there will always be a market for nostalgia, as evidenced by the Bride themselves getting on the old horse again and riding the Doom/Death train for all its worth, to mixed results. Within this market lay the fortunes of Novembers Doom, for their genre of music is not a forward thinking one, but one with an eye solidly affixed to the past.
Not that this is necessarily a terrible thing, but in this case, I simply feel that most fans of a certain age (like myself), enjoyed this sort of thing the FIRST time it came around, and may not be totally on board with going through it a second time, especially from a band like N. Doom, who isnt even performing it that well in the first place.
Again, I need to refer back to the track record of American bands attempting to mimic a genre that has already been perfected by their European counterparts; it very rarely is successful. The Pale Haunt Departure tries oh-so desperately to enter the upper echelons of the Doom Titans, yet even when the album succeeds (the end of Autumn Reflection, and Dark World Burden, where Swano himself makes a guitar appearance), the fact that Paul Kuhr seems to be unhappy unless hes continually doing his best Aaron Stainthorpe (MDB) imitation will always keep this band from being anything more than an opening act.
If I want to hear real emotional Doom/Death, Ill go listen to the British masters, or old Katatonia. If I want to hear a real American band performing this style well, Ill listen to While Heaven Wept, and leave Novembers Doom to endlessly imitate and never innovate. A shame www.novembersdoom.com* | www.theendrecords.com*
