SilentScream213 A volte-face to anyone who thinks Doom Metal can’t be energetic and exciting, and a great lesson in what makes true Doom a completely different beast from Trad Doom. Wish I Could Dream It Again is one of the earliest true Doom albums, having zero Sabbathian influence, none of the 80’s Doom groove, and a total focus on somber, melancholic atmospheres. And unlike most prior Doom bands, it doesn’t rely on being consistently slow to achieve this. Lethargic, doomy sections still run through the compositions, but a lot of this material is lively, especially the rhythm section. Simple melodies and morose chords permeate the songwriting, but that drumming ensures a complex and ever-changing foundation to the music.

Novembre also have very melancholic lyrical themes, sticking to the introspective and poetic, drawing upon aquatic, summery and warm imagery across the album in another first for Doom Metal. The sentimental mood here was pretty unique at the time, but the general melancholy on display became a staple for the genre. Doom bands had already begun adopting this focus on gloomy atmospheres, which is how true Doom was born in the early 90’s, but Novembre here upped the ante. This was probably the most melancholic metal album at the time of its release.

As debuts can be, it’s a bit rough around the edges in some places; the clean vocals in particular are quite amateur, though they don’t bother me at all because they perfectly encapsulate that morose feeling of Doom. Either way, a landmark release for the genre, and a great learning experience for those who aren’t privy to the great variation that can be found in Doom Metal.

Vim Fuego Have you ever been listening to a song on the radio thinking “hmm, this isn’t too bad, but you know, it would be better if the drummer suddenly let rip with a double kick drum frenzy”? Or perhaps you’ve thought “this song is OK, but it would be really cool if the guitarist really kicked his guitar into overdrive here”? Well, chances are, listening to the radio, neither of these things are ever going to happen, but listen to ‘Materia’ by Novembre and that’s exactly what you’ll get.

Thankfully, the album title has nothing to do with a Final Fantasy video game obsession. Italian outfit Novembre started as an off-centre death metal band, throwing in acoustic passages and clean vocals to create moods and atmospheres in an era where such things were gimmick rather than commonplace. Over five albums, the band’s sound has evolved to a point where it is not death metal by any stretch of the imagination, but more an amalgam of modern rock, moody melodies and metal highlighting. Imagine if bands like Tool or Audioslave or Nickelback actually knew what metal was, and occasionally used metal-sounding guitars, or had drummers who could genuinely kick out the jams.

The advantage of playing mostly rock, while coming from a metal background, means that Novembre still know how to let rip and carve up a song when they need to. Listening to the album, the first few tracks pass by, doing more than enough to keep the listener interested, but occasionally there seems to be something missing. That’s where the old metal skills come in. The vocals are clean, clear and plaintive, which can become a little one-dimensional at times, and you wish the vocalist would just cough up a wad of phlegm and let rip with a gravelly death grunt, and fuck me sideways, on the fourth track “Aquamarine” he does! A bit further on through the album, you find yourself wondering “hey, do ya reckon these guys can still play fast”? And then the introduction to “Comedia” blasts through the speakers, a high tempo, full on death metal blast.

If you’re looking for an album of Cryptopsy-esque techno-death, or slabs of straight forward Obituary-style death metal, you’re looking in the wrong place here. This is an album of subtleties, but without the all too common descent into Gothic fuckwittery. Often, the only clue to this not being above-average radio rock is a too-heavy guitar, or drums being played too aggressively. Still, Novembre keep it reasonably simple, relying on little outside the guitar/drums/bass/vocal staple. “Geppetto” is sung in the band’s native Italian, something which many bands from non-English speaking backgrounds don’t do enough of. Perhaps a criticism which could be levelled at this album is the songs are too long at times, sometimes playing like a couple of different, unrelated tunes stuck together with a bridge.

While not something likely to become an instant classic, or indeed anyone’s favourite album, ‘Materia’ is an album to revisit when you can’t face a dose of screaming bloody gore. Imagine Opeth without the boring bits, or a less folk-oriented Amorphis. And forget all your hair-splitting genre labels, like atmospheric melodic trad/death folk metal, because you’ll just end up with a silly list of meaningless words which don’t come near describing the music.

Warthur Novembre's Novembrine Waltz straddles the borderline between gothic metal and symphonic metal - the symphonic aspect of their music manifesting in the band's tendency to to cover classical music standards in the middle of their songs. This, of course, is an approach which was previously taken by the first generation of symphonic prog bands in the 1970s, but on the whole I find it (with a few exceptions) the least interesting approach to symphonic rock or metal, turning what can be a fascinating approach to composing new and original material into a dull exercise in "rocking the classics". Novembre's take on the old, old exercise is no different to my ears. It's a fun listen at points, but the juxtaposition of gothic metal cliche and classical music cliche is too much for me.

gatekeeper Novembre has taken heat for a supposed similarity to the recent works of labelmates Katatonia, but you can forget all about any sort of comparison. Sure, Novembre possess a quantifiably gothic rock edge, there’s no questioning that fact. But that’s where the similarity ends.

The sounds of “Materia” are much looser in form - free-sounding and airy, a glistening adventure in atmospherically astute wanderings. At times, these songs are on an even keel with the latest from HIM, “Dark Light,” in terms of production and presence, but the material of Novembre is more introspective and certainly less polished for mass consumption. In saying that, the intention is that you’ll know there’s no an easy formula, catchy love anthems or overtly obvious radio pandering to be found here. Just very emotional, well-written and played rock sounds with a contemporary, gothic edge.

Standouts include the expansive, far-reaching “Reason,” the swirling “Aquamarine” and “The Promise,” which heavily borrows inspiration from U2. Bleak yet hopeful, “Materia” delivers blissful dread and an engagingly tuneful glimpse into an ocean of melodic sadness.