|
Fans of Opeth, Katatonia and Anathema will find much to
love with Italy's Novembre. The wonderfully depressing tones
in this album have hooked me on this band, and I will soon
be seeking out their prior releases. Novembre is from Italy,
though they sound more like Sweden's Opeth and definitely
have that "Scandinavian" feel to their music. Though they
are a 3 piece - you would never know it from hearing the music
- it is a very full sound with guitars used in a unique way
to create atmosphere. Acoustic passages are followed by churning
riffs - though not as heavy as Opeth can get (not that I mind).
Novembre has several releases under their belt - and this
is my first exposure to the band. For those who fear death
vocals - don't worry - Novembre has eschewed them for the
most part with this record. My understanding is that the band
used to be much more like Opeth in that the switch from death
to clean vocals was a larger part of the sound. On this release
- Carmelo Orlando's clean vocals are highlighted with the
growl only appearing very briefly in a couple of the tracks.
This album is chock full of depressing melody - and the star
is Carmelo Orlando's voice. He uses it in such a way that
you never know where he is going next in his singing - and
it would be very difficult to sing along as the melodies are
so unpredictable. He can sing beautifully in the high or low
range, and switches from English to Italian on occasion. This
is very good stuff. Not a bad track to be found - all are
very satisfying. The best 2 tracks for me are Aquamarine (one
of the tracks with death vocals at the end - but they are
incredible when they do surface) and Nothijngrad, whose ending
is guaranteed to stick in your head.
Overall - these guys focus on a feeling more than technical
complexity - although they are far more varied and complex
to my ears than Anathema (who I also happen to love). Believe
it or not - I find myself actually wishing they used the death
vocals a little more as they are perfect in sound. If you
are looking for something new and fresh - you should pick
this up - these guys really need more exposure. Awesome album,
and one of the best yet this year. Rating: 4.5 stars
|
