Novembre - The Blue - 05.11.07

Often when an Italian doom/death/progressive metal band release a new record you can almost hear the hurried scuffing of footsteps running in the opposite direction. It’s a rare thing indeed to find a glinting gem amongst the tarnished, cheap imitations usually on offer and a treat then to discover Novembre in good form on their seventh album.

Opeth and Katatonia fans will appreciate Novembre’s own brand of sweeping, progressive metal, utilising electric and acoustic guitars to create over an hour of soundscapes which are simply oceanic in scope, and nicely synonymous with the album’s title. It’s not a huge departure from previous efforts save for the extra vocal grunting, but the band’s beautiful melodies, stratospheric emotional compositions and snippets of death metal are quality, no argument.

Not instantly appealing, but addictive once it gets its hooks in you, ‘The Blue’ can perhaps be likened to your first cigarette, and check out what a habit that became. So stick with Italian prog metal if you like it; it’s a far less expensive habit.


Verdict :

JIM BURT