Customer Reviews

Pale Haunt Departure

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NOVEMBER'S DOOM - The Pale Haunt Departure
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This is my first intro into November's Doom catalogue and I can honestly say I am quite impressed... Usually I prefer some faster paced Metal, but this was honestly quite fulfilling to my aural senses...
While certain tracks echo the mighty Opeth, (Namely the opening Title Track) they do seem to distinguish themselves. The Majority of the other six tracks fuse traditional Sludge filled Doom with passages of dark beauty and often use the acoustic to further their ambience. Tracks like `Swallowed by the Moon' and `Through a Childs Eyes', are both powerful tracks, epic in its scope, especially the lyrics.
If anything, ND can create an amazing dark, gloomy atmosphere like few others... At times the music is as beautiful as it is Mellon collie.

Musicianship is quite good, some really intricate guitar parts, more so during the Acoustic passages. Also the drummer uses some nice patterns which despite the general speed of the music are quite detailed. (Especially his tribal beats and tom-tom work.) Vocals are a definite high-point... This is a band that with a poor singer would fall victim to being lost within the pack. Yet Kuhr's powerful growls and somber singing give this band an edge among many others.

This disc is recommended for fans of such great prog-metal bands such as, Opeth, Enslaved, Katatonia, and Agalloch.

Favorite Songs: Swallowed by the Moon, Autumn Reflection, and Through a Child's Eyes.
-4.5 Stars


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Previous reviewers of Chicago based doom metal act Novembers Doom may have set the band up for failure in the eyes of many potential new fans by superfluously comparing them favorably to crowned genre giant Opeth, a band that has yet to be dethroned by the crop of newer death metal hordes. Novembers Doom is unquestionably a talented and innovative group, but unrealistically marketing them as a successor or even replacement for a band like Opeth has probably done them more harm than good. The title track of The Pale Haunt Departure starts off very strong with eerie distorted voices calling out from the void coupled with a building drum beat that is clearly leading into some mind blowing metal insanity. This is unfortunately where the flop happens for both the title track and nearly every other track on the entire album.

All of The Pale Haunt Departure's songs have such excellently crafted intro segments that it would be nearly inconceivable that the music following the introduction could be anything but blazing new territory into the hallowed halls of metal history. While each song has merit on its own, they all go sharply downhill in quality after the first thirty to forty-five seconds with a tendency to plod along boringly without even a hint of the flavor shown at the beginning of the song. The songs are all solid, ranging from tolerable to absolutely great, but it's hard to appreciate them after hearing the near perfect intros.

The vocalist for November's Doom has a surprisingly clear and understandable death metal growl, but regrettably he doesn't seem to have a very wide range, as the tone of the growls remain consistently the exact same throughout the entire album. The clean vocals vary between laughably silly and really good, which is something that extreme metal enthusiasts just have to live with. Towards the beginning of the second track "Swallowed By The Moon", there is some clean talking rather than actual melodic singing and it is black metal cheese at its worst, but the clean singing during the rest of the track is surprisingly good. Acoustic interludes, and even completely acoustic songs, are scattered throughout the album with enough variety to be interesting and keep the listener's interest. The only exception would be in the song "Through A Child's Eyes". While it is a great mild song on its own, they definitely should have left out the background sounds of a baby cooing, which seems completely out of place on an otherwise doom oriented album.

If Novembers Doom had just somehow continued to incorporate the themes of each intro throughout the entire track, and hadn't made almost every song repetitive and boring after the first half minute this honestly could have been one of the top 10 metal albums of all time. Maybe after a few more albums when the vocalist has had a chance to expand his range considerably and the band can refine their sound then Novembers Doom could feasibly compare to Opeth. As it currently stands, Novembers Doom is a solid metal act, but nothing to burn a church over.

Before I start my review, a disclaimer is in order: I am a neophyte in the world of doom metal. Given that the only bands that I've listened to extensively that even moderately approach doom Agalloch and November's Doom, I can't say I know much about the genre. However, I am a huge fan of all music progressive, especially in the Opeth vein, and this album certainly succeeds in that area.

Much like Opeth, Novembers Doom merges crushing heavy sections with heartfelt mellow parts, although I'd say Novembers Doom is slightly heavier, and the riffs are more doom influenced. These guys really do have a unique sound, and all the pieces fit together perfectly. A true standout has to be Paul Kuhr's vocals; when brutal, they are clear and powerful. When soft, they lend emotional weight to rather light lyrics.

There is not a weak track on this album, although I must recommend "The Dead Leaf Echo" for its beautiful, almost Spanish-sounding intro, and "Collapse of its Fallen Throe" for an incredible, heavy doom riff. I am overall very impressed and will definitely be acquiring their back catalog.

Any words I write will probably not convince you to get this album, so go listen to a song for yourself. From the Novembers Doom website:

<a href = "http://media.theendrecords.com/NovembersDoom_PaleHauntDeparture_SwallowedBytheMoon.mp3"> Swallowed By The Moon</a>

A very strong track, and quite indicative of the rest of the album. If you like that song, you'll enjoy the rest of the album. If not, you may want to look somewhere else. Highly recommended.

It is all too easy to simply liken one band to another and call it a review. Although, when i listen to this album it reminds me of some opeths songs. The vocals remind me of opeths song "demon of the fall." they are death vocals, but are controlled rather then screames, and the lyrics are detectable.
This album is mainly slow and heavy, but retainig the melody that saves it from sounding like lesser death/doom metal bands.
There is breaks in the heavines though with atmospheric acoustic passages and clean vocals.
This album is eerie, lots or reverb, slow marching tom tom, acoustic guitars and deep clean vocals contrasted with death vox. The lyrics are typically doomy but do not come across as bedroom poetry as is often the case in doom

To characterize this album i would say that it is doomy and deathy, but is contrasted with atmospheric and eerie songs and passages. It contains the odd bit of double pedals, and even an acoustic (well - clean anyway)track. This is a subtle album, it has melody but is not necessarily catchy and it is heavy but this does not disguise the subtleties of the guitarists and the vocals.They write good, not obvious song structures, which i give them respect for.

in short, there is nothing necessarily bad about about this album - though it is not stunning either. If you like opethy death, or doom you will like this album and it is worth hearing - it is subtle and required several listens.

i appreciate this review is rather general and does not really look at individual tracks, but it is one of those albums which is more about mood and the album as a whole then individual parts.

wprth having if you like

my dying bride
opeth
katatonia
....all the usual doom/death suspects

thankyou

This album was a wonderful mix of Death & Doom, reminded me of Opeth in some ways, but not better then them. Novembers Doom has a great way of playing Doom/Death Metal, it's very to the point & graceful. If you are a Speed Death Metal listener, you might want to skip this, but if you like Opeth, Old Man's Child, & alittle Nevermore, this maybe a great find for you. I'm giving it 5 stars because i think it has killer vocals (death & regular), interesting riffs & the drummer doesn't over play himself. I recomend Opeth & Nevermore for the ones who enjoy this album

There is no band better at combining doom with death than ND. They prove this yet again with a fantastic release. The guitar work is heavy and intricate and the vocals are powerful and versatile. The vocalist is an amazing death/doom singer but his clean vocals are outstanding and provides for a great mix. One of the great things about ND is their admirable ability to create songs with stunning melody and grim dissonance. This creates an emotional yet bleak tone to their compositions which fits perfect with the doomy lyrics. The artwork is dark yet beautiful and certainly adds to the melancholic tone of the album. The album is heavy but much more "artsy" than most death metal bands. For that reason I would say this is a potential purchase for death fans. It is certainly a must own for doom fans.

This album is very dark with a feeling of despair to it, which it should because they're a doom metal band. This album is aptly titled because from the very first track one word that could be used to describe it is "Haunting." The disc starts of with a nice tribal beat then goes into a death metal song and from there you are just left with chills. I really like the lead singer's voice because not only does do the clean vocals fit the music well but his growls are deep, angry but you can mostly understand what he is saying. Most would think that would make the music sound less heavy but that is not the case at all. There are slow ballad like songs on the album as well, like Autumn Reflection which sound great and add to the melancholy feel of the album. A lot of the songs on the album have a groove to them that makes you want to bang your head, which you will believe me. Novembers Doom have crafted one great Death/Doom metal album that should not go unheard. Stand out tracks: The Pale Haunt Departure, Swallowed by the Moon, Dark World Burden.

Normally, I give new albums about 5 or 6 listens before I make any judgement and think about writing a review. For obvious reasons, this gives some of the less accessible albums time to get under my skin and reveal their treasures. Occasionally, I feel I could review an album after first listen, due to an album being either very obviously irredeemably terrible, or if an album has an immediate impact on me due to quality and personal taste. Novembers Doom fits into the latter category. I knew during the first listen exactly what this album was all about and that I completely loved it within a few minutes. I have listened to it constantly since then, but my opinion hasn't changed one bit.

There's something very emotionally raw about Novembers Doom's music. You always have the feeling that these guys use their albums as an outlet for their most intimate passions and emotions. At times, I find myself feeling almost uncomfortable at being present during the unleashing of built up sorrow and anger, but I always find it to be a more satisfying experience due to the legitimate impression I'm left with. Novembers Doom have always been a consistently good doom/death band (comparisons can be made to legends My Dying Bride), but this is far and away their greatest achievement, and one that I'm certain will be thought of with the highest regard by those into the more depressive side of metal.

The production is near perfect for this type of music, with each instrument getting the clarity and power necessary. I really love the guitar sound they've managed here, much better than on previous releases from the band. Also of particular note is the improvement in the vocal department. Whether it be sorrowful clean vocals or roaring cries of anguish, this is all first rate, and filled with the above-mentioned emotion that is so necessary for lyrics of despair such as these. I really can't find anything particularly bad about the album, but I am aware that the massive standard set by both "Autumn Reflection" and "Collapse of the Falling Throe" at the top is not quite matched throughout the remaining tracks. There are certainly no fillers at all on "The Pale Haunt Departure" and I'm certain it will be right up there with Primordial's latest in my top 10 at the end of the year. This, along with Draconian's "Arcane Rain Fell" have made 2005 a great year for doom already.

This is the best album they've released so far in my opinion. The production is amazing, thanks to Dan Swano and James Murphy. The songs are heavy and memorable, with the highlight being "Dark World Burden" which contains a solo from Mr. Swano himself. The lyrics are full of loss and longing, very depressing most of the time. They've moved farther away from their My Dying Bride influence, and are better off because of it. They found their sound on "To Welcome the Fade," and have only improved on it with this album. Paul Kuhr's voice is outstanding, with a good mix of clean singing and multiple growl stylings. This has spent a great deal of time in my player lately, will likely continue to do so.

Novembers Doom has been churning out high quality doom metal for over a decade now and with the Pale Haunt Departure, they are starting to get the recognition they deserve (and for good reason).

To begin, Novembers Doom isn't really even doom. They began worshipping at the altar of bands like My Dying Bride and have evolved into a more melodic entity beginning with their previous record, To Welcome the Fade. Think Brave Murder Day era Katatonia mixed with Blackwater Park era Opeth with remnants of the classic European doom bands like MDB and Anathema. Needless to say, that rules.

The absolute highlight of this record is vocalist Paul Kuhr. The man gives Mikael Akerfeldt a run for his money with his guttural yet understandable growl and his clean singing is the best it has ever been. Kuhr doesn't have great range but his vocals are honest and there is obvious feeling behind them. Tracks like "Swallowed by the Moon" and "In the Absence of Grace" showcase the improved vocals and an excellent variation in delivery. Musically, the whole band is great. Guitarists Larry Roberts and Vito Marchese have done an excellent job with their thundering chords (best on the title track) and their depressing clean melodys that remind me of Opeth on occasion ("Swallowed by the Moon and Autumn Reflection" in particular). Drummer Joe Nunez plays the standard doom metal fare but throws in some very interesting tribal drumming on the title track and has some other tricks up his sleeve. Next, the production, like the last record, is excellent. Mixed by Dan Swano and mastered by the immortal James Murphy, the production job is one of the best you'll hear all year. The drum sound is huge, the guitars are huge and the vocals don't overshadow anything but are heard clearly. Everything about this production is huge!!!

My only problem with this release is the lyrics. I immediately give Paul Kuhr credit for wearing his heart on his sleeve ("Swallowed by the Moon" is about Kuhr losing his daughter) but they seem too concrete and straightforward for my liking. Had the lyrics taken the metaphors introduced in the songtitles and extended them, we could be talking about album of the year. The lyrics are by no means bad but looking at the thoughtful song titles, I was expecting a little more.

"The Pale Haunt Departure" is an excellent record and deserves to be picked up. This band has been making quality metal for a long time but there is no doubt in my mind that this is their best. If you like older Katatonia, newer Opeth or classic Euro doom, do yourself a favor and check this out.