Novembers Doom - The Pale Haunt Departure
Candlelight file under doom metal
 Vera: For months I was looking forward to the release of ‘The Pale Haunt Departure’. The album was released in March by The End Records in America, home country of this marvellous doom band. In July the album was eventually picked up by Candlelight, so that everyone should be familiar with their fifth album before they come over to Europe for the first time next autumn. One of the concerts is a gig on the infamous ProgPower festival in Baarlo on the 1st of October.
The band was founded in 1989 in Chicago, Illinois (USA) as death/thrash band, but evolved soon to a more doomy variant. The energy of death metal was kept though, especially in the vocals. Nowadays, only vocalist Paul Kuhr is left over from the original line-up. This is their first album for The End Records (a new contract was signed in 2004) and let us hope this is a start of long term co-operation which will bring them the long deserved success.
Look out, this is not an album for doom adepts only. OK, the general tendency is dark and gloomy, but that’s not all there is to say. I am sure that, for instance, every Opeth fan will be overwhelmed when hearing ‘The Pale Haunt Departure’. In the meantime I have heard some of their previous albums too. These are rattling good, but now the production, the quality of the compositions and the overall vocal duties of Paul Kuhr are better. And that’s no coincidence. Mastermind Dan Swanö is in charge again. He mixed the album in his cosy Square One studio in Örebro (Sweden) and he plays the guitar solo at the end of ‘Dark World Burden’. Mastering was done by James Murphy (Testament, Death…)
The first song, the title track, puts you a bit on the wrong leg. Pious ascending chants pass into resolute drum beats and we are departed with chunky riffs and snarling death metal grunts. This is a fine but not yet outstanding death metal track. The pure magic really starts when the band couples mournful melodies and clean vocals with devastating outbursts of despair. Indeed, you will not become mirthful of the lyrics. Distress, disappointment, sorrow, desperation… the rumour was spread that singer Paul Kuhr has written this album after a failed love. ‘Swallowed By The Moon’ starts with acoustic guitars and solemn spoken words. Pent-up rage comes out in those marvellous grunts. The amalgam of rhythm and mood changes leads to memorable moments, a unique play of shade and light. Lots of clean serene vocals and melodic guitars in the background.
And then it is about time to turn all folks on earth into Novembers Doom fans. With the slightly Opeth allied ‘Autumn Reflection’ that won’t be difficult. Strings, plucking guitars and melancholic sonorous vocals. Once again an undercurrent of tension, besides a few incidental guitar walls. A standout song! The soundtrack of autumn was born in springtime. Hold by a rather simple chords base, this song is pure strength as well as fragility. It is followed by the most catchy song of the album ‘Dark World Burden’. Something to sing along even, with its tight riffs, delicious gravel-throated rasps and eclectic guitar solo at the end (of Dan Swanö).
Songs like ‘In The Absence Of Grace’ and ‘The Dead Leaf Echo’ interchange grunts with spoken fragments, the exceptional sound of the guitars is a bit dissonant and distorted, one could say almost classical. Of course a band like My Dying Bride is a good reference, but I would like to emphasize that Novembers Doom has absolutely a personal sound. Another moment of pure beauty is ‘Through A Child’s Eyes’. It shines with innocence, purity and melancholy and it is totally sung in a clean way. A majestic guitar solo completes the happiness. We can do nothing but conclude this record with the monumental riffs of ‘Collapse Of The Fallen Throe’, once more we wallow ourselves in deeply rooted grief. This record shall not be missing in any collection anywhere!
Rating 98/100 (details)
http://www.novembersdoom.com
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