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Rating: There was a tension in the air welcoming the fifth studio album by Novembre. Tension caused by a silence lasting 5 years (if we exclude the reissue 'Dreams D'Azur', the last album was 'Novembrine Waltz', from 2001) and by the desire to know what path this time would be taken by a band that in 12 years of career has proven to be one of the most versatile and inspired of the Italian scene, unfortunately more appreciated abroad than in our own country.
And Novembre are back. And as usual, they did not disappoint. 'Materia' is a dreamlike album as 'Wish I Could Dream It Again' but more refined. Sophisticated as 'Arte Novecento' but less melancholic. Complex as 'Classica' but less aggressive. Inspired as 'Novembrine Waltz' but more straightforward. From the first track, you realize that something has changed. The style remains unmistakable among thousands, but there is something that makes them different from the Novembre we knew.
In 'Materia', as in 'Arte Novecento', there is a complete absence of growl singing, save for a few brief hints: a choice that might disappoint fans closer to the purely metal universe, but that shows the band's willingness to detach themselves from any label and definition and seek approval from a larger audience. I press the play button and am immediately catapulted into the authentic gem of the CD: "Verne" is probably one of the best tracks composed by Novembre, a melody that gets inside from the first listen, with Carmelo Orlando's warm voice blending perfectly with the power of distorted guitars. Then a pause, as the echoes of the guitar in phaser resonate... and I wonder if I can trust my ears. You can trust them: the second part of the song is entirely sung in Italian (the extensive use of our native language is another of the novelties introduced in this work), and showcases an incredibly inspired lyric.
"Dreams are children of the heart/Created in so much pain/Stripped of reason/For this, sent to die".
And slowly Carmelo Orlando's voice blends with the melody of the first verse, supported by guitars and second voice, to savor a genuine rock gem. Who said you can't make beautiful music in Italian? It is followed by "Memoria Stoica/Vetro", a smooth and immediate track, one that wouldn’t be out of place on an FM station. Here too, there is a second part sung in Italian... a melancholic lyric, lost love... emotions that only Novembre can convey. A melody entwining two acoustic guitars introduces "Reason", a melody that then makes way for a sharp distorted riff supported by a complex bass line and a clean voice that blends perfectly with the band’s sound wall. A sudden pause: a slower melody emerges from the acoustic guitars, again accompanied by distorted guitars, following the compositional scheme of the first part, then giving way to a tempo change and a new theme, more solemn in nature, from which the carefree melody of the first verse resurges like a phoenix: welcome to the most complex seven and a half minutes of the album. Applause for the creative ability of Novembre.
The fourth track is "Aquamarine", a sample of which had been available for some time on the official Novembre website. A song with everything it takes to get into your head from the first listen, with that captivating and sunny melody of its first part. Another pause (several of this album’s songs are distinctly divided into two parts) and Carmelo's voice grows more melancholic, once again supported by the band’s instrumental interplays and slowly builds up, culminating in one of the rare growl episodes on the album. But it's only a brief episode: the growl soon gives way to clean singing and a reprise of the first verse that closes one of the album’s best tracks. A Spanish-like guitar introduces "Jules", as the rest of the band builds up, accompanied by the double bass drum of the good Giuseppe Orlando (a constant in this song is precisely the massive use of double bass drum by what is undoubtedly one of the best Italian drummers) sustaining Carmelo's melancholic voice as he sings in Italian again. "This past will return/Only one day...". Then there’s the guitar embellishing an ethereal melody while the vocals return to English, only to slow down, stop, and give way to the second part of the song, which is nothing short of a development of the first where more space is given to the technical skills of the band members. Another pause and an acoustic guitar enters to accompany the voice toward the end of the song. And here we are facing another gem of the album: "Geppetto" opens with classical guitars drawing a melancholy motif in 3/4, then accompanied by violins. Then the drums and bass enter, the rhythm changes to 4/4, and Carmelo's voice sings an almost entirely Italian lyric that seems straight out of The Old Man and the Sea story. The song grows with the entrance of distorted guitars, the rhythm changes again to 3/4, then again to 4/4 to introduce the second verse. The melody flows smoothly, catchy, then becomes more solemn, slow paced, giving way to a more intimate section, again in 3/4, and to a brief guitar solo. It slows down again to introduce a coda punctuated by a solemn, majestic rhythm: a song capable of moving as few can, in its tenderness, its complexity, its so Mediterranean yet original flavor.
A death metal double bass drum and distorted guitars introduce "Comedy" (and here again note the almost inhuman performance of the drummer): an almost unusual intro given the atmosphere of the album. But slowly the fury calms, giving way to another highly successful track: melodic yet powerful, in pure Novembre style, containing a beautiful guitar solo. The voice is melancholic, winds through the band’s sound machinery like a poison, explodes in a long scream, returns to its timbre: an excellent display of vocal flexibility. And here we are now at another gem of the album: "The Promise" opens with a synthesizer (which accompanies the whole song), overlaid by an ethereal guitar, and Carmelo's voice confronting even with falsetto in the wonderful chorus: a track that instantly gets under your skin, and you'll want to listen to a thousand times. The title-track opens with a solemn, almost doom rhythm (perhaps intending to recall Novembre's metal roots), then accelerates in the second part, momentarily handing over to violins that resume the melody of "Memoria Stoica/Vetro", then to the second growl episode of the disc which closes the song. Now it's the turn of that jewel that is "Croma": a 3/4 serenade marked by the classical guitar, violins, and Carmelo's voice which seems distant and evanescent, while singing in Italian: a first part that gives simply shivers. The song grows slowly, with the rest of the band entering, reaching its climax in an intimate refrain, where the voice again confronts the falsetto, and then, to the notes of the snare drum, suddenly veers: changes tempo, becomes less dreamy, more direct. In the last part, we find an almost unexpected but not improper growl, while the guitars draw the melody leading to the last track, "Nothijngrad". Introduced with an almost medieval flavor, it starts with a strong rhythm marked by the drums, one of the most complex moments of the album, with its time changes, numerous riffs, and intricate rhythms. Spine-tingling is the part where the double voice (one clean, one in growl) sings the same verse. Examining in detail all the moments of this song is an impossible undertaking, so I’ll just say: listen and be amazed.
Just as, whether you're a fan of Novembre or not, I recommend listening to this album in its entirety. Maybe even several times: because it's one of those albums that, in its complexity, doesn’t immediately unfold, and never fails to hold surprises for subsequent listens. It's an album that can evoke different emotions in everyone, different reactions, but not leave indifferent. Another masterpiece signed by Novembre.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Verne (05:44)
Sarah, we once feltered
As you froze that
Morning omen
And you told them
And you warned them
That the sky turned red
Above them
Sarah it's said, same rain
Doesn't fall down twice.
Days, gone by,
Come back as the morning light
A colourless demise rises
And the only shelter I used to know
Is gone lost out of sight
[repeat refrain]
Sarah of the wonders
Of the wonders
Made of wonders
Venivi dall'atrio del cuore
Portando le chiavi del sole
Domani faremo l'amore
E niente potrà mai cambiare
Di questo rimase il rumore
D'un sogno che come nel mare
Si infrange su nere scogliere
D'un nero che può cancellare
Si dice che il sogno dell'uomo
È far si che il proprio domani
Sia senza calar del Sole
Ma dimmi com'è senz'amare?
Ma I sogni son figli del cuore
Creati in quanto dolore
Spogliati dalla lor ragione
Per questo mandati a morire
04 Aquamarine (05:13)
[C. Orlando, Pagliuso, G. Orlando]
Uncomfort within the improper feelings of this song
I'd rather grey instead of marbled pearly skies
Its imprint is alive like a post-war Stalingrad
A sense of broken Atlantis capes alive
Underside, underwater miles
There's a treasure for you just to find
Light sand stars, precious minerals
A treasure to find
You are my treasure to find
A caress of water, caress of life,
A caress of aquamarine water
Someone is wrong
A lifelessness alive
I won't be long
The time to ask the night
How could it go so abominably wrong
Someone is wrong
A caress of water, a caress of aquamarine dark
A caress of lifelessness alive
A lifelessness alive
06 Geppetto (06:59)
[C. Orlando, Pagliuso, G. Orlando]
Quel giorno il vecchio s'alzò
Sull'onda di un brutto sogno
Capì che era giunto il momento d'andare
"Oh cara vecchia Maria
È molto che non voliamo"
E così prese due stracci e salpò per il mare
Quel giorno il mare era un quadro
Di colori scuri, disse
"Guarda un po chi c'è! Mi sei mancato compare!"
Non saprei dirvi il perchè
Di questa storia che ha messo
Amore e dolore
In una sacca sgualcita
Capisci, il tempo del gioco
È oggi l'era del vuoto
E poi son solo preghiere da porgersi al mare
Sound the chime
Sound the chime
Like a sign from high, up high
Yeah, it seems like rain
But no, it won't hurt us again
And the whole landscape is mine
Oh friend of mine, of mine
All alone in this peak of a time
You can only hear this one voice
Tell him what you desire
And it's going to happen...
07 Comedia (06:55)
[C. Orlando, Pagliuso, G. Orlando]
More and more
The rain lingers on
War only was
To bond us all
Hell no, no war can paint this more sore
The path is packed with bags of coal
And bags of coal from some monstrous soul
And no, no rain can clean this at all
You say, "there's no way-out at all" is something false
But way-out, if it is not far is still getting narrow
The prayers for light result in failure and dismay
But almost yawn, it's a deja-vu sounding horror
Someday I'll take you by the hand
And leave this place without a face
I won't let our world to crumble down and come undone
But it's not now, just let me gather strength,
We weren't meant to be perfect
Some things ain't easy even if they seem to work just fine
Somewhere over that bridge it's done
Hey, the rain it splits as we walk
But war lingers on and some pain lingers on
As we rode the darkness all night long
And there's no rain in this final climb
Where Dante and I have seen such a sight
And Beatrice, my bride
To sleep now it's time
08 The Promise (05:33)
[Le Bon, Rhodes, Taylor]
Testo The Promise (Arcadia)
Whose tears on a gaping voice
Who's stretching arms match
The hunger of mine
There lips will they never join
But always draw me closer
And further entwined
With a promise dealer understand
All freedoms fade away
To a point of view
Where many different pathways meet
And we're standing on this precipice
With nothing much to gain save
But the deep blue screams
Of falling dreams
With our next move
Heaven hide your eyes
Heaven's eyes will never dry
The shades of a thousand steel
Come flashing by my face
In the fury of war
In desolation and abandoned fields
The hungry make their stand
When they'll stand for no more
Hear the passion in their voices
See the heaven in their eyes
Their hopes and schemes are waiting
Dreams of less than paradise
And sometimes we make promises
We never mean to keep
For blackmail is the only deal
A promise dealer sees
Heaven hide your eyes
Heaven's eyes will never dry
10 Croma (06:25)
[C. Orlando, Pagliuso, G. Orlando]
Andiam sopra ad aspettar
Senti il circo arrivare?
Tutti sopra per giocar
Per la mano, e poi volare
Between the flowers
Amongst the grain
I seek you now
And far away it comes a train
Don't ever want to miss a moment
As we've just begun something
I just wanna be someone
That makes you believe you are not breaking away
And I wonder what on Earth are we awaiting
For the train to tomorrow is here and it is longing
To take us away
And tomorrow there'll be landscapes you just dreamed about
And the sound of the bells
Will sound much realer in this brand-new dawn
Yes tomorrow there'll be still shades of yesterday
But they'll get vaguer and vaguer
As the winter's caress approaches close
I run to you
And I see the sky crying
Crying tears of widow, tears soon wiped dry
And thousand windows look at us dance
This sweet'n'sour theme, a romance
Dance, dance, dance...
Engulf me in your soul
And let those feathered arms fly
11 Nothijngrad (06:08)
[C. Orlando, Pagliuso, G. Orlando]
Sometimes the night
Brings memories, sometimes the night
Brings feelings you thought they are died
In some dusty, forgotten lost hall of your mind yes, sometimes
The night
This time a sea of ox-eyes
Painting the irises of white
Flooding mi senses with light
Filling my forgotten halls with bright
Because the lanes of the night
Always lead to railways blind
Always lead to the most pointless rhymes
Rhymes of life that sometimes we must write
Take the hand that is given to you
Let yourself to this Sunday morning
We're riding this shore to some-place beyond
So don't ever believe we'd stop by
A thousand years we've got ahead of your eyes [x2]
The further sight, always the farthest of sights
The farthest sight
Pride and might
We believe it's Nothijngrad
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Other reviews
By StefanoHab
"Novembre are UNIQUE."
"Materia is not made up of 11 songs but 11 tears, which flow without asking anyone's permission."
By jecko666
Novembre have invented a new Metal genre.
The voice truly seems to suffer and make us suffer when, with a delirious voice, it moans out phrases that are at times incomprehensible.
