Novembre
The Blue

It's been only a year and a half since the release of that great masterpiece "Materia," the album that definitively established the Italian trio internationally. And just after a year and a half, here we find them back in the recording studio, ready to roll out what has every potential to be a new masterpiece.

The style is always unmistakable, among a thousand others, that typical November style the band has accustomed us to since "Arte Novecento," the kind that hits you in the gut with its distortions, tight double bass drumming, and majestic growl while simultaneously being extremely evocative, producing unreachable gems like Nostalgiaplatz, Verne, and Everasia. The style remains the same, recognizable among a thousand others, although the atmospheres have changed compared to the ethereal "Materia." There are probably no songs in "The Blue" that you immediately start to hum after the first listen like Verne or Memoria Stoica: "The Blue" is a work where our musicians have brought their style to territories closer to melodic death metal and progressive. There's a return of the growl, relegated to niche roles in "Materia," a growl that's always elegant, majestic, and never out of place, accompanied by the usual extremely refined and intricate instrumental arrangements the trio has spoiled us with. This is an album that probably requires more time to be fully absorbed compared to "Materia" or "Novembrine Waltz," but the time, I assure you, is well spent.

The opening number, meticulously dedicated to Aenemia, is simply staggering, with an acoustic guitar over a bed of violins that embellishes the main arpeggio, soon accompanied by a very elegant fade-in by the entire band that picks up the same arpeggio, then continues in a delicious alternation of growls and clean vocals, vocal and instrumental interweavings. And the following Triesteitaliana is probably one of the most successful tracks, with its massive distortions, an interlude where at times it feels like listening to Slayer, followed by a staggering finale recited by an acoustic guitar and a blend of clean vocals. Also noteworthy is the excellent Cobalt of March, probably one of the songs that remains most impressed on the listener from the first listen, with its soft vocal melodies, and a sublime instrumental piece that alone is worth the entire price of the CD like Zenith, a track where the distortions of the two guitars coexist without conflicts with the tight rhythms of the drums and the velvety melodies drawn by a transverse flute.

In short, an album where the Roman trio proves they can once again hit the mark, supported as well by the impeccable and crystal-clear production of Peaceville Records.