Novembre
The Blue

INTRODUCTION

November 5, 2007, the release date of the new album by one of those bands that best represents Italian metal: Novembre; "The Blue" is the title of the album.

Released just a year after the previous and acclaimed "Materia," both at home and abroad, the new November work continues to show us a band in perpetual sonic evolution that, while continuing the tradition and reviving some elements of the band's darker past, underscores the desire for novelty within the band.

The first thing to note is the stable inclusion of a bassist, represented by Luca Giovagnoli, who throughout the album proves to be an excellent addition, showcasing a top-notch performance, both rhythmically and melodically.

ANALYSIS

As mentioned, the album, while continuing the discourse begun in the previous platter, reconnects with what the band has done in the past, and this is already noticeable from the first track (chosen as the lead single and accompanied by the first video our members have shot) "Anaemia," a song opened by a classical guitar arpeggio reminiscent of the best progressive rock from the '70s era, after which electric guitars, bass, and drums join in, supporting Carmelo's voice that starts violently first with a highly effective scream/growl, almost dissonant to the melody, only to calm down and settle on a clean register through which the singer expresses himself excellently, showing continuous improvement (one almost smiles when comparing the performances of "The Blue" with the first album rich in vocal naivety).

The following "Triesteitaliana" continues in the wake of the previous track, settling on sadder and grayer tones, alternating more driven parts with more reflective ones (the splendid finale is an example). Praiseworthy is the compositional work that shows a band in full strength, with a top-notch level of songwriting.

Another acoustic guitar introduces us to the next episode "Cobalt of March," full of references to "Arte Novecento," the band's second album: compared to previous attempts, "Cobalt Of March" is almost devoid of scream vocals and driven musical parts, favoring reflective, almost dreamlike moments; the same goes for the following "Bluecracy," almost entirely devoid of tense moments, except in the finale where all the death soul of Novembre emerges. The piece is also very complex, especially regarding rhythmic lines that feature slowdowns, accelerations, tempo changes, and more.

"Architheme" is then somewhat a standalone episode: it starts introduced by an electric guitar to which other instruments are then connected, drawing a melodic base bordering between doom and gothic rock. The vocals once again unravel between clean parts and screams, proving convincing and expressive at the same time. With the 4 minutes and 33 seconds of "Nascence" the female voice reappears in November's music (as in the cover of "Cloudbusting" present on the acclaimed "Novembrine Waltz"), this time in an emotion-filled duet with Carmelo, the true star. A perhaps easier song compared to the rest of the album, but no less enjoyable, on the contrary.

Back to death with "Iridescence," a piece over 5 minutes long, during which our members offer their classic sound, reconnecting to what was heard in the previous tracks. The "Sound Odyssey/Cantus Christi" duo continues on the death path, accentuating its more violent characters, thus resulting in the absolute darkest moment of the record: we will witness tight rhythms, obsessive, dark riffs, mostly growled singing (almost forced, exaggerated); all this preludes one of the calmer episodes of the album, the almost instrumental "Zenith," which on the one hand presents very rapid drumming, on the other hand offers delicate and refined guitar lines, which, moreover, reprise the central theme of "Come Pierrot" present in the already mentioned "Novembrine Waltz" (with the appearance of short vocal lines in the finale). The central break is splendid with the use of the flute, further embellishing a piece of great value (note that the almost entirely instrumental track solution had already been used in Novembrine Waltz with "Valentine (Almost An Instrumental)").

Back to singing with the last two tracks "Argentic" and "Deorbit," the first atypical, endowed with arpeggios of strong progressive taste and complex rhythms (most likely the track that best represents the technical side of the band), more conventional the second, which closes the album just as it began.

AESTHETICALLY

From an aesthetic point of view, the album leaves jaws dropped, presenting an outstanding work, with a cover of great impact all tinted in blue that recalls a natural element to which Novembre seems to be very attached: that of the water (I recall in "The Dream Of The Old Boats" or in "Come Pierrot", the golden sea) (I apologize if this may seem copied from the truemetal review, but I had this piece ready for some time and hadn't sent it, I know it may seem at least curious to have such a point made, but alas that's how it is).

LYRICS

In this case, the themes addressed shift more to the personal side, maintaining the usual lyricism typical of Novembre's "poetics." The use of Italian compared to the previous LP is extremely reduced, opting for a greater use of the English language, extensively used by the group.

CONCLUSIONS

Adding it all up, one cannot help but state that once again the Roman band has succeeded in its intent to create a high-quality work, original, fresh and at the same time traditional. Our members continue to create velvety atmospheres, imbued with sweetness and at the same time with a melancholic sadness that manages to touch our most intimate selves without ever becoming unnecessarily redundant or cloying.

As usual, the recording quality is excellent, professional, and crystal clear, which manages to give the individual instruments fresh and well-distinguished sounds. It is impossible not to recommend the purchase and listening of such a mature and refined work to everyone, without exception.

Lineup:

Carmelo Orlando: vocals, guitar

Giuseppe Orlando: drums

Massimiliano Pagliuso: guitar

Luca Giovagnoli: bass

Tracklist:

1) Anaemia

2) Triesteitaliana

3) Cobalt Of March

4) Bluecracy

5) Cobalt Of March

6) Nascence

7) Iridescence

8) Sound Odyssey

9) Cantus Christi

10) Zenith

11) Argentic

12) Deorbit