Review Summary: Novembers Doom’s tenth album is on the same level as its predecessors in terms of production and musicianship but the comparably lacking songs do make it an underwhelming effort
It would be needlessly cruel to accuse Novembers Doom of phoning it in on their tenth full-length album. The Chicago death/doom staple has certainly been in a stylistic sweet spot since 2005’s The Pale Haunt Departure, but suspicions of monotony were immediately silenced by strong songwriting and heart-wrenching deliveries. But as the meaning of Hamartia’s title indicates, the album is one of the band’s more flawed efforts.
Hamartia may be a more melodic album than usual once you get past the opening brutality of “Devil’s Light,” but those acquainted with Novembers Doom will immediately know what to expect. The mix is incredibly clear as the guitars are presented with clarity and power, the drums are furious without becoming too muddy, and Paul Kuhr’s mix of growls and baritone cleans are as seamless and intelligible as ever. The atmosphere also retains the same “autumn melancholy” aesthetic as previous efforts and the lyrics hide plenty of pathos in their ambiguities.
Alas, the album ends up crippled by the songwriting. Nothing is poorly written or even below average but the songs definitely aren’t as memorable as they were on past efforts. There aren’t any tracks that take one’s breath away quite like “What Could Have Been” nor are the vocal lines quite as resonating as they were on “Autumn Reflection” or even “The Memory Room.” It is especially tragic since the band’s themes of loss and inadequacy are still obviously here; they just don’t aren’t as strongly conveyed as before.
But with that said, the songs on here are still pretty enjoyable. “Ghost” and “Miasma” offer pleasant refrains despite being not hitting as hard, and the title track makes for a surprisingly subdued halfway marker. “Waves in the Red Cloth” comes the closest to hitting a catchy hook and the brief Josh Homme-style opening on “Apostasy” threatens to shake things up, even if the song itself is merely an upbeat variation of the formula. It’s also really cool to see Kuhr’s daughter performing backing vocals on choice tracks considering the inspiration behind past songs like “Swallowed by the Moon.” I imagine it was an incredibly emotional experience for him.
Novembers Doom’s tenth album is on the same level as its predecessors in terms of production and musicianship but the comparably lacking songs do make it an underwhelming effort. It’s not a sharp decline and offers the band’s signature traits so fans probably won’t be too discouraged from checking it out. The album could even end up being a grower, but it may still be in the band’s best interests to shake things up again.
Highlights:
“Ghost”
“Apostasy”
“Miasma”
“Zephyr”
“Waves In The Red Cloth”
Originally published at http://indymetalvault.com
