Novelists
Noir

4.0
excellent

Review

by TanMan USER (15 Reviews)
February 23rd, 2018 | 229 replies

Release Date: 2017 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Paris based metalcore band Novelists have released a very enjoyable album with “Noir”, a more melodic venture than their last album “Souvenirs” with enough diversity to ensure replayability.

Metalcore seems to be one of the genres that people grow out of. Not to trash talk the genre in any way, but there are certainly a fair share of people who enjoyed the genre in their younger angst-filled days but distance themselves as they grow older and tastes change. It may be a generalization, but it certainly rings true for myself. While I continue to revisit some of the more consistent bands in the genre such as Norma Jean, August Burns Red and Every Time I Die, the genre as a whole has grown stale. Novelists is one of the newer bands that I’d add to that list of talented bands. They’re a band with a very distinct take on the genre and one whose technicality, heaviness and melodic skill are matched. This is partly due to vocalist Matteo Gelsomino’s unique vocal delivery. I was taken aback by his screaming technique on first listen, but it really grew on me. His mix of low growls and audible yelling paired with his great cleans and sense of melody makes for a dynamic vocal performance. This also leads to one of my biggest complaints about the album which is his annunciation. I understand that these guys are French and English is probably their second language, but I can barely understand what he is saying half the time. He tends to mumble and struggle to pronounce words which is unfortunate because his melodies are on point. Digging deeper into the lyrical content of the record also shows some pretty bland and weak themes.

The instrumentation does not falter throughout the run-time. The drum performance is well done and it’s easy to hear that the drummer has a great sense of when to let loose and when to make things a little simpler for the guitars to shine. The guitar parts from Novelists have always been what blows me away the most. Both guitarists have evolved and grown since their very impressive performance on 2015’s Souvenirs, and they focus more on beautiful atmospheric sections that morph into technical and groovy riffs. The band tries a lot of new things on this album, and most of them work. There is a jazzy saxophone solo on the second track “Monochrome” (which surprisingly works) and blues inspired guitar solos show up throughout. They also bring in some guest vocalists including Jesse Cash from the band Erra which adds even more vocal diversity.

“Noir” is one of the more beautiful sounding metalcore albums in recent memory and the mellow/ambient sections really shine throughout the album. The vocal melodies in these sections are a surprising but welcome shift from the heavy focus of their last record. Not that this album doesn’t have plenty of head-banging moments; “Grey Souls”, “Les Nuits Noires” and “A Bitter End” are straight-ahead metalcore bangers. Overall, Novelists have released an extremely impressive album with “Noir”, a record that has peaked my interested for popular metalcore music once again.

Recent reviews by this author
Odraza Rzeczom	Snooze Still
Lydia This December (A Favorite of My Dreams)	Panzerfaust The Suns of Perdition - Chapter II
Afsky Sorg	Johnny Booth Firsthand Accounts

user ratings (130)

3.7
great

related reviews

Demos (2013–2014)	Souvenirs
C'est La Vie	Déjà Vu

recommended by reviewer

Erra Impluse
Novelists Souvenirs
Invent, Animate Stillworld

discussion

On 9 Music Lists

Novelists Noir

Review

Novelists
Noir