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Novembers Doom - Into Night's Requiem Infernal

Rating

RIYL

Insomnium
Daylight Dies
Novembre

Release Date

07/07/2009

Label

The End Records

Tracklist

1. Into Night's Requiem Infernal
2. Eulogy for the Living Lost
3. Empathy's Greed
4. The Fifth Day of March
5. Lazarus Regret
6. I Hurt Those I Adore
7. The Harlots Lie
8. When Desperation Fills the Void

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Recent Ratings
Rick Gebhardt	Spartan E7

Novembers Doom has undergone a subtle transformation of sorts since their first demo was released in 1995. Originally rooted firmly in the traditional doom aesthetic pioneered by My Dying Bride, the group now bares a greater resemblance to doom-tinged melodic death metal bands like Insomnium and Daylight Dies. With that stylistic change, the Novembers Doom of late has injected a bit of energy and urgency into their songwriting that they successfully maintain on their latest album, Into Night's Requiem Infernal.

The album’s title track kicks things off in rollicking fashion as the group lumbers through a fairly straightforward death metal number interspersed with lighter moments that serve as reminders of the group’s earlier melodic leanings. Peter Kuhr’s harsh bellows, not altogether unlike Mikael Åkerfeldt’s demonic pipes, comprise the only use of vocals on the track, a not-so-subtle reminder of the group’s recent stylistic change. The band wastes no time demonstrating their penchant for balancing death metal riffing and slower, mournful melodies more commonly associated with the doom genre. Though the “soft-loud-soft” aesthetic may sound elementary, in the hands of an experienced group like Novembers Doom it comes across as listenable and dynamic.

“Empathy’s Greed” and “I Hurt Those I Adore” put the bipolar nature of the group on full display with soulful acoustic leads and clean singing slotted between double bass-fueled riffs and Kuhr’s throaty growl. “The Fifth Day of March” and “When Desperation Fills the Void” take a more somber approach by dropping all traces of death metal and adding some Pink Floyd-esque riffing and harmonious vocals to their doom-laden sound, a welcome change of pace for fans of the band’s earlier releases. The heaviest song on the album, “Lazarus Regret” takes the opposite approach by utilizing a thrashier, up-tempo style in place of the melodic tinges found on earlier tracks.

Into Night's Requiem Infernal is another worthy addition to the group’s growing discography. At this point in their career, however, despite several impressive releases, Novembers Doom has yet to show that they have the ability to hang with the genre’s heavy-hitters. While this album most likely won’t catapult the group to elite status within the genre, it should cement their place as one of metal’s more consistent acts. Fans along the lighter side of the metal spectrum would do well to give this a listen, while others may be better off waiting on the new Novembre and Insomium albums.

--Matt Murphy