Originally written by Erik Thomas
With 2007’s The Novella Reservoir, doom/death stalwarts Novembers Doombranched away from their more mournful, gothic tinged death/doom stylings and delivered a sterner, more direct death metal album. That development has continued with excellent results for the band’s 7th album.
With a minor line-up change that sees current Metal Review staffer Sasha Horn take over drums, Into Night’s Requiem Infernal has the same death metal hues as The Novella Reservoir, but also has the same somber undercurrent as their past albums and injections of truly effective ballads, mostly in part to Paul Kuhr’s always amazing, evocative vocals. The production from bassist Chris Djuricic is full, bolstered by the help of Dan Swano’s mixing efforts and the end result comes together as a fluid death metal release that shows how good Novembers Doom really are – able to release stellar albums in two genres over a 15 year span to boot.
Starting with the thunderous title track, Novembers Doom get right to it with a lean mean number that grabs your attention with a classic death metal rumble signaling with a force that The Novella Reservoir was no fluke. “Eulogy for the Living Lost” sees the band settle down a bit and flock the gruff chugs with some acoustics and some of Kuhr’s clean croons, showing the band’s doom roots are not completely forgotten. And so goes the rest of the album, fluctuating between stern, full on death metal (“Lazarus Regret,” “The Harlot’s Lie”) and a more delicate variation that gives the death metal an austere sense of somber regality and beauty as displayed on “Empathy’s Greed” and “I Hurt Those I Adore.”
As with The Novella Reservoir, one of the highlights is the ballads (for me at least). As with the “Twilight of Innocence” on The Novella Reservoir, “The Fifth Day of March” sees Kuhr baring his soul in a personal way, and while “Twilight…” was an obvious (at least to any father) nod to his daughter(s), “The Fifth Day of March” seems to be directed at some loss or death of a close friend of family member. “When Desperation Fills the Void” is this album’s “Leaving This,” closing the album with a depressive, contemplative fade out – again showing the band and Kuhr’s versatility.
While Daylight Dies seems to (deservingly) get the lions share of praise within the US doom/death genre, the truth is Novembers Doom have been better longer, and now with their more aggressive style, that still contains their trademark solemness, Novembers Doom virtually stand peerless as one of US metal’s most consistent, quality acts in a genre they have made their own.
