Amid Its Hallowed Mirth

Novembers Doom are one of the stranger bands that we’ve tend to associate with the doom/death metal genre. They began as a faithful doom/death metal unit and although they’ve never abandoned their metal roots, the doom characteristics of this band seemed to have vanished over time from what I’ve heard. That’s quite a different musical journey than that of Anathema, Katatonia, Paradise Lost…or plenty of others for that matter.

If you couldn’t get enough of the English doom/death metal variant that had a harsh edge to it, then the Novembers Doom of this era should certainly appeal to your taste. Guitars summon a mass of big riffs that punish with crushing intent and instead of an occasional taste of relentless death metal riffing, there’s a clear emphasis on groove and slow-swinging rhythms. Harsh vocals sound deep, yet leave enough of an impression behind due to their comprehensive tone; recalling a more muscular Aaron Stainthorpe, while occasional spoken passages and female vocals seem to be incorporated for variety’s sake. I’m also fond of the rumbling bass, which adds another massive dimension to the sound and let’s face it; that’s always works ideal for a doom metal, doesn’t it? Then again, I’m less fond of the drums; they sound a bit flat and powerless (although you could ask yourself whether that’s extremely problematic for this style to begin with).

What makes Amid Its Hallowed Mirth tricky are the compositions and I can’t be the only one who thinks that the writing formula appears to be a double edged sword. The listening experience feels consistent and even; meaning that the band refrains from experimenting with so-so results (think of Turn Loose the Swans, with its bizarre tracks that start and finish the album). Yet, a part of me wonders whether the band doesn’t play slightly safe here; meaning it’s rather same-y and not too emotionally evocative – even if Amid Its Hallowed Mirth is not without highlights. ‘’Aurora’s Garden’’ almost recalls a fusion between My Dying Bride’s early gothic leanings and Paradise Lost at their most Sabbath-esque (meaning: closer to Shades of God than Gothic). It’s a melancholic, yet hefty opener that also owes a lot to a rewarding climax that’s driven by the morose lead-melody and guttural howls of regret. From here, Amid Its Hallowed Mirth sounds less emotionally evocative and thus, somewhat less exciting, even if it never takes a wrong turn by any means. ‘’Amour of the Harp'' tells less of a personal story, but does manage to conjure vivid images of apocryphal landscapes with those guitars that howl slowly through the night. Other enjoyable songs include the nasty Cathedral-esque doom of ‘’My Agony, My Ecstasy’’, which also features a solid beauty and the beast-driven chorus and the tragedian behemoth that is ‘’Chorus of Jasmine’’; the latter resembles early Anathema in terms of expressive leads, but with such massive guitar stomps, it’s yet another track that recalls My Dying Bride.

The thing is, although you could never fault Amid Its Hallowed Mirth for sounding inconsistent, it’s as if Novembers Doom are afraid to get their hands dirty. Granted, earlier doom/death metal albums such as Gothic and Turn Loose the Swans aren’t without flaws either, but those albums are written by bands that had no issue taking risks at the time. In Novembers Doom’s case, it’s as if they're sticking to their guns at all costs; meaning that after a few tunes you basically know what to expect and even the rawer-produced ‘’Sadness Reign’’ and ‘’A Dirge of Sorrow’’ sound closer to pre-drinking garage-jams than heartfelt expression that I’ve come to love of doom/death metal. Faithful, yet with hardly any surprises in store, these tunes sound fine, but they're just not moving me emotionally - nor do they have the power to get me in the mood for something physical (before you think of something freaky; I’m referring to banging my head, mind you).

Needless to say, Amid Its Hallowed Mirth is a fine example of romantic, yet weighty doom/death metal, even if it’s not exactly top-notch stuff by any means. Nonetheless, anyone who yearns for more song-driven dramatics will most likely enjoy it for what it is.

This review was originally written for antichristmagazine.com

I was lucky enough to discover 'death/doom' as a youngster, relatively early in my metal journey. Someone gave me a tape of the first My Dying Bride album, and then I remember hearing Paradise Lost on a live radio session. Neither of these bands were 'big' back then, but they had enough of an imprint on the UK metal scene for such happenstance encounters to occur. It was a decade (or more) before I began exploring the possibility of death/doom bands from outside the UK. I think I’d just assumed that it was a British genre. It fitted so well with the dreary, glum, grey aesthetic of the island. I had never considered the fact that American death/doom bands existed. Would it even be possible to create this music without having access to neolithic stone circles and Anglo-Norman churches?

Evidently, it was possible. There were death/doom bands in America. From the early nineties underground came Morgion, Dusk, Funereus/Evoken, and several others. Perhaps the band that most closely resembled the UK death/doom sound was Novembers Doom, particularly their "Amid Its Hallowed Mirth" debut. This album embodies every aspect of the old Peaceville death/doom bands. Novembers Doom had the same gravelly, dirge-like, intense songs. The riffs were as hard as granite. The vocals were deep but decipherable. The lyrics were poetic and dripping with European Romanticism. There were occasional ‘gothic’ sounding adornments (such as female vocals). As such, this album sounds a lot like the first My Dying Bride album, to the point where it is almost uncomfortable. The influence of that band (and to a lesser extent, Paradise Lost), is entwined into every fibre here.

Perhaps that is the reason why I've never warmed to this record. I have a mild appreciation for it, but it doesn't stoke my fire in the same way that "Gothic" or "As the Flower Withers" does. The music here is good, but it isn’t daring or inventive. Novembers Doom songs are relatively simple in comparison to those early My Dying Bride epics (like “Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium” or “The Bitterness and the Bereavement”). There is nothing as poignant as “The Painless” or “Falling Forever” either. There is something about the melodies here that doesn’t sound quite right. The production suits the crushing day-to-day riffs, but not the more subtle parts (check out the off-putting jangly solo after mid-point of “Amour of the Harp”, for example). These parts would have sounded better with a more seamless production. Interestingly, other American acts like Dusk and Evoken stripped down the melodies and concentrated on heaviness and atmosphere. Both bands made better (and heavier) death/doom records than this.

The highlight might be the two 'bonus' tracks at the end. I believe this album was recorded in several sessions between 1993/94. These two final songs (“Sadness Rains” and “A Dirge of Sorrow”) are the earliest. They were recorded in February 1993. I have no idea whether they were released elsewhere beforehand, but their appearance here is a breath of fresh air. These tracks have a deeper, grittier production and a more earthy feel. Both songs use acoustic guitar, which is blended into the overall mix much more effectively than elsewhere. I would go as far to say that these tracks offer some of the darkest, grimmest, most ancient sounding death/doom of the time. So yes, I would recommend this album, but skip straight to “Sadness Rains” and take things from there.

The Novembers Doom debut dropped in 1995 off Avantgarde Music, but I heard the 2008 remaster from The End Records first and it helped these songs come alive where the original was a tad muted. Anathema released "The Silent Enigma" six months after this very album. It is also a nine-track expulsion of contrived misery much like "Amid Its Hallowed Mirth". However, where Anathema delivered a great record as they suffered a transitional identity crisis, Novembers Doom delivered a wholesome album by staunchly declaring the litany as first laid down by the Peaceville triptych, from whose stylistic crutches Anathema was now fleeing. There was also a musical kinship with fellow Chicago brood Cianide in the very apparent deathly tone and demeanor of the riff. Winter had put out the wonderfully impenetrable "Into Darkness" at the start of the decade and Morgion had belched out "Travesty". The United States was sporadically but surely unleashing their doomified death identity. This oft-forgotten classic is a herald of that dour but exciting time. These bands would not go on to break through the mainstream but the underground was witnessing, once again, life being reared from Death (metal).

Novembers Doom do not sound like this on any of their other ten (at the time of writing) albums that have since followed. There's a song off their eighth, "Aphotic" called "Buried" that tips the hat but nothing more. All for the best, I'm sure, but it is still a bit disheartening how the band themselves look somewhat snidely at this past monolith. They're not the only ones, in all fairness, as most bands have a tendency to not speak very fondly of their roots, especially after they acquire glitzy production and all that. My favorite ND guitarist Larry Roberts had not come aboard yet and in his place, singularly handling the duties was Steve Nicholson, who had carried over from Laceration, Paul Kuhr's first impression on the death metal world. They've since reunited in These Are They which is some potent shit too. Sturdy old Steve lays down thickness in spades on this thing too. "Tears Of The Beautiful" has such a brooding main riff that exemplifies all the menace and gait of Death/Doom in its infancy. Truly mesmerizing how he peels it back and then enlarges it as Paul Kuhr, who has always been good, vocalizes humbly, "Two souls dance in November's air.../Can I be so bold, as to ask for a kiss?" It doesn't bring a tear to the eye like some their latter stuff would so ham-fistedly try to do but it is stirring and engrossing nonetheless.

The production is of its time and I'll leave it at that. Or rather, I'll leave the nitpicking to some other reviewer. I tend to favor what it is appropriate over what is expected or standard and the brittle aspects of the recording work in its favor. There's a slight nod to Type O Negative in the way the atmosphere is pondered and considered that I dig very much - and the Gothic metal semblance is further enshrined by Cathy Jo Hejna's backing vocals. She is delicate and wispy and the balance of her and Kuhr's rich youthful growl is magical. They make honey on "Armor of The Harp" and "My Agony, My Ecstasy" while on "Chorus of Jasmine", Kuhr plays the romantic over the sort of soaring melodic riffs that would later define this band. The lyrics on this album are of a celebratory tendency and whatever gloom permeates through the music is delicate and only serves as conviction for the words. It is interesting to note because the band became such tragedians after this. Also, "Aurora's Garden" sounds like no other song this band has done and it is so towering and well-made that they ought to play it at every concert. Why they don't is beyond me.

"Could I be the God you seek?
No, I am but a lonely man
A fool in the eyes of the infinite
I crave the light of those who drink of my grail"

Fucking poetry in the tradition of the olde doom wordsmiths who were as serious as they were whimsical with their feigned misery and romantic exhortations. The riffing and magnanimous drumming really elevate this over a lot of ND's canon. Being the first song on the album, it sets it up perfectly for what follows. Musically bleak and grand and utterly memorable. Dripping of death metal yet warm and thoughtful all the way through. It can be said for pretty much most of "Amid Its Hallowed Mirth". Whatever bumps are along the way are filled with charm and glints of brilliance. Classic debut album? Yes! Recommended? Of course!

What I love about death/doom metal records is that burdensome funereal vibe that they carry with them. There are times where I would just play albums of Paradise Lost, Anathema, Katatonia, Tiamat and My Dying Bride the whole day and never get tired of it. And I do that regardless of the state of mood that I am in. Novembers Doom is one of the bands that I tend to take heed of whenever I decide to blast some good ol' doomy death metal tunes.

I love that very heavy and ponderous facets that Novembers Doom entails with their music. But honestly speaking, in my own opinion, I think that the Illinois-based quintet had never topped their debut studio record 'Amid Its Hallowed Mirth'. Don't get me wrong on this comment though. Their later materials -- 'Of Sculptured Ivy and Stone Flowers', 'The Knowing', 'To Welcome the Fade' and 'The Pale Haunt Departure' -- are good death/doom metal albums, but they don't have that perfect balance whisked with death metal and doom metal touches which their debut record possessed.

I know a lot will agree with me when I say that Amid Its Hallowed Mirth is the paramount album that Novembers Doom had crafted in their career as extreme metal musicians. This album is a masterpiece in the realm of the genre, nay, it represents all that is admired in the domain of death/doom music. Listening to it will instantly give you the idea of how Novembers Doom is heavily influenced by bands like Anathema, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, and Candlemass. Now for a band who started as a pure death metal act, they were playing death metal back when they were still called Laceration from 1989-1992, many were shocked by how impeccably Novembers Doom had moved to become great death/doom maestros.

All the guitar riffs of the tracks in this album bear a lot of power that will ignite the listener's desire to bang their head. The tone brings a grotesque and dreadful atmosphere that will totally blow your fucking mind. The drum work is another outstanding factor that I love about this album. The drummer did not go too extreme, yet he still effectively delivered that robust impact on the drum sections that the fans wanted to hear. The bass, though it did not do anything unique and it never stood out, does a good job in complementing the guitars too. Perhaps Paul's vocal delivery is my favorite element in this album. His vocal work exhibits a very unadulterated guttural caliber which plays a major role in making this album memorable. Dude sounds really brutal, and he is indeed a sheer varmint behind the mic.

Another haunting aspect about this record is the elegiac and poetic lyrics of the songs. The lyrics, along with the already clandestine and desolated ambiance of the album, synthesized a stalwart feeling of distress and agony. This is the one aspect that is the most important ingredient in producing a record, as it is the main rationale in the matter of how the band connects with their fans.

To make this long review short, Amid Its Hallowed Mirth is a significant offering that established Novembers Doom's rank as one of the best extreme metal minstrels in the history of the genre. This album is a must own record for enthusiasts of death/doom metal. I definitely believe that this is one of the best of its class.

Ahhh, Novembers Doom's full length debut, Amid Its Hallowed Mirth... this album is often overlooked for their later, more 70's rock influenced death/doom albums; or their more recent material which uses a more straight-forward death metal foundation, with the doom elements being utilized much less often. Here, we see Novembers Doom at their most primitive... and in the end; we have quite the beast of an album.

This is very much a straight-up, death/doom affair here. The songs stay down tempo and rarely go beyond that. You've got sort of slow, slow, and real slow. While the music here isn't flashy or technical, the song structures are well thought out, and very effective at generating a lush, dark & somber atmosphere.

The guitar tone here packs a lot of punch, and the riffs are heavy as all fuck. They pummel its listener with slow, monstrous blows until every bone in their body is crushed. On a couple of occasions, they will break into acoustic passages (most notably the acoustic interlude track, "Dance of the Leaves"), in which they do a fantastic job of creating a beautiful, haunting atmosphere. This sets it up for the heavy parts to hit even harder and feel much more aggressive.

The bass does its job well, mostly by following the guitars. It occasionally breaks off and tries to stand out a little by doing its own thing every now and then. However, this is barely noticeable, because as one reviewer already pointed out, the bass does seem to have this annoying tendency of "cutting out" after each note is strummed (which is a shame because if this wasn't an issue, the bass could add even more force to the crushing guitar riffs). This is only a minor issue overall though, as the guitar tone carries itself well already as it is, and the bass is still able to at least do its job as far as complimenting the guitar goes.

The drumming is top notch. While not doing anything over top, it still does a great job at maintaining a powerful, precise rhythm throughout the entire album.

Paul Kuhr delivers a strong, gut wrenching vocal performance. He utilizes a guttural roar on most of the album, as well as either spoken, or deeper clean vocals in a few spots here and there. He hasn't yet reached the full potential of his vocal prowess at this point (his harsh vocals would improve over time, and especially his cleans), yet his performance is still brutal as hell, and he does a pretty good job of pronouncing the lyrics so they can be somewhat easily understood.

Also of worthy note is the voice of Cathy Jo Hejna. She sings in soprano, and does a great job contributing to the haunting atmosphere that this album is already drenched in. She only appears sporadically, so it is never overly abused... And for those who are curious, this isn't your typical "beauty and the beast" vocal styling (see Tristania, Leaves Eyes, etc.). The vocal arrangements are done very tastefully, so if the aforementioned isn't your cup of tea, you need not worry (trust me, I'm not into the whole "beauty and the beast" style either...).

The lyrics are very poetic, and primarily deal with the subjects of romanticism, mourning, and desolation. Once again though, they are written tastefully, and coupled with the music being dark and heavy, and Kuhr's impassioned/powerful vocals, they truly avoid falling into the stereotype that usually goes hand in hand with these sorts of subjects.

All things said, Novembers Doom's debut can definitely go toe to toe with the Peaceville Three's early material. While at this point in time they were certainly influenced by their works, this album stands in a corner of its own. On their future releases, they expand their sound more, further fortifying their own place within the genre.

I highly recommend this for any fans of death/doom, as well as anyone who doesn't really know much about the genre and wants to see what it has to offer. I also recommend finding the re-release of this album, as it has the 2 very good tracks, "Nothing Earthly Save the Thrill" & "Seasons of Frost", as well as the Scabs demo.

*Standout Tracks: Aurora's Garden, Amour of the Harp, Chorus of Jasmine, Dance of the Leaves, Sadness Rains, Dirge of Sorrow, Nothing Earthly Save the Thrill, Seasons of Frost

If someone were to ask me to describe Novembers Doom I’d say it’s all about creating a suffocating wall of sound through some of the heaviest riffs and the most anguished vocals you’ve ever heard without drowning you in the typical clichés of despair and sadness common in the genre. I think that pretty much sums it up. The debut album ‘Amid Its Hallowed Mirth’ masterfully exemplifies these traits.

This re-issue of ‘Amid’ under The End Records is quite the treat for those wishing to revisit or experience for the first time Novembers Doom’s now out of print early masterpieces. The original album is here in its entirety along with two bonus tracks and the four track demo ‘Scabs’ tacked on to the end for a total of 15 songs and nearly an hour and a half of poetic suffering for your enjoyment.

Unless you have been living in a cave for the past decade or so, you will know Novembers Doom as the Chicago based death/doom outfit influenced by the likes of Candlemass, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, etc. While the influences are apparent, Novembers Doom has worked them into something new so as not to appear the hopeless imitators. Each song is dominated by the crushing blow of monstrously distorted guitars. Superb drumming from Joe Hernandez follows close behind only to match the pace. That pace never rises above a crawl. Things here are slow and as long winded as can be.

Paul Kuhr’s vocals, I am convinced, have to be some of the best and most overlooked I have ever heard in the genre. They are at once guttural and full of raw pain and yet easily understood. I rarely found myself leafing through the booklet to find the lyrics. Those lyrics are the standard lost love and abysmal emotions, but not found here are the cringe inducing clichés which so often accompany those themes. The feelings of loss and anguish convey themselves with haunting imagery, powerful vocal delivery, and the good fortune of being generally well written. Female vocals are also utilized sparingly on this album. By sparingly I mean they only appear on a few of the tracks. ‘Armour of the Harp’ contains superb instances of Kukr and Ms. Hejna engaging in some wonderful vocal harmonies. Cathy Jo Hejna’s vocals have been distorted and mixed on this album in such an eerie way that chills literally traveled down my spine. Perhaps she was intended to speak as the disembodied voice of a lost lover because she sounds like a spirit calling out to you from beyond the grave. Whatever the intent, the result blew me away.

The bonus tracks and the 1990 demo ‘Scabs’ will certainly delight die hard fans and those desperate to get a hold of otherwise hard to find material. The demo is presented as it was recorded on tape and sounds uncompromisingly raw but as well conceived as the rest of the album. Not much to say other than the demo has more of a death influence about its song construction by way of certain percussion segments, more varied riffing, and a slightly faster tempo overall.

I can’t think of anything bad to say about this re-issue. That’s either evidence of my inability to criticize music, my hopeless devotion to Novembers Doom, or the superb and flawless quality of this album. I'm hoping it's the third. If you don’t want to pay the big bucks on e-bay for the original release, this re-issue and its bonus material will surely give you what you’re looking for.

Novembers Doom, what can be said about a band that was until recently incredibly artsy, poetic and beautiful. With their first release, much can be said. In this album we see the band that was and the band that could/should have been.

This record starts out at a snails pace and rarely goes past the speed of crawl. This band (that formed from the ashes of Thrash/Death band Laceration) with their first proper release show us that Americans can not only play Doomdeath Metal, but given the chance, compete with the Peaceville Three.

The guitars are incredibly thick, hitting the listener with a wall of sound with enough power to knock down a cement wall. The drums are tight and well executed. The bass is the only thing lacking as it follows the guitar too closely and seems to cut out after each note has been strummed. The music over all is minimalist, but crafty and deep. Also, the album has the tendency to drag on a bit in places.

The vocals (on the original release anyway) are superbly raw and intense. In this we bear witness to Paul Kuhrs’ amazing (and disgracefully overlooked!!) vocal prowess. Few can honestly touch this guy when it comes to sheer power. His lyrics follow the standard Doomdeath style of romanticism and loss, however are never clichéd or tedious.

This album (by the way of the original) also showcases the bands original logo, with is more organic look/flow. Over all this version of the bands debut is well worth hunting down (the re-release adds too much where it’s not needed.)

Also, this album sounds NOTHING like My Dying Bride, as some would have you believe. This band has never sounded like any of the Peaceville Three (or anybody else for that matter) and are truly an original band; the closest thing one can say regarding who they might sound like would be Anathema ‘Serenades’ era, but only in the speed of the songs.