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Ningizzia > Dolorous Novella > Reviews
Ningizzia - Dolorous Novella

Doom by the numbers - 65%

kapitankraut, October 3rd, 2008

I'm told that, in their brief time together, the members of Ningizzia weren't often in the same room - one being French and the other Swedish. While that may not strictly be true, a lot of "Dolorous Novella" sounds as though it was composed at a distance, and it suffers from that.

A common problem with doom metal is that it's very difficult to be original. Stretch out too much in your compositions and risk being identified as a second-rate version of one legend, while the exact same fate awaits those who compress their music into shorter tracks. Sing in this way and sound like someone, sing in another way and sound like someone else. The genius of truly original doom is to take that template and manipulate it just enough to sound fresh and interesting without alienating the hardcore fanbase which expects at least something traditional.

Ningizzia, on the other hand, have released an album which is seemingly more than content to ape a lot of other bands. The result is something that's derivative and thus more likely to appeal to fans of the style than win new converts.

The most notable part of this is to be found in the harsh vocals. While these are undeniably well done, and treated with an echo effect to make them sound even more foreboding, they sound almost identical to a lot of Skepticism's work. Sure, Skepticism are a great band in their way and clearly someone any doom act would look up to, but sounding identical to them (the first two tracks in particular suffer from this problem) doesn't serve to impress any distinctiveness on the listener.

A lot of the rest of the album sounds similarly derivative. I can't quite put my finger on it, but throughout the album I've often caught myself thinking "I've heard this before, and better". It's all competently played and far from bad, but it's entirely generic stuff and not some massive new saviour of the style, as some have argued.

Hardcore doom fans will enjoy this, but casual listeners would be better off sticking to an established band.

A short tale full of grief - 98%

Insignium, January 11th, 2004

It should be mentioned that even though this album speaks a lot of suicide, it's a tale of how loss can ruin a person and not death as a solution. Dolorous is defined as meaning "Full of grief". Novella defined as "A short story". The name of the album, appropriately to the music, means "A short tale full of grief". Not only does this album take on the same levels of extreme depression that their demo "The Dark Path" did, the first three tracks on the album also comes from the demo. There are however major differences from the demo. The quality is top notch, the amounts of effects and instruments are increased, and the intensity of the music has thickened. The epic tale of loss the demo told of, is being told once again in ever more majestic and wast layers of epic music. All old tracks have been rerecorded and improved. The new tracks adds new levels to the hopeless journey the tale embarks on. This is really an album striving for new heights in the all consuming grief that loss enchants us with.

Although the notes and general sound of the album is the same as the demo, it's, as already stated, very different. Violins have replaced the piano. The church organ has been replaced by brighter digital keyboards. As a final touch a flute has been added to the ambient sections. The guitars and drums remain much the same although they have been improved in both quality and sound. The overall sound is still much the same, focusing mainly on majestic, yet sad music, with an impressive richness in instruments and sounds. The massiveness of the sound come from that the instruments cover a layer in the music each. The more silent and empty breaks in the music still remains, simply adding to the enormeous void of good emotions that this album has.

The vocals have been enchanted too. The clear vocals have turned into often being duetts. The dark beastlike vocals have been echoed to fit into the wastness of the music, creating an ever more feeling of the inner torment that fills the album. There has even been added a lyricless choir. The vocals in both the new and the old songs still consentrate on the life after the loss of a dearly loved one. From the extreme mental pain to the silent motionless grieving moments. All of it creating an unbearable existance. There is simply no life left to enjoy after such a loss. It even reaches a point where one curses her which one misses. Massive amounts of returning pain and the memories that follow tears on the sanity, and the will to live. Hope has been gone ever since she left. Now only death feels welcoming.

Interpretation of the tracks:
-Spirit Of The Abandoned: a serene and beutiful violin solo introduces the track accompanied with chimes. The calm intro is suddenly broken and the melody of the violin is continued on guitars. The drums begin with a high pace and varies between the high pace and some slower moments. The majestic aura of this album has already begun on full throttle. It's all like a wast hall reflekting the music and creating an impression of the enormeous space. In all of this the distorted doomy guitars play a sad melody filled with grief, fitting the lyrics. Just as the majority of the album the track deals with the loss of a dearly beloved. Her demise marks the leave of all other good things in life. Slowly one is dragged into an abyss of grief. Left is only the wish to leave an existance which is now only filled with the devastation true grief causes. This existance was life.

-The Point Of No Return: is the most intense of all the songs. The drums keep a high pace throughout nearly the entire song. On the contrary of leaving the doom/death genre this only increases the feelings that doom metal embraces; dispair, emptyness, depression, grief... and so on. Musically the track has a really high majestic feeling to it as all instruments take their place and fill out every free space in the music. The song does not only deal with the mourning of a loved one. It deals with humanitys loss of ability to see that we are driving ourselves to the edges of doom. Humanity has condemned themselves to fail. The souls lie in shackles, imprisoned by the human sinful body. The spirit was ment to soar around free. The only way to do this is to leave the corpses of our bodies behind.

-Ode To The Realm Of The Ancient Wisdoms: is an ambient track which has gone through more changes than any of the other tracks taken form the demo. The guitars are now not alone, but accompanied by a choir and a flute. There is also vocals included. The melody is sad, yet calm and soothing. Somewhat what you might have expected from a garden in greek mythology. The lyrics calmly tells us that this is a place where the ancient ones reside, while awaiting to be evoken once again. This is a way to remember the great deeds done before our time, and a good way to remember that these deeds can be done over again. This ode might be an ode to those who have changed the earth for the better. Or it might be an ode to mystic forces which linger on our world, waiting once again to set everyone free.

-Emptiness: begins with a calming choir which is countered by heavy riffs and drums of frustration. Even if the old tracks have been prolonged, this track is the longest of the album. It's a slower and heavier track than the other two metal tracks on the album, but the majestic feeling is still there and shines through powerfully in the moments that the drums do pace up. The inner torment of grief and sorrow is as present as ever. And with good reason. This time the tale tells of the days before her demise. The days of joy, hope and sacrifices to make the dreams come true. Now she is gone and all the hope, and joy is gone. The sacrifices has been in vain. All is now lost. She was the one chosen to be the lifelong companion, forever in love. And all was given to keep it so. Now she is gone and life is left empty and cursed.

-Everything Dies: ends the album with yet another calm and melodic ambient track. The guitar plays accompanied by a silent humming and a flute, in the background. The music of the track is a lot like Ode To The Realm Of The Ancient Wisdoms, but it is more silend and more floating. The guitars are more depressive and the vocals ever more whispered. The music is beutiful though sad. It relaxes the tension that the rest of the album has buildt up, and so ends the album leaving a satisfied feeling of grief inside. The few lines of lyrics that is on the track speak of the demise of all things. Or rather all things as they were as one joins the loved one in her demise. Simply dying away like leaves before winter. After all the grief that has been endured, death is releasing and relieving. It's all over and one can finally let go...