Search - November's Doom :: To Welcome the Fade

Masterful doom/death metal

Z. Stern | NJ, USA | 05/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Doom/death metal seems to come as an aquired taste. Most don't seem to jump right into it. It usually takes a strong liking for either doom or death metal, and open-mindedness to go further with it. For those fans of the genre, or those willing to go further than the regular doom or death metal, "To Welcome the Fade" is an excellent place to start.



The lyrics are personal and highly emotional, and all in the first person. They are very well done here by vocalist Paul Kuhr. Mostly sung in the traditional death metal growl (there are severl spoken passages), they sound fierce and aggressive, yet easily understandable and full of emotion (other than the usual anger). Added female vocals provided by Cathy Jo Hejna are expertly added to complement Kuhr, and provide background and atmosphere.



The guitars here (provided by Eric Burnley) are great. There are slow, melodic segments, as well as the usual heavy chords. Not many real solos to speak of, but while it's not a necessity, it would have been nice.



Drummer Joe Nunez does good work here, providing the slow build-ups necessary to some segment intros, as well as the usual required of a skilled drummer.



Overall, "To Welcome the Fade" is worth the purchase. It is rare to find a band capable of putting out such an album that demonstrates both agression, and melodic beauty at the same time. The bonus edition is a recommended purchase; it includes Novembers Doom's 1997 EP, "For Every Leaf that Falls", another outstanding release."