Best known for combining belligerent heaviness with emotionally charged atmospheres and in-depth progressions, Chicago Death-Doom unit Novembers Doom have always been one to produce sounds that are difficult to categorize into certain binaries– to define is to limit, after all!

After releasing Nephilim Grove six years ago, now they are back on releasing new stuff– which is their twelfth LP entitled Major Arcana; an album highly conceptual and thematic with a heavy emphasis on the discourses surrounding tarot and divination. The way they incorporate tarot-related references reflects in how they envisage their album artwork, design, and lyrical storytelling as well as narration. Musically, as one of the pioneers of the Death-Doom scene in the United States, over the years, they have significantly evolved into what one would roughly define as Dark Metal– a stark amalgamation between Death, Doom, Progressive, Folk, and Classic Rock influences; a myriad of things at once, mostly heavy.

On the technical side, the creative process of this album involved some already-renowned names in the scene; such as Chris Djuricic of Belle Sound Studio fame in the engineering department, and Dan Swanö of Edge of Sanity and Nightingale fame when it comes to the mixing and mastering. With their significantly renewed focus– here moves life towards regeneration; they are now determined to break creative boundaries and deliver even darker, more emotionally stirring soundscapes. Their range on this album appears to be broader as well; the tracks featured on Major Arcana are ethereal, crushing, melancholic, in-depth, atmospheric, and energetic at once– although they mainly circulate around progressive, forward-moving soundscapes with sharper and more direct songwriting style. Think of Opeth, but charged with slight Entombed-like undertones (also hints of early Tribulation vibes if you’re perceptive enough). Mainly consisting of well-crafted, confident riffs, soaring vocals, and mid-paced grooves, they also managed to keep the nuances intact by balancing the gloom with the uplifting intensity.

Just like the album’s name, this album appears to be a major force in the Dark Metal sphere– presenting the purest outcome of how Goth and Death Metal could collide with massive precision, resurrecting their utmost creative spirit after six years. To me, it’s a representative form of evolution that’s not too dramatic– just the perfect amount of multitudes.

Buy the album here:
https://novembersdoom1989.bandcamp.com/album/major-arcana

8 / 10
RALKA SKJERSETH
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