Speaking of bands that have been around for nigh-on four decades, Certified Chicago Institution™ Novembers Doom are back with their twelfth (!) full-length release in Major Arcana.  Just like Hera mentioned in her most excellent review of the new Amorphis jam, how does a band that has been around this long keep it fresh, especially when you are pioneers of not one but two different genres?  Perhaps for others it might be time to reach deep into the bag of tricks and pull out a wildcard, but for Novembers Doom, they double down on what makes them special, and it really works.

Formed by vocalist Paul Kuhr (who happens to hail from a little suburb called Berwyn, IL: the home of Svengoolie AND Vince and I!) all the way back in 1989, Novembers Doom quickly rose to prominence as one of the first and most recognizable death doom bands, and they are one of the few of those early adopters that are still going 36 years later.  After later releases saw them incorporating folk, prog and straight-ahead rock influences, they began to call their brand “dark metal” and from there they spawned yet another wave of progeny and copycats.  It’s not easy being the spearhead of more than one burgeoning genre, but Novembers Doom sure do make it seem that way; they have a solid discography that is unabashedly them, without compromise or half-measures.  They’re not really a band known for curveballs, and what you get on Major Arcana is more of the same in the best way possible.  It’s been six years since Nephilim Grove, their last album, so naturally the quintet is more than ready to go, but also, considering there has been several huge shakeups in the world since that album dropped, Kuhr and crew have even more fire in their bellies to put out their best work yet.  If you can believe it, the lyrical themes of Major Arcana center around fate, divination and tarot cards, although Kuhr’s lyrics still maintain their personal and emotional edge.

Perhaps Novembers Doom doesn’t have the instant brand recognition of your Paradise Losts and your My Dying Brides, but what Novembers Doom has in spades is consistency and potency, and Major Arcana flexes these muscles gratuitously, proving that time has done nothing to slow this band down.  Carried as always by the guttural growls and somber baritone of Kuhr, Major Arcana is much more of an outwardly heavy album than I was expecting, while still balancing the theatrical drama that I feel categorizes the band’s sound and what makes them innovators in the metal scene.  The lead single and title track is a great example of just how heavy Novembers Doom can still be even nearly forty years into their career, with absolutely crushing riff after riff, held down by Kuhr’s bowel-churning roar.  Similarly, closer “XXII” (which is the second song on the album to reference the tarot card The Fool) shows off the band’s technical prowess with melodies and hooks like barbs that build into a melodic climax that perfectly ends the cycle of Major Arcana.  Truly, nearly every facet of the dark metal Novembers Doom originated is on display here, from the anthemic choruses to the chugging death metal riffs to the mournful, gothic doom of tracks like “Mercy.”  Major Arcana is an album with no frills or fluff, executed to the highest degree, and at a pace that never wavers or falters from start to finish.

Fittingly, Major Arcana comes with some seriously killer swag when you order the album.  Angela and I both love the artbook option for physical releases from Prophecy, and there happens to be a bundle that comes with a special tarot deck themed around this album (or vice versa, perhaps).  You know I already have that en route to our house, both for the cool factor and on the strength of this release.  Major Arcana is another strong release from a band that is nothing but consistent, with the ferocity and intensity of outfits that have a quarter of their tenure or less.

— Ian

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Major Arcana is available now on Prophecy Productions.  For more information on Novembers Doom, visit their official website.