Novembre continue with their brand of melancholic Doom with "The Blue". Not much of a departure from last year's "Materia", this album has an overall very melancholic, more or less depressing mood that has less "up beat" moments than its predecessor. The vocals are basically the same style, alternating between a very good clean, mellow style and a more growl-like style, sometimes both simultaneously. Musically, even the mellow, least metallic moments have a feel of heaviness to them, while when the band kicks it up a notch and goes metal, we are treated with some good sharp guitars, and the combination of a loud bass sound and thunderous drums is sometimes literally crushing. I liked "Materia" better, but "The Blue" has something for those who weren't turned off by Novembre's new approach with that album. Well done, but an acquired taste.
