NOVEMBRE The Blue (2007)
Label: Peaceville Records
Author: Boyana Atanassova
Rate: 4 / 6

Which is the most proper month for a new Novembre album to come out? Yes, everything is just like it should be. The weather is cold, snow covers ours eyes from time to time, and the music is in perfect synchronicity with the fierce wind.

We can expect almost everything from this band, but in this case there are not surprises at all and this is a bit disappointing. The material is well done, it has its merits and succeeds to hold the attention after the first playing, but it does not contain anything special. I mentioned that we can expect everything, and “The Blue” really contains many of the favorite genres of the band members, but there are still problems…

It starts with a fooling acoustic guitar in “Aenemia” and after it the feeling from the music is getting more restless and dark. The November mood dominates this livid with cold picture. Ice pieces are broken in many crystals from the powerful roar of Carmelo Orlando and seconds later they are melting in the pacificatory calm singing. Such things are repeating themselves in every small episode of the series - “Cobalt of March”, “Bluecracy”, “Iridescence”... There’s no variety and everything is united by a depressing note and doomy despair.

And despite of the professionalism, there’s disappointment by the lack of new skills. It will be nice to hear the album months later, but this does not make it better enough. Maybe one of the reasons is that there is no musicians’ wish for changes, or maybe it is the fast recording of the album or the creativity in an exhausted band … It is hard to find a synonymous answer which could change the reality: “The Blue” is sad, windy, and freezing - not with its uniqueness, but with its surprising uniformity.