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NOVEMBERS DOOM
Hamartia
The End Records

Since their inception back in the Windy City in ‘89, legendary doom metal masters NOVEMBERS DOOM have hedged a lofty reputation as being one of the genre’s most earliest yet consistently active bands in their field. Forging their initial thrash metal leanings into a slower-sounding yet heavier sound over their 28-year career, the current incarnation of founder/vocalist Paul Kuhr, guitarists Larry Roberts and Vito Marchese, bassist Mike Feldman and drummer Gary Naples are garnering as much profound musical heaviness as ever on their 10th studio album Hamartia. The album was recorded at Belle City Sound in Racine, Wisconsin, under the watchful ears and eyes of long-time producer Chris Djuricic (JUNGLE ROT, MALEVOLENCE) and Swedish mix-mastering metal guru Dan Swano, whose own past work with OPETH and KATATONIA have heavily influenced the grim darkness of Hamartia’s sound and texture.

Opening with the driving number “Devil’s Light”, Hamartia emits the deepest and blackest of feelings of the human soul. Kuhr’s growling vocals on the track are menacing and dramatic but also earnest in its approach. The follow-up track “Plague Bird” sees Kuhr relying more on his normal brooding voice as he projects two separate emotions of rage and despair. On “Ghost” his vocals sound perhaps the most powerful throughout the whole album in his low baritone voice and by “Ever After” and the piano-driven title track, Kuhr’s voice has morphed into a smooth crooning style that could almost land his band an opening slot on Michael Buble’s next world tour.

As well as showcasing Paul Kuhr’s ever-evolving vocals further than on previous works by NOVEMBERS DOOM, HamartiaNOVEMBERS DOOM for its greatest number of outside contributions since 2011’s Aphotic. Dan Swano’s contributions on backing vocals and guitar work are a regular mainstay on NOVEMBERS DOOM’s body of work and his stellar work on “Borderline” is no exception here, also featuring some killer backing vocals courtesy of Bernt Fjellstad of SUSPERIA. Elsewhere, other guests on the album include Andrew Craighan of MY DYING BRIDE lending some of his melodic riffing on “Waves In The Red Cloth” and Paul’s daughter Rhiannon Kuhr - once the subject matter of previous NOVEMBERS DOOM songs "Autumn Reflection", “Swallowed By The Moon” and “Twilight Innocence” - offering her own blossoming vocal talent on “Ever After”, “Miasma” and “Zephyr”.

Taking its inspiration from the Greek term which translates from the expression “to miss the mark” and further dwelling on future interpretations depicting the internal flaws of someone intending to do good, Hamartia is as far from a happy-go-lucky upbeat album as it gets. But its perfection lies in its delivery and sometimes it’s hard to fault someone for wanting to reach their target in other conventional ways.

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4.5 Out Of 5.0

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