After the re-recorded debut material released under the banner of Dreams d'Azur, quite a long time passed. What happened during those four years within the band's camp, history does not tell, but it can now be said that they have met the fate of many doom-death acts — KATATONIA and ANATHEMA, for example. And so NOVEMBRE now play melodically melancholic gothic doom.
So what do we have on Materia? By and large, the band's sound hasn't changed dramatically. The first thing that catches your eye is the near-complete abandonment of death metal elements and growling, which appears only sporadically in a few songs. Overall, the atmosphere and mood remain the same — gentle sorrow, longing for the unattainable, nostalgia. Only the means of expression have changed: a somewhat hazy guitar tone, Carmelo's melancholic vocals have become more subdued and at times even nasal. All the precursors to changes of this sort were already present on the preceding Novembrine Waltz — if you listened closely, the warning signs were already there. Incidentally, Croma and Nothijngrad were written during the Novembrine Waltz period, as the booklet states. And since we've touched on the booklet, it would be remiss not to mention the graphic wonders of Travis Smith — but no words are needed; he is, as always, at the top of his game.
To summarize: NOVEMBRE have remained true to themselves — the form changes, but the substance stays the same. True devotees of their work will be satisfied.