FDA Rekotz isn’t necessarily the first label you’d think of for a doom/death release (from their roster, barring Graveyard of Souls they’re usually known for their straight death metal, or deathgrind bands). With Decembre Noir they have a fine discovery for those whose blood run cold in excitement at the mere mention of the ‘Peaceville trinity’of Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema; the bands who laid down the pathway for so much miserable music to slowly and solemnly tread down.
The album opens with the title track, ‘A Discouraged Believer’, and after a chugging intro it’s soon clear to hear all the aforementioned influences converging into one. Paradise Lost’s shifting chord patterns, and the darkened aura of My Dying Bride pushing to the forefront, blending perfectly into something which is burning with grace, as well as harbouring a pain-filled hateful streak which drips with unfulfilled vengeance. There is also a lot of early Katatonia in their sound, with the Akerfeldt fronted era accounted for in the rhythmic, heavier edge and lowly growled vocal attack, and the strong melodies and song writing of ‘Discouraged Ones’bleeding in the emotional crescendos and creative expanse. The minor key acoustic intro to ‘Thorns’adds a cold air into the mix, before the distorted guitars blast from the speakers, driving a melancholic groove and even adding a bit of hyper speed into the mix, hitting seemingly out of nowhere, diSEMBOWELMENT style. Throughout the album, the weeping melodies and slowly treading songs inform of a sorry tale of loss, the musical minor keys and sorrowful tone adding flesh to the bones, sapping you with fables of bereavement before completely enveloping you within their grey world. There’s a strict reliance on melody similarly to the aforementioned My Dying Bride, and thankfully it’s full bodied and potent. The guitars sway with a morose beat as if performing at a funeral procession, the remorseful melodies acting as the weeping cries of anguish, buckling in grief.
As debut albums go, you can’t really fault its delivery or intent. It’s polished, bursting with melody and dark emotions. Decembre Noir know exactly how to draw out a melody, wringing every last drop of emotion from it, stretching it to heart-crushing breaking point without overdoing it. That in itself is a fine art to master. But, adding in that they seem fully in control of their sound, and fully aware of what emotions they want to invoke from the listener, delivering in spades. Decembre Noir have a solid debut album under their belts to move forward with.
(8/10 Lars Christiansen)
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