Novembre - Dreams d'azur (2002)^{Release ID: 6287}

Novembre is one of those bands I can't actually recall, but sounds like one I've probably encountered in passing. Anathema in the suggested bands on M-A, probably vaguely popular enough that I've seen them without really knowing what it is.
The vocalist and some of the earlier songs really reminded me of the sort of vaguely metal alt rock that seemed to fill pop music during the decade this was released. It's the clean vocalist who really sells it; He's one of those whiny guys who you usually hear singing about another breakup or about how they're really going to do it this time. I think it's a shame because the lyrics are far too good for the guy singing them.
This isn't to say I don't like the album, it's nice, but as a package it's missing something else. It's just...fine. It definitely has that doom metal Pink Floyd vibe that Anathema had, so it isn't that. Despite the album taking a while to get going, even on the second half I get that eh feeling. I'd say the material doesn't quite work with the production it has. That said Swim Seagull in the Sky, even with this lifeless feeling, still works.
With that said, it has been done many different ways, since I'm hearing a remastered version, and even this album is a remake of an earlier album. The question is, did it change because the earlier productions were worse, or because they didn't quite like it and ended up here? I think for now, I'll be content to just wait to answer that question.

This month's The North feature release was beautifully timed given my very recent revisit of Novembre's 1994 debut album "Wish I Could Dream It Again...", a release that I've enjoyed for a full three decades now. Surprisingly, I've not ventured any further into the Italians' back catalogue before now but the unique combination of whispy, dreamy atmospheres combined with a progressive black metal backbone still offers me plenty of appeal so I had definitely placed 2002's "Dream d'azur" fifth full-length on my to-do list just before discovering that Ben had selected it for feature releases status. I had no idea that it was a re-recording of "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." before this week though so the last couple of days have served as a beautiful point of comparison & one that has spawned some unexpected & perhaps controversial results.

While "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." was recorded in Sweden with Dan Swanö, "Dream d'azur" would be re-enacted at home in Italy at drummer Giuseppe Orlando's (The Foreshadowing/Deinonychus) Outer Sound Studios in Rome where he collaborated with guitarist Massimiliano Pagliuso behind the mixing desk. The resulting product sounds way cleaner & more polished than the fairly raw debut album which accentuates the progressive nature of the song-writing a lot more. The keyboards play a more prominent role in the mix which is one of the main differences between the two albums. The other is the improved performances with the clean vocals of guitarist Carmelo Orlando being far stronger than his naive delivery on "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." where he seemed to intentionally waver in pitch in a relaxed way that reminded me of US college indie rock bands. His black metal screams are slightly more intense here although I did really like them on the debut too. The instrumental performances are also superior with the guitar solos having had their progressive nature ramped up significantly in terms of sophistication & technique, thanks largely to the addition of Pagliuso. The drumming of Carmelo's brother Giuseppe is once again a highlight with his delivery having been tightened up significantly but the real star of the show is session bass player Fabio Fraschini whose pure & powerful tone & unique note selection is one of the main drivers behind Novembre's fresh take on this old record. The dreamy, almost gazey atmospheres of the debut have been maintained beautifully, as have the aggressive black metal passages that are just strong enough for me to be claiming "Dream d'azur" as a progressive black metal release in much the same way as I did for "Wish I Could Dream It Again...".

But is "Dreams d'azur" really light years ahead of "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." as a point of creative expression? And does it sound as drastically different to the debut as it's often reported to be? Well, the answer to both questions is no as far as I'm concerned which I know will surprise a few people. If you look closely at "Dreams d'azur", you'll actually discover that it's a pretty faithful reenactment of "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." in terms of style & structure. Sure, there are a few tracks that have had their titles adjusted as well as a couple that have been combined into the one lengthy piece but I don't feel that the actual music being played has changed all that much apart from the more precise performances. As with the debut, I have to question the genre-tagging that's generally dished out for "Dream d'azur" though. "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." is often referred to as progressive doom/death but I couldn't find a trace of doom metal or death metal on it & the black metal component that's hardly mentioned elsewhere was strong enough for an additional primary tag. The same goes for "Dreams d'azur" with most punters tagging it as a progressive take on gothic metal, a label which is drastically out of line with reality. Once again, there's hardly a second of gothic influence on this record which generally goes in the complete other direction by shunning any semblance of darkness outside of the more aggressive black metal parts & a one-off piano section. A good portion of the riffs were quite clearly written in a dissonant, open-string black metal style & their regular combination with Carmelo's harsh screams & Giuseppe's blast-beats is impossible to overlook as far as I'm concerned. I'm absolutely baffled as to why most other fans seem to overlook these obvious character traits.

While there's no doubt that "Dreams d'azur" is a step up in terms of production from the much rawer & more primitive "Wish I Could Dream It Again...", I dispute the claims that it's some sort of classic while the debut is left floundering as immature folly. As someone that has spent three decades with its elder sibling, the younger record simply seems like a different take on it more than a drastic improvement. I'm not saying that "Dreams d'azur" is not the better record because it is but not by anywhere near as much as some critics would have you believe. Yes, the production & performances are superior but that doesn't mean that the song-writing wasn't just as unique & captivating back in 1994. The main advantage for "Dreams d'azur" is in the ability for the stronger tracks to have their impact maximized as we see in the wonderful versions of "Let Me Hate" & "Neanderthal Sands", both of which manage to reach genuine classic status here when they had that potential curtailed a bit on the debut where they didn't even sit amongst the best few tracks. I do think that I prefer the closer "Christal" a bit more on "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." though where it was shorter & a touch darker. The comparisons for the remainder of the tracklisting leaves me feeling fairly similarly to be honest with the cleaner sound & execution not really equating to Novembre reaching greater creative heights.

There's no doubt that "Dreams d'azur" is a very solid progressive black metal album full of intrigue & atmosphere though. While I clearly hold a soft spot for "Wish I Could Dream It Again...", I will comfortably concede that it's not nearly as accessible a listen as the re-recording is & I'd recommend that any Novembre virgins proceed directly past GO! & collect their $200 at the shinier 2002 model. Overlook the debut at your peril though as it's not the handicapped cousin its often touted as being. In fact, all of the elements that make "Dreams d'azur" so great were already there but they just needed a little coaxing to come out of their shell.

For fans of Green Carnation, Opeth & Alcest.

The talented Novembre know how to please their longtime listeners. Their 1994 debut Wish I Could Dream It Again suffered from poor production and execution and ended up out of print. One year after their 4th album Novembrine Waltz, the band decided to re-record their debut with a new name, Dreams d'Azur. Now this is a much better take on that album! One that has kept those earlier listeners in joy until the band's next album Materia 4 years later...

So what are the differences between this album and the original debut, apart from the more obvious facts? There's more unique atmosphere to let the different parts really shine, whether it's the extreme heaviness in the drums, guitars, and growls, or the smooth melody from the acoustics, keyboards, and cleans that are greatly improved compared to the debut. The structures greatly set up the bridge between extreme and melancholic. There's great flow with some slight choppiness. Beautiful dreamy lyrics cover all the songs, with one of them written in Italian.

Still reigning as one of my favorites is "The Dream of the Old Boats". Ambient keys and guitars roll into drums and vocals that become more climatic in every minute. Perfect! "Novembre" can be considered the band's theme song, not just in the name but also when it shows you all the band really has. The soft long part heads straight into extreme growling and drumming speed. "Nottetempo" sounds close to mid-90s The Gathering instrumentally. Then we have some black metal rage in "Let Me Hate".

Then we have the filthy yet gothic "Sirens in Filth" that gradually grows just like in some of the earlier tracks. I love "Swim Seagull in the Sky" in both the debut and this re-recording, though the version in the latter has more power. The two-minute ending still rules with all of its f***ing glory. "The Music" continues to shine after being revamped. Calm keyboards make way for upbeat riffing melodies and better-flowing clean singing. Soon the drums and guitars jackhammer through alongside growls in heavier parts. "Marea" is a 3-part 12-minute epic that actually combines two tracks originally in the debut. Calm acoustics aside, it's a vast improvement and another awesome track here!

"Old Lighthouse Tale" is fast and extreme while having slight doom. "The White Eyed" is another solid track to love. "Neanderthal Sands" has some slow sinister melody. And some people thought they could only get sinister vibes from fast deathly thrash bands like Demolition Hammer. "Christal" ends the album with soft gothic ambience, like you have just woken up from a dream.

Dreams d'Azur truly is a stronger revamp of Wish I Could Dream It Again, and you can practically all the different styles in the late 90s eras of Opeth and Katatonia. Any fan of those bands should add this album to their collection. The progressive/gothic/black metal dream is real....

Favorites: "The Dream of the Old Boats", "Novembre", "Swim Seagull in the Sky", "The Music", "Marea", "The White Eyed"