Vicky
I won’t tell you about a certain deal I made with Catto a while ago, regarding Major Arcana.
I think this is the third or fourth time I am trying to write a proper introduction. For some reason, writing about Novembers Doom when it’s actually November makes me want to bring this article as close to perfection as humanly possible. I think it’s necessary for me to make at least two puns regarding the band name, and then we can go on talking about the album itself. First thing’s first, as I was saying, of course I have waited until November to write about this LP (which, yes, has been released back in September), because I wanted to bring back the “November” in Novembers Doom.
Secondly, I think that the group is selling out, month-wise. Besides the fact that they released this album in September (and that’s not alright, by the way!), the prologue of Major Arcana is actually called “June”. Here are all the lyrics to “June”: The heat from the summer burns, June is always cold inside, So many days we could have joined them, So many times we wanted to try, We’re always pleased to get out alive to get out alive. Mournful, isn’t it? Trust me, that is just the tip of the iceberg salad called Major Arcana.
When talking about the album name, I must mention that The Major Arcana represents 22 Tarot cards that unveil all the primary archetypes of human nature (according to this). If we analyze the album even further, we will find that the title-track’s lyrics are loosely based on the tarot cards (Archetypes over the soul, Destiny and fate, alchemy and shame). There’s a song on this album literally called “The Fool”, which is the first tarot card of the actual Major Arcana.
If we direct our attention towards the music, we are going to notice that Novembers Doom has taken a more Melodic approach to its Doom/Death Metal. For this, I really should give its vocalists, Paul Kuhr and Larry Roberts, plenty of credit, given that they make this album rock. Some of my personal favorite songs off Major Arcana are “The Fool”, and “Bleed Static”. But, actually, all of the tracks making Major Arcana are unique, exceptionally well crafted, and profoundly personal. You don’t just hear the lyrics – the words get carved into your skin, making you feel every ounce of emotion they transmit. For comparison purposes, I am going to say that Major Arcana is to Novembers Doom what Doliu is to Clouds, and what Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us is to Paradise Lost: a record that indubitably changed the way we see Doom and/or Gothic and/or Death Metal.
To conclude, Major Arcana is for a fact a record we will remember. And Novembers Doom did indeed release one of its best albums yet (as Paul Kuhr has stated for Arrow Lords of Metal some time ago). With every new material, I think that these very talented Americans just cannot get any better, yet with the following album, I see they have outdone themselves once again.
Label: Prophecy Productions
Release date: September 19, 2025
Website: https://novembersdoomband.net/
Country: USA
Score: 4.6/5.0
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