This disc came to me by chance, but it hooked me hard. It has since become a frequent guest in my player. I've listened to this album a hundred times, and it's hard to recall the first impression it made on me now, but with each listen I kept discovering something new — another facet of madness, depression, and melancholy.
The material is a remastered version of the 1994 album recorded at the now-defunct Unisound studio by Dan Swano. I don't know how much the 1994 and 2002 versions differ, but the latter left an indelible impression on me. In the specialized press, you often see negative assessments of this album due to comparisons with KATATONIA, OPETH, and MY DYING BRIDE.
A comparison with KATATONIA can be drawn only loosely, and even then only regarding the vocals. As for OPETH, I'll say nothing. Sure, structurally NOVEMBRE's songs resemble those of the genre's giants, but each one has its own character, each is an element of a single cohesive work. In Swedish doom-death, you often encounter abrupt transitions from crushing heaviness with inhuman growls to acoustic guitars with keyboards and a clean, boyish voice. As a result, it feels like you're listening to several different songs at once. With NOVEMBRE, however, acoustics and keyboards are an integral structural element of the songs — at times the nearly black metal-esque drumming and shimmering guitar solos smoothly and imperceptibly give way to the sound of ocean waves, fingerpicked guitar, and clean vocals. The album is completely whole and consistent. Many undiscerning listeners who consume everything the modern music market offers will say there's nothing to latch onto here. And they'd be wrong — well, to hell with them. Yes, I'll admit there are shortcomings — in the mixing of instruments and vocals — but the emotions evoked by the music cross out all the negatives. While I won't deny this is an album for a particular taste, those who don't merely hear but truly listen to music will find "Dreams d'Azur" very much to their liking.