Novembers Doom | Major Arcana | Prophecy Productions

Release Date: September 19, 2025

Format: CD, Vinyl

Genre: Doom Metal, Dark Metal

Country: United States

Novembers Doom has walked a long road since their early days in Chicago. Formed by Paul Kuhr in 1989, the band grew from the American death doom underground into one of the most recognizable names in dark metal. Their path has taken them through heavy, sorrow-laden albums, melancholic atmospheres and steady growth across decades. "Major Arcana" arrives as their twelfth full length, six years after "Nephilim Grove", carrying the familiar bleakness that has always marked their work while opening a new chapter through the tarot inspired concept that shapes the album’s tone and imagery.

"Major Arcana" presents Novembers Doom in a fully settled creative space. The band leans into their trademark mixture of heaviness and emotional weight, shifting between harsh vocals, sorrowful melodies and patient pacing. Nothing is detached from the story they want to tell. The songs move through darkness in different shades, sometimes crushing, sometimes pained, sometimes strangely reflective, always tied to the album’s atmosphere. The lyrical approach stays focused on the tarot concept, using symbolism to give each song its own narrative space without drifting into detached abstraction.

The album’s range is one of its strongest qualities. Tracks like "Ravenous" and "Bleed Static" strike hard with their heavier approach, while pieces such as "Mercy" or "The Dance" sink into melancholy and resignation. "The Fool" and "Dusking Day" bring a livelier swing, keeping the record from falling into a single emotional direction. This variety gives the album a steady flow from beginning to end, maintaining interest without relying on drastic stylistic shifts. The band balances aggression and sadness naturally, using each side of their sound to deepen the album’s atmosphere.

Production keeps the music grounded. Vocals sit clearly in the mix, guitars sound massive without turning the sound into chaos and the rhythm section pushes the music forward with weight and restraint. The album is unified, not stitched together, and the performances hold a mature character that fits the long running history of Novembers Doom. Nothing tries to be flashy. Instead, the band relies on lived experience and strong songwriting to build a coherent album that rewards attention.

"Major Arcana" stands as a confident return for Novembers Doom, a dark metal album that respects the band’s legacy without falling into formula. It is heavy, emotional and thoughtfully crafted, offering plenty to sink into for anyone who has followed them through the years. The tarot concept adds color without overwhelming the music, giving the album a personality that fits its somber nature.

Score: 9.0

Hexvessel | Nocturne | Prophecy Productions

 

 Hexvessel is the brainchild of English musician Mat McNerney, known for his work in Code, Dødheimsgard, Beastmilk, and Grave Pleasures. Founded in Finland in 2009 following his relocation, Hexvessel has continually evolved, moving through phases of folk, rock, and experimental blackened psychedelia. While the band is anchored in Tampere, their sound wanders far beyond physical geography. Rooted in organic instrumentation and esoteric atmospheres, they inhabit a space that is both inward and distant, spiritual and hallucinatory.

"Nocturne" is Hexvessel’s seventh full-length offering, and it arrives as a fully realized extension of the commissioned "Music For Gloaming" work debuted at Roadburn Festival 2024. The album draws together strands from across their wide-reaching catalog into a somber and immersive sonic tapestry. The tonal palette favors grayscale textures—windswept acoustics, faint analog synths, and distant piano motifs—presented with restraint and patience. The production, handled by Jaime Gomez Arellano, avoids gloss or aggression in favor of clarity, giving the space needed for shadow and resonance to unfold.

The material on "Nocturne" flows like a single, meditative piece rather than ten segmented songs. Acoustic guitars shimmer faintly across minimal rhythmic pulses, while keys and choral harmonies drift like slow-form fog. There are undercurrents of melancholic grandeur in “Sapphire Zephyrs” and “Inward Landscapes,” as well as hypnotic dissonance in “Spirit Masked Wolf” and “Mother Destroyer.”

Vocals by Mat McNerney remain central, contemplative, and fluid—at times drifting into chant-like ritual and at others reaching for melodic archways that resemble art-rock crooning or even subdued black metal invocation. His voice is joined in key moments by collaborators such as Saara Nevalainen, adding ghostly harmony, and Yusaf Vicotnik Parvez, whose sharp timbre in “Unworld” brings a cold angular contrast. The closing “Phoebus” ends the album not with resolution, but with dispersal—an act of evaporating into a lingering twilight.

There is a sense of distance between the listener and the songs, not as an emotional barrier but as an intentional veiling. The instrumentation moves in and out of audibility, as if mimicking the movements of thought during late-night solitude. Hexvessel offers not a narrative or statement, but a ritual atmosphere—one that evokes late-autumn forests, frost-lit villages, and the psychic silence of being alone under stars.

This is not an album of climaxes. Rather, it is a constant state of dusk, guided more by intuition than structure. The listening experience gains through full immersion, ideally uninterrupted. The appearance of black metal is subtle but essential—glimpsed in certain vocal cadences, tremolo undercurrents, and emotional austerity, but never overtly foregrounded.

Score: 7.8

In the Woods... | Otra | Prophecy Productions

 

In The Woods..., one of Norway’s most enigmatic and genre-defying metal acts, began their story in Kristiansand in 1991, founded by former members of Green Carnation. Initially steeped in the black metal underground, their 1993 demo “Isle Of Men” and the seminal 1995 debut “HEart Of The Ages” placed them on the map as pioneers of a more atmospheric and progressive form of extreme metal. Throughout the 1990s, the band expanded into new artistic territory with “Omnio” (1997) and “Strange In Stereo” (1999) before splitting in 2000.

After the death of founding member Oddvar A.M. in 2013, the band reformed with a mixture of returning and new members. Releases such as “Pure” (2016) and ”Cease The Day” (2018) marked a reemergence into the avant-garde sphere, though not without turbulence. By 2022, a new and final incarnation solidified around drummer Anders Kobro, new vocalist Bernt Fjellestad, and longtime collaborators Kåre André Sletteberg, Bernt Horne Sørensen, and Nils Olav Drivdal, culminating in Diversum later that year. Their strong live showing at Prophecy Fest 2024 confirmed the rebirth was no longer transitional—it was fully realized.

"Otra" continues the legacy of In The Woods... with a mature and focused sense of composition. This album leans heavily toward melodic and atmospheric constructions, often led by clear, layered guitar work and an emphasis on vocal clarity and tonal variation. There is a noticeable shift from their earlier chaotic and brooding avant-black roots to a more controlled and graceful expression of dynamics. Harsh textures do return, but now serve as counterpoints rather than central themes. The pacing across all seven songs is deliberate, and each piece contributes to a cohesive whole without being repetitive.

The band’s integration of keyboards and synths—supported here by guests Alf Erik Sørensen and Hector Montero—contributes to a broad sonic canvas that ranges from subtly uplifting to introspective and somber. Bernt Fjellestad’s vocals carry both emotional resonance and technical command, balancing melodic phrases with harsher moments that maintain a link to the band’s extreme metal origins.

Lyrically, "Otra" draws inspiration from the river that flows through southern Norway, binding the album thematically to geography and personal roots without resorting to overexplanation. There’s a sense of place woven through the atmosphere—understated but persistent.

The production is spacious and restrained. The mixing and mastering by Frédéric Gervais allows room for each instrument to breathe, avoiding over-compression while maintaining clarity. The guitar and vocal recordings at the band’s own studio ensure consistency in tone and mood. The artwork by Seiya Ogino reflects the band’s aesthetic well—mysterious, somber, and quietly mythic.

"Otra" does not aim for confrontation or extremity. Instead, it speaks with calm conviction and weight born of experience. The music may not surprise those familiar with the band’s latest evolution, but it holds attention through strong songwriting, balance, and nuance. The album invites repeated listens not through complexity alone but through subtle shifts and restrained intensity.

Score: 8.5/10