Novembers Doom formed in 1989, but it was not until 1992 that Novembers Doom would receive some attention in the metal world. An early deal with Regress Records, of Italy, allowed Avantgarde Records to hear the band. This demo (Her Tears Drop) was heavy, combined with moods of darkness and despair. The two songs would lead to the release of the band's full length debut CD, Amid Its Hallowed Mirth on Avant Garde and Nuclear Blast. Exploring and expanding, the band added female backing vocals and continued its thick, eerie brand of metal. A compilation track for Pavement Music soon followed. In 1997, Novembers Doom released the EP For Every Leaf That Falls. The album was well received, leading to favourable reviews and response worldwide. Novembers Doom has since released their second full length album Of Sculptured Ivy and Stone Flowers, with Martyr Music Group. This new offering had received rave reviews.
In May of 2000, Novembers Doom entered the recording studio once again, to record the follow up to Of Sculptured Ivy and Stone Flowers. The band has recorded The Knowing with Studio One's Chris Djuricic. The CD is an extension of the previous material, only taking steps in new directions to enhance their already original sound.
In July of 2000, Novembers Doom officially became a member of Dark Symphonies. Realizing the bands potential, they constructed a deal with Martyr Music Group, to include the band on its roster, releasing The Knowing to the public.
Now, with their third full length release receiving praise, and a European licensed release of the CD through Pavement Music, Novembers Doom secured themselves more attention than before.
To Welcome the Fade
In October 2002, Novembers Doom entered the studio to begin work on their second full length of new material for Dark Symphonies. The band's fourth full length album would be entitled To Welcome the Fade, only this time they recruited the talents of the Grammy Award-winning producer, Neil Kernon. Kernon, best known for his work with acts like Hall & Oates, Kansas, Yes, Queensrÿche, Judas Priest, and more recently Nevermore and Cannibal Corpse, brought a new power and clarity to the sound of the band. This album was chosen as the Number One metal album of 2002 in Metal Maniacs magazine by one of its head editors, Novembers Doom was also a featured cover story on their January 2003 issue.
Signing with The End
In 2004, a successful tour in North America with The Gathering eventually leading to a signing with The End Records that summer. The band entered the studio in the fall to record their fifth album, The Pale Haunt Departure. This time around the band enlisted the help of the very respected producer and artist Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity, Bloodbath and Nightingale) for the mixing duties, and the mastering went to metal guitarist and producer James Murphy (Testament, Obituary and Disincarnate).
In March 2005, The Pale Haunt Departure was released with a tour supporting it. Novembers Doom continues to forge ahead, meshing diverse musical styles and textures in the pursuit of always creating a new and unique listening experience with each new release, while retaining their heavy sound and dark lyrics.
The Novella Reservoir
In June 2006, the band's sixth full-length album, The Novella Reservoir, was announced on The End Records' website. The album will contain eight tracks. It is a follow-up to The Pale Haunt Departure.
Discography
* Her Tears Drop (Demo 1995)
* Amid Its Hallowed Mirth (Full-length 1995)
* For Every Leaf That Falls (EP 1997)
* Of Sculptured Ivy and Stone Flowers (Full-length 1999)
* The Knowing (Full-length, 2000)
* To Welcome the Fade (Full-length 2002)
* Reflecting In Grey Dusk (Best of/Compilation 2004)
* The Pale Haunt Departure (Full-length 2005)
* The Novella Reservoir (Full-length 2007)
* Into Night's Requiem Infernal (Full-length 2009)
* Aphotic (Full-length 2011)
* Bled White (Full Length 2014)
* Hamartia (Full Length 2017)
Shadow Play
Novembers Doom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A quick turn to see it disappear
My struggle to witness what is real
Thoughts prey on a realistic view
Here is where the daylight fade
Darkness leans on a morbid cain
A haunting by the shadow play
So very still and silent I lay
To trace your steps through shadows way
The shadow represents a time before I knew
A presence felt, cold and by my side
I am your captive audience
Show yourself, and prove I am not mad
Here is where the daylight fade
Darkness leans on a morbid cain
Thought’s deprived of sterile day
A haunting by the shadow play
So very still and silent I lay
To trace your steps through shadows way
I can hear you. I know you are there.
Your outline against the wall betrays
Standing in the dark, lurking in my dreams
I can hear your breathing across the room
Insignificant within the infinite
A road I have travelled many of day
Swallowed by the black in nights sky
Left to admire the beautiful failure
Not much will become of me this night
Not any night when the gallows fill
Sleep will find the deserts sand
This crushing fall steals my breath away
Thought’s deprived of sterile day
A haunting by the shadow play
So very still and silent I lay
To trace your steps through shadows way
The lyrics of Novembers Doom's song Shadow Play are abstract and poetic, and can be interpreted in various ways. The verses reflect the struggle to discern reality from imagination, as the character sees fleeting movements and tries to distinguish them from hallucinations. The lyrics suggest that the singer is haunted by a presence from the past, represented by the shadow, which is a metaphor for the intangible remnants of history. The character's thoughts are "deprived of sterile day", suggesting that the mundane nature of everyday life is devoid of meaning or fulfillment. The haunting of the shadow play is both an eerie and beautiful manifestation of the unknown, which the character desires to unravel. The appeal of the shadow lies in its mystery, and its traces evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing.
The second part of the song introduces the idea of captivity and the search for proof of something that is elusively present. The singer feels trapped by the hold that the shadow has on him, and desires its physical manifestation as proof of its existence. The shadow becomes a metaphor for a person or emotion that has left a mark on his memory, and he is asking it to reveal itself to him. The imagery of darkness and the morbid cain emphasizes the despair and isolation that the character feels, and the sense of foreboding that pervades the song. The final verse seems to suggest a resignation to the futility of trying to understand the shadow, and a nihilistic acceptance of mortality and the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
A single movement attracts my attention
I have noticed a small motion that grabs my focus
A quick turn to see it disappear
I turned around quickly, but it had vanished from my sight
My struggle to witness what is real
I am having trouble identifying what is true
Thoughts prey on a realistic view
My mind is consumed by the idea of seeing a realistic depiction
Here is where the daylight fade
This is where the brightness of day begins to disappear
Darkness leans on a morbid cain
The darkness in my surroundings is like a morbid, creepy weight on my psyche
Thought’s deprived of sterile day
I am deprived of sensible thoughts during the daytime
A haunting by the shadow play
I am being visited by an unsettling apparition in the shadows
So very still and silent I lay
I am motionless and quiet, lying in wait
To trace your steps through shadows way
I am trying to follow where the shadows seem to be leading me
The shadow represents a time before I knew
This shadow reminds me of a time in the past when I was unaware of certain things
A presence felt, cold and by my side
I can sense a presence near me, something chilling and unsettling
I am your captive audience
I am being held captive by this presence
Show yourself, and prove I am not mad
I need this entity to reveal itself so that I can believe I am not going insane
I can hear you. I know you are there.
I can hear you breathing, and I am aware of your presence
Your outline against the wall betrays
I can see the outline of your form against the wall, revealing your location
Standing in the dark, lurking in my dreams
You stand and lurk in the darkness, haunting my dreams
I can hear your breathing across the room
Your breathing is audible to me, even from across the room
Insignificant within the infinite
I feel small and meaningless compared to the vastness of the universe
A road I have travelled many of day
I have spent a lot of time journeying down this road
Swallowed by the black in nights sky
I am being consumed by the darkness of the night sky
Left to admire the beautiful failure
I am left to appreciate the beauty of failure
Not much will become of me this night
I don't expect much to happen to me tonight
Not any night when the gallows fill
Nothing good will happen on nights when the gallows are in use
Sleep will find the deserts sand
I will eventually fall asleep, with the desert sands as my bed
This crushing fall steals my breath away
This heavy fall is taking my breath away
Contributed by Jacob M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.