Novembre

Novembre, based in Rome, ranks among Italy's most varied and industrious heavy metal groups while remaining comparatively little known. Vocalist and guitarist Carmelo Orlando together with his brother Giuseppe on drums assumed leadership after entering the preexisting death metal band Catacomb in the early 1990s. By 1994 they had redirected its direction toward more accessible progressive and gothic songwriting. The resulting releases comprise Wish I Could Dream It Again… (1994), Arte Novecento (1996), Classica (1999), Novembrine Waltz (2001), and Dreams d'Azur (2002), the last of these a re-recording of the debut. During those years the Orlandos repeatedly engaged and dismissed supporting musicians, yet second guitarist Massimiliano Pagliuso has remained a constant member since 2000. His centrality became clear in 2004, when the band toured to pre-recorded guitar tracks rather than recruit a substitute during his temporary unavailability. The core trio returned to the studio in 2006 to create Materia, the group's fifth original album, and followed it in 2008 with The Blue; both titles began a new association with Peaceville Records. After The Blue the band paused activity, resurfacing eight years later with an altered lineup in which Carmelo Orlando stood as the sole remaining original member. URSA, their eighth full-length release, appeared in early 2016 on Peaceville.