Hi Paul and Larry. Congrats on the excellent “The Pale Haunt Departure”!! Do you think that this is the most mature album of the band to date?

Paul: Easily. We really put a lot of work into the writing process, and took our time to make sure then CD was as consistent as possible. We’ve all matured as people, and musicians, so, it was time to refine the sound, and bring it back to what made us all happy to begin with.

I personally consider this album as one of the best albums of 2005! What is the feedback for your new album from the press and the fans so far?

Larry: So far the feedback for this album has been very positive overall. There are still some people out there who don’t get it, or don’t want to give us a chance, but that’s okay. We’re quite appreciative of those who do! Most of the fan feedback has been great so far so that’s awesome.

Can you tell me before we talk about he new album why did you call the band Novembers Doom and who’s idea was?

L: Honestly, there’s no big story behind it. The name was created by an ex-member of the band almost fifteen years ago. The name suited the mood of the music, and at the time it was a unique type of name, though it’s not so much anymore.

Ok. Why did you title the album “The Pale Haunt Departure”? Which is the deeper meaning of the title?

P: It sets the overall tone of the CD. It’s a dark, strange concept, where if one has faith their entire life, they believe there is a better place to reside after death. What if you were wrong in your beliefs, and there is nowhere to go? You’re essence is doomed to be alone, always a spectator, and always hoping the day comes when you can leave to a better place. I took it a step further, and combined a scarecrow/Christ theme with the images throughout. It’s all about the internal struggle between faith, hope, and betrayal.

Can you tell me a few words about each one of the songs?

L: “The Pale Haunt Departure”: Vito wrote most of the music for this song, and it was one of the last ones completed in time for the recording in fact. This song really showed Vito stepping up to the plate with some great ideas, and Paul and I spent a lot of time refining it and shaping it into the way it is now. One of my favorite songs of ours now.

“Swallowed By The Moon”: The first song I wrote for the record, back in early 2003. I really like Joe’s drumming on the verses, very heavy and moving.

“Autumn Reflection”: One of my favorite ND songs ever, and I don’t mind saying that even though I wrote the music haha. The way everything came together on this track was near perfect, and Paul’s vocal approach couldn’t have been any better! This track has a lot of my more gothic and Pink Floyd influence showing through.

“Dark World Burden”: A great collaborative track between Vito and I. When we first heard it, we knew it was rather different for us, very straightforward and metal, but it was so catchy we knew we had to go through with it. Plus it reminded us of old Edge Of Sanity, which we really love. Having Dan Swano play the final solo on the song just really was the icing on the cake, so to speak! One of the best songs to play live.

“In The Absence Of Grace”: This song was performed live by us for a year before we recorded the album. It was an early one written by Vito and I musically, and we really liked the way it moved along at a heavy pace. It’s a very long song though so, it’s not always good for live shows but I still like putting it into the set now and then. I’m really pleased with how the acoustics sound.

“The Dead Leaf Echo”: This was the first song Vito really brought to the table. It definitely captured that more “classic” ND style and it showed us that he would have no problem fitting in with us as a writer.

“Through A Child’s Eyes”: We knew that this song was going to be a challenge for us but I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. Again I really enjoy the way the acoustics sound, and the jazzy solo I played came pretty close to what I had hoped to achieve. Paul really showed a new side to his vocal abilities on this one and it’s great. I really like when he pushed himself to try new things like this.

“Collapse Of The Falling Throe”: This song started out as being somewhat of a tip of the hat to our older sound, the slow doom-death style. As the song progressed, it started to take on other elements as well, and now it just stands on its own as not being old styled or new styled, it’s just classic ND. As the ending for the song came together we knew it was going to be the song to close out the album. The song just ends with this sense of finality and at the same time a sense of yearning. A good way to end a Novembers Doom album.

Is the artwork related with the title of the album, the music and the lyrics?

P: Yes, very much so. The artwork was and always is just as important to me as the music. I think the whole package helps tell the story in a much clearer picture. It’s one of those things I refuse to cheese out on. I usually have a good visual idea on what I’m looking for as I’m writing the lyrics, and Attila Kis, the artist, surpassed my vision by miles. It fits the CD more perfectly then any release we’ve had.

What do you have in mind when you are writing songs? Melancholic atmosphere or heavy doom/death music?

L: I don’t really have any sort of direction or preconceived notion like that in my head when I write music. I just pick up my guitar and play. Whatever comes out just depends on my mood or what comes naturally from my fingertips that day. I think people seem to think that maybe we write songs with some grand scheme or planned out direction in mind but most of the time, we just write whatever comes out of us. And being that we have so many different influences and tastes that vary over many different styles of music, you never really know exactly what will come out.

Do you feel that you have pushed, this time, your music to the edge this time?

L: I actually feel like we’re just scratching the surface. This album really proves to ourselves that we can broaden our horizons and try new things without having to sacrifice what it is that makes the Novembers Doom sound. We’re not afraid to play fast, or slow, or soft or heavy… we really believe that we’ve got a lot of territory yet to explore musically.

Some people compare you with bands like Anathema, Opeth and Katatonia. Do you think that the comparison with Opeth is no-good, regarding the fact that you and Opeth released your debut albums back in 1995 and you were formed a year later than Opeth?

L: The problem with these comparisons is that people aren’t really delving deeply enough. Those bands you mentioned are so different from each other even, in so many ways, I don’t see how people can even lump those bands together in some general way. I think Opeth are great and I really like those guys, and I don’t mind people saying we have similarities to them. But when people get accusatory and say that we’re just copying them, well to me that shows two things… first, that they don’t know very much about music if they can’t hear the very obvious differences between our writing and theirs. And secondly, that they don’t bother to find out anything about our history as a band, because we’ve been around as long as them, like you mentioned, and we’re about the same ages as those guys, so, we naturally have a lot of the same influences as they do, having grown up in the same scene. And believe me, just because we’re in Chicago and they were in Sweden, don’t think we weren’t listening to all the same underground bands... hell we used to trade tapes back in the day with all of the aforementioned bands!! We’re no spring chickens or come lately bandwagon jumpers trust me. I just wish more people would bother to ask what our influences actually are, rather than trying to tell me what our influences are. I know better than anyone what actually influences my playing, no matter what you might think you know.

By the way how you could characterize the music style of your band? And which bands have influenced the most?

L: It’s too hard to characterize or label what kind of music we play. It’s just dark heavy metal, period. We stretch out over too many different styles to just fit into one neat little category. As for influences, our influences range from The Doors and Pink Floyd to Carnage and Grave to Trouble and Sindrome and Celtic Frost and Voivod to Peter Gabriel and The Cure, etc.

Which was your basic source of inspiration this time?

L: We didn’t have any real source of inspiration from anyone else except ourselves. To a small degree, we did kind of keep in mind some of our roots, stuff from the local Chicago metal scene from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s like Sindrome, Contagion, Maimed, Devastation, Trouble... those bands have probably influenced us more than almost any other metal band, because we grew up directly with those bands around us. But basically, I just draw inspiration from my moods and stuff going on inside of me when I write.

I think that the album’s production is superb! Do you believe that Dan Swano and James Murphy have helped a lot the band on this matter?

L: Absolutely! Dan, James and Chris Djuricic, our engineer, all worked hard at making this album sound as good as it does, and we couldn’t be happier!

Which are those things that you would change if you had the chance again regarding the whole the carrier of Novembers Doom?

L: Every experience I’ve had in the years I’ve been in this band has been worth learning from. I wouldn’t really change anything, personally.

What are the expectations from this album and your future plans?

L: We’re kind of taking this one day at a time, just trying to keep the ball rolling. It gets harder as you get older and do this for longer and longer an amount of time. We definitely want to play to more people and of course Europe is a big goal for the future. We hope that this album gets out to a lot of people and that it gets the respect that we believe it deserves.

Are there any details about the album that you would like to share? Funny stuff, way of recording it?

L: There are always gags and jokes and stuff going on in the studio. We’re a bunch of fucking clowns usually, which might surprise people. We just spent a lot of our down time at the studio playing video games, watching ridiculous porn and eating good pizza!

You are very influenced by the European atmospheric metal scene although you are Americans. Why do you follow the European scene instead of the American doom/death one?

L: We do definitely have a lot of influences from the European metal scene in general, but we never set out to “follow” it per se. You have to realise that we started playing and doing this at the same time as that European scene was starting as well. We traded demos with a lot of those bands and I think we had influence on what each other was doing back then. You have to remember too, that a lot of European bands were in fact drawing a lot of influence from the American bands as well as bands from elsewhere too. Ultimately, we don’t follow any particular scene from any area. If we have more similarities to European bands than American bands, it’s probably just due to the influences we have had from way back when. Paul, Brian and myself were all a part of that old metal scene back 15, 18 years ago, absorbing music from all over the world. It’s inevitable that we’d share some similar sounds as our European friends!

Considering the fact that so many atmospheric heavy doom/death albums are being released every month, what is that element that make Novembers Doom differ from the other bands of this genre?

L: Well for one I think the fact that we have a lot more going on in our music that just heavy doom/death metal. We mix so many different styles into our sound, I would like to think that people would be able to see that we’re not just a run of the mill band. And frankly, we don’t really pay much attention to what the other bands are doing or how we compete with them or anything. We just do what we do, put it out there, and if people like it then that’s great. And if they don’t like it, well all I can say is we ourselves enjoy what we’re doing.

Do you think that now is the time for Novembers Doom to make the big step in their carrier?

L: That’s hard to answer, we’d love to see ourselves climb up another step of course but there’s so much more involved than just talent or good songs or whatever. There’s no telling what the future really holds for us at this point, we’ll just have to see.

Which was that thing that held Novembers Doom away from success all those years?

L: I hate to say it but one of the main things was the fact that so many people didn’t give us a chance due to us being an American band playing, as you previously mentioned, a “European” style of metal. Many people in the U.S. do not care for this type of metal we play, and the Europeans sometimes get the attitude that their bands are automatically superior, so we get stuck in the middle. Again, it’s those unfair accusations of us just being copycats and whatnot, that sometimes get in the way. Add to it the fact that Novembers Doom has had to endure many setbacks with lineup changes and label changes over the years, so that doesn’t help. Plus we’ve never tried too hard to fit into any click or scene or anything, we’ve always been sort of outsiders, so that makes things a bit harder as well.

Are you totally satisfied with The End Records?

L: They’re good people, they’re doing what they can and they do a lot of promotion. It’s still early in our working relationship with them, but we’ll see what the future holds.

P: “Totally Satisfied” would mean millions of dollars, and our MTV Cribs special. Hahaha!!

So, what can we wait from Novembers Doom in the future to come? Maybe an album even better than this one?

L: We’d love to give you an even better album next time! We’re sure going to try, at least.

Are there any plans for a tour?

L: Touring is hard due to costs and logistics and the fact of band members having jobs and families and health problems... sorry we are not 20 year olds anymore and we can’t go out and eat dirt like some might wish we would. We’ll get out and do what we can, and if the right tour comes along at the right time, we’d love to do it.

And some Weird Questions now, to relax somehow!!! What are the biggest life lessons you’ve learned over the course of your career?

L: I’ve learned that it’s commendable to be a decent, unselfish person who helps out and supports others, but often times you’re going to just get stepped on and walked over in this business if you’re the nice guy. It’s sad, but it’s true. This business isn’t cut out for nice people I think, sadly.

Do you believe that is so easy for a band to differ in today’s music industry than in the past? And if yes what shall it do in order to achieve it?

L: It’s much harder to stand out nowadays being that there’s so many different bands in the world, and with the internet and everything, all of those bands can be heard by people all over the world. It feels almost like everything that can be done, has been done. All you can do is be true to yourself and try not to worry about jumping on trends, and don’t be afraid to branch out and be an individual.

If you were a God’s messenger what would you tell Him to do for the good of humanity?

L: Give the whole human race a fucking clue, finally!

If Novembers Doom’s carrier was a movie, which movie would it be and why?

L: I think the obvious answer is “Spinal Tap” and it’s rather self explanatory! haha.

P: “Deep Throat”... Because all our peers and labels can blow us. hahahah!

If you were obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that which would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band?

L: Anything by the Beatles.

Do you consider yourself as a rock star?

L: Honestly no. I don’t lead a “rock star” lifestyle at all, other than that I play in a band and I have long hair. I don’t drink or do drugs, I don’t go to parties, I don’t get groupies, I don’t travel in limos or jets, etc. To me, those are more typical of someone who is a “rock star”. I’m just a musician, there’s a difference.

P: To me, Rock Star means money. We can’t even rent a van, let alone a tour bus.

Which are the things that piss you off from today’s music industry?

L: What doesn’t piss me off?!! Haha. I think the most obvious answer to your question is that everyone in the business can make a living of some sorts, except for the bands themselves. We’re the ones who are expected to eat shit and like it, and give up any semblance of a normal life, with this promise of “fame and fortune” which almost never happens, meanwhile everyone else in the industry makes a profit and whatever they lose, they write off as a tax loss, haha. You want to make money and a living playing music? Learn to write songs for pop stars, be a session musician making union scale wages, etc. Don’t join a rock or metal band.

Which is the most overrated band today?

L: Honestly, I can’t really make that judgemenet; it’s not my place to decide who is overrated. Many might say my band is overrated and I hate that, so I can’t pass that harsh judgement onto anyone. I don’t care what kind of music you play, if you are working hard and you believe in what you’re doing, then good luck to you, period.

P: There are certainly some bands that pop into my head... But I’ll keep that to myself.

How do you imagine that the music world could be, one thousand years from now? And why?

L: Oh man, who knows?? It’ll depend on what kinds of new instruments are invented between now and then. Fifty years ago, people hadn’t even heard a heavily distorted guitar sound! So, who can tell what will happen in a thousand years from now…

If you could go back in time and see any band live in their prime & open for them who would it be and why?

L: Wow... that’s really tough to answer!! Probably Black Sabbath, or Pink Floyd, just because those two are huge influences on me, and we share some things in common musically... that’s a hard one to answer, really!

Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy for herself an expensive ring. How would you react? J

L: Hard to imagine that because my girlfriend would never do that... she likes the stuff in our collection almost more than I do! I think I’d probably just throw her out, then she’d have to pawn the ring just to afford to live right? But luckily for me, my girlfriend is way cooler than that!

Ok Paul and Larry thx so much for answering my questions. The last words of this interview belong to you. Thx again for the music!! If there is anything else that you would like to tell to Grande Rock readers, just do it!!

P: That’s for such a thought out interview. It’s refreshing to read smart questions for a change! Thanks again!

by Thanos Aggelakis