(((O))) Review: Novere – Nothing Stays Hidden In Darkness

The UK post scene is in great health these days and there have been a couple of names at the forefront of much of its output. A great deal of credit is due to Joe Clayton at No Studios for capturing it so beautifully and Dan Dolby at Trepanation Recordings for giving it a platform to be heard. Those two forces of great have again aligned to unleash the second release from London post-metallers Novere. Following on from the excellent debut Soulless Elements, Nothing Stays Hidden In Daylight unleashes four powerful tracks that transverse the worlds of post-metal from ambient and brooding to full on aggression and power with a vocal performance that is one of the finest in the style. This is a massive release and one that should whet the apatite of post-metal fans.

Opener ‘Hydra’ is a perfect example of the various guises of post-metal as it hits off as abrasive and guttural as post-metal gets. However, in the midpoint soaring clean vocals shift the song to an uplifting trajectory before the song delves back into the dark guttural screams. The combination of vocal styles also emphasises the different edges of anguish in the music. Whilst ‘Danse Macabre’ may be musically the lightest moment on the album the vocal work transforms it into some extremely powerful as they did in turning ‘Hydra’ from destructive to soaring and back again. There is a real vulnerability in the clean vocals which are massaged with soothing accompaniment in ‘Aphelion’ or elevated in ‘Danse Macabre’ and ultimately they make a huge impression.

It is mighty impressive that Novere manages to create stunning, crushing post-metal within the same four track release as some very emotive movements and gets it to hit and flow so well. Closer ‘Cromlech’ has a vocal display like Alex CF at his most commanding as the song scales the heights of Inle era Fall of Efrafa with a huge weight and grandiose post-metal.

Nothing Stays Hidden In Daylight feels like a massive progression from Novere and demonstrates an excellent command of the genre whilst flexing every muscle available in the palate. Nothing here is a step too far and the band has conquered all the sounds of the genre. This is most certainly going to be featured on the end of year list for me and is a must listen to post-metal enthusiasts.