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November — 6:e November
(Mellotronen MELLOCD 009, 1972/1999, CD)

by Mac Beaulieu, Published 2000-10-01

6:e November Cover art

November was a Swedish heavy rock band which alternated slow-to-mid tempo riff-oriented rock songs with a few great mellow pieces. The main line-up is guitar, bass, and drums, with guest contributions on percussion. Guest piano also appears on the gently beautiful "Sa Svart Att Lamna Dig," but the rest of the album is better off without the keys. Nothing here to send prog fanatics into fits of ecstasy, but a fun listen when you want to rock and groove, and it's rather infectious on the first spin. Guitarist Richard Rolf sticks mostly to simpler, melodic leads, and he uses overdubs where needed to fill out the sound. Christer Stålbrandt's vocals are very cool, as is his meaty, throbbing bass, carrying the riffs either with or without Rolf's guitar. His vocal on "Rödluvan" is rather Gibbons-esque in light of the song's old ZZ Top-style sleazy, grinding beat. "Februari" is classic folk psychedelia: gentle strumming acoustic guitar and soft bass spread a dreamy cushion for Christer's sensitive vocal, as it drifts away like a faded memory on its lighter-than-air electric guitar embellishments. The eight-minute "Kommer Långsamt" is the only song that tends to drag, but not punishingly so. Six bonus tracks from their previous album certainly demonstrate how far they'd progressed by the time of 6:e, being transparently derivative of their blues-rock roots. An enjoyable non-prog album that may work on your non-prog friends.

Filed under: Reissues, Issue 20, 1999 releases, 1972 recordings

Related artist(s): November

 

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