(Gothic Metal / Industrial Metal) November-7 - Season 3 - 2011, MP3 (tracks), V-0, 210-320 kbps

I love being surprised. I love when I come across an album that seems like it would be nothing more than typical or mediocre and it turns out in fact to be quite good. Given the crowded genre that November-7 chooses to inhabit (electronically-tinged, female-fronted symphonic metal), and the nature of their stylized band photos, I braced for the worst. Wrong, actually!
As I've been listening to their album Season 3 I've enjoyed their groove, melodies, and solid songwriting. Especially in a genre like this you can usually hear a marked quality difference between the new and/or struggling bands and the successful ones. Well, not this time: November-7's Season 3 has the key attributes of a successful, professional band, with quality in production and mix, songwriting, and performance. If they keep this up it'll only be a matter of time for them.
A nice blend of tempos and moods can be had, and the electronic elements seem at times like the glue bonding everything together. The keyboards or vocals never overwhelm you, and when the guitars are unleashed, the heavier songs make you feel right at home. Due to the seemingly unlimited supply of beautiful, memorable melodies, I could easily imagine fans arguing over what the "best songs" really are. I don't know if I could choose one, possibly the hard hitting "Angel," the mesmerizing "Untie Your Hands," or perhaps "World in Agony," the high-energy closer; ending on such a strong note brings about an irresistible urge to play the album again.
Vocalist Annamaria Cozza is remarkably consistent. She's not the next great metal singer, but she's passionate and has a strong, belting voice. Most importantly, though, she's smart and can make her voice complement the music in ways that too many more talented vocalists can't seem to. Consistency is actually all over this album; with each of the players everything is well executed. Some songs lean toward the commercial side of things but never at the expense of the music. Dearest readers, I've enjoyed this music very much and hope some of you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was.
http://www.november-7.com/english/shop.php
http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=8940
http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=299136

Current line-up
Annamaria Cozza - Voice
Stephane Geiser - Guitar, bass, programming
Matt Walter - Guitar
Yann Siegenthaler - Drums
Former/past member(s)
Gil Reber - Drums
Yann Berger - Guitar