Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
The four years separating Novembers Doom's first and second albums saw the Chicago-based death/doom ensemble repeatedly reconfiguring its sound and personnel in search of the perfect combination to suit bandleader Paul Kuhr's vision. And, just as its title suggested, 1999's sophomore album, Of Sculptured Ivy & Stone Flowers, found Novembers Doom chiseling away at their conservative death/doom debut's monochromatic musical mortar with tendrils of incremental melodicism (see "With Rue and Fire"), softer dynamic counterpoints ("Serenity Forgotten"), and variable tempos (is that a gallop in "Reaping the Forest Calm"?). By comparison, subsequent efforts would see them building things up again, through layered orchestrations, without forgetting the lessons learned along the way. But the most obvious way to realize just how far Novembers Doom had come during the past couple years was to listen to the three cuts revived from 1997's Every Leaf That Falls EP -- the title cut, "Dawn Breaks," and especially "The Jealous Sun" -- since all show much greater maturity, as well as compositional nuances that were totally missed the first time around. In contrast, the operatic sopranos provided by Cathy Jo Hejna (hear her swooping stealthily into tracks like "Suffer the Red Dream," "All the Beauty Twice Again," and many others) now sounded displaced and unnecessary unless they were bounced off Paul Kuhr's judiciously used dramatic deadpan, and it's not at all surprising that they were phased out on the following year's The Knowing. That album would unquestionably kick off Novembers Doom's lengthy golden era, and finally bring the band richly earned respect across the metal world. [Of Sculptured Ivy & Stone Flowers was remastered and reissued in 2008 by The End Records, upsetting some purists with the omission of "Before the Wind" (written and performed by departed keyboard player Mark Piotrowski), while appeasing others with the addition of three unreleased bonus cuts recorded that same year.]
© Eduardo Rivadavia /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Lawrence Roberts, Composer - Eric Burnley, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Paul Kuhr, Composer, Author - Novembers Doom, MainArtist - Mandarah Musikverlag, MusicPublisher - Eric Burnley, Composer - Mary Bielich, Composer
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Album review
The four years separating Novembers Doom's first and second albums saw the Chicago-based death/doom ensemble repeatedly reconfiguring its sound and personnel in search of the perfect combination to suit bandleader Paul Kuhr's vision. And, just as its title suggested, 1999's sophomore album, Of Sculptured Ivy & Stone Flowers, found Novembers Doom chiseling away at their conservative death/doom debut's monochromatic musical mortar with tendrils of incremental melodicism (see "With Rue and Fire"), softer dynamic counterpoints ("Serenity Forgotten"), and variable tempos (is that a gallop in "Reaping the Forest Calm"?). By comparison, subsequent efforts would see them building things up again, through layered orchestrations, without forgetting the lessons learned along the way. But the most obvious way to realize just how far Novembers Doom had come during the past couple years was to listen to the three cuts revived from 1997's Every Leaf That Falls EP -- the title cut, "Dawn Breaks," and especially "The Jealous Sun" -- since all show much greater maturity, as well as compositional nuances that were totally missed the first time around. In contrast, the operatic sopranos provided by Cathy Jo Hejna (hear her swooping stealthily into tracks like "Suffer the Red Dream," "All the Beauty Twice Again," and many others) now sounded displaced and unnecessary unless they were bounced off Paul Kuhr's judiciously used dramatic deadpan, and it's not at all surprising that they were phased out on the following year's The Knowing. That album would unquestionably kick off Novembers Doom's lengthy golden era, and finally bring the band richly earned respect across the metal world. [Of Sculptured Ivy & Stone Flowers was remastered and reissued in 2008 by The End Records, upsetting some purists with the omission of "Before the Wind" (written and performed by departed keyboard player Mark Piotrowski), while appeasing others with the addition of three unreleased bonus cuts recorded that same year.]
© Eduardo Rivadavia /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:57:39
- Main artists: Novembers Doom
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Prophecy Productions
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
1999 Prophecy Productions 1999 Prophecy Productions
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.