After a period of inactivity since 2007's The Blue, which involved the departure of longstanding member Giuseppe Orlando, Novembre returns with URSA, a new set of potent and poignant tracks.
 
The album effortlessly blends soothing, epic, melancholy and intense moods and represents a high point from one of the originators of the atmospheric Death/Doom Metal scene. 
 
Headed by founding member and writer Carmelo Orlando (with a reinvigorated musical alliance with Massimiliano Pagliuso), the line-up is completed by Fabio Fraschini (previously bassist on the Materia album), and David Folchitto on drums. 
 
Anders Nystrom from Katatonia makes a special guest appearance, adding his own unique 'cold' touch to the album's single track Annoluce.
 
The album title, 'URSA', (the acronym for "Union des Republiques Socialistes Animales"), was the title initially chosen for the French translation of George Orwell's masterpiece novel Animal Farm. Lyrically and conceptually the album is a statement against the squalor of an Orwellian apocalypse Novembre feel we're committing towards the Earth and its sons.
 
'URSA' was recorded at Blue Noise Studio, and PlayRec studio by Massimiliano, then mixed and mastered at Unisound Studios by Dan Swano (Opeth, Katatonia, Bloodbath). 
 
The cover art comes courtesy of the legendary Travis Smith.