Autumn’s Grief will release their sophomore album on December 9th, and here we are, reviewing it for you.
FemMetal Rating
7/10
Autumn’s Grief second album is brilliant: you wouldn’t even know how surprising it is if you only look at its cover (which is magnificent)!
The album opens with an electronic sound, and if I didn’t know it was symphonic metal, I would have sworn that it could have been an EDM metal album. “The Tide” then unfolds with a typical structure, but with this added twist, it’s very original. Soon it’s time for “The Sea Of Apathy”, a brilliant track with a dark atmosphere; this continues in the following song, “Under The Belt of Orion”. In this one, I enjoyed a lot the bridge section, with vocals and piano only.
“Hanging In Midair” transported me into Middle-Earth, with a remarkable string section that accompanies Noora’s crystal vocals. What a marvellous track! So far, my favourite one out of the album. We’re continuing with some killer songs, as “The Clearing” has a powerful melodic vibe. I like very much the change of pace: this diversity is wonderful, and I’m here for it!
When I listen to an album, I always imagine it being played live, and “The Dragonfly” would be awesome to fire up the audience! This song unites the power and elegance of Autumn’s Grief style. Solid track, performed in a flawless way. A short orchestral interlude that has some dark oriental feeling to it, and then we proceed to “There Was A Light”, that’s like a hard rock song. And I have to say, I appreciate it quite a lot. Structured albums may be more homogeneous, but the evolution and development present here are sublime.
Suddenly we’re coming back to the electronic sounds that opened the record in the following “They Talk To Me”; in this track, it’s notable for highlighting Noora’s vocals, as they are more powerful and heavy than ever. The album-closing track is the namesake of it “Dead By The Dawn”, and what a symphonic closure for a very dynamic album!
The production of “Dead By The Dawn” seems very rough, as well as the mixing; the backing vocals are interesting, but it’s quite difficult to hear them distinctively. The album and the single covers, instead, are the best I’ve seen in quite a long time. The drawings and the whole concept are simply brilliant.
