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░ ██ ██ Artist: Black Autumn ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Rivers of Dead Leaves █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2008 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-03-28 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Antichristian Front Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Germany's Black Autumn is a one-member project of █
█ M. Krall. According to Metal-Archives, the band █
█ has been in existence since 1993 and there have █
█ been a slew of releases post-2003, all of which █
█ have evaded me. This includes the debut album █
█ released last year, Ecstasy, Nightmare, Doom. █
█ Rivers Of Dead Leaves was the first taste of Black █
█ Autumn that I had and the first thing that struck █
█ me was its eclectic make-up. █
█ In essence, this album is all about abstract, █
█ sluggish, melancholic riffs that usher you into an █
█ utterly bleak and depressive world. But there is a █
█ lot more to this album than the standard █
█ depressive black metal album. The most noticeable █
█ aspect is the portions that lean towards ambient █
█ and industrial music. There are even some neat █
█ movie samples to be found on the album (Blade █
█ Runner on Ashes for example: ôI've seen things you █
█ people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off █
█ the shoulder of Orion. I've watched c-beams █
█ glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All █
█ those ... moments will be lost in time, like █
█ tears...in rain. Time to die.ö û fits like a █
█ charm). The sheer variety of the riffs is also █
█ something to take of note. It's not all tremolo █
█ picking all the time like some of these 2-bit █
█ bands that pass off as bruisingly depressive black █
█ metal. In fact, there are hardly any blastbeats at █
█ all to be found. Here's where you get █
█ Godflesh-lite drum machine goodness instead - with █
█ a lot of passages harbouring some extremely cool █
█ double-bass work. The guitar tone is absolutely █
█ crushing and is somewhat reminiscent of a polished █
█ version of that found on Blut Aus Nord's The Work █
█ Which Transforms God. A lot of the gloomy melodies █
█ found on the album tread on folkish routes █
█ bringing to mind names like Current 93 and Death █
█ In June. Don't worry though, there's enough █
█ firepower in them to keep things engaging and not █
█ turn into a snoozefest. Krall opts for a reserved █
█ vocal approach rather than an out and out █
█ psychotic shrill that is usually the weapon of █
█ choice in this genre. The vocals are heavily █
█ distorted and have a very cold, electronic, █
█ industrial feel to them which fittingly complement █
█ the despondent atmosphere. The keyboards and █
█ electronics utilized are done so in a very optimum █
█ manner while still maintaining minimalistic █
█ ambitions. █
█ As mentioned, Black Autumn seemingly draw █
█ inspiration from a variety of bands, not limited █
█ to black metal and this fact ensures that you █
█ don't lose interest midway through the album. █
█ Elements of Shoegaze, Funeral Doom, Industrial █
█ Black Metal, Dark Ambient, Folk and hell, even █
█ bits resembling the melodic eccentricities of █
█ Amoral. The songs are very consistent and the only █
█ song I didn't like as much as the others was A █
█ Darkness Profound. The standout track of the album █
█ is A 1000 Years In The Water - magnificent music. █
█ There seems to be a whole story woven around the █
█ character of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet. █
█ The famous painting of Ophelia by the English Sir █
█ John Everett Millais is printed on the CD even. █
█ All in all, excellent fare for a black metal fan █
█ and if you call yourself one, you should certainly █
█ pick this one up. Black Autumn is one band whom I █
█ will surely keep an ardent eye on. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Rivers of Dead Leaves 6:44 ░
░ 2. A Darkness Profound 5:03 ░
░ 3. Ashes 5:21 ░
░ 4. Oath 6:27 ░
░ 5. A 1000 Years in the Water 4:57 ░
░ 6. Ophelia 5:04 ░
░ 33:36 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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