Sparse arrangements combine with moments of thunderous power on the 2003 release (now being re-issued by Imagine IT Records) from post-rock instrumental titans The Autumn Project, which is titled Fable. Imagine a melding of the styles of ISIS, Mastodon, Pink Floyd, Mogwai, and Godspeed You Black Emporer, and you have somewhat of a reference point for the amalgam of sounds that permeate this fine disc. At times the passages are ominous and quite chilling, like on the proggy "Blanden" or the atmospheric creeper "A Forest for the Trees", but when these three lads from Idaho unleash their furious wrath, as they do so well on "The Buffalo Vs. The Bottomless Pit" , their weaving and metallic attack is quite convincing. Comprised of drummer/keyboard player Mike Gustafson, guitarist Joe Huffman, and his brother John Huffman on baritone guitar, this trio is very adept at crafting ominous and vast aura's of both space and controlled mayhem, not quite metal, not quite prog rock, but somewhere in between. A song like "Of Memoriam" shows how well they build drama, as the tune begins fairly quiet until the trio slow starts to build momentum with crashing drum blasts and textured guitar riffs, culminating in a bombastic finale. Progressive metal meets up with symphonic rock on "Right/Left Think Tank", where the crushing guitar riffs battle it out with eerie keyboard soundscapes, while the closing epic "How To Iron The Devils Cloak" is a remarkable example of how restraint and uneasy tension can eventually give way to manic fury.
Fable is well worth your time, and one of the best "post-rock" releases I have heard in some time. If you dig this re-release, also check out their new one The Burning Light.
Track Listing
01. A Forest for the Trees (2:32)
02. The Buffalo Vs. The Bottomless Pit (9:50)
03. The History of Easterly Migration Westward (4:31)
04. Blanden (5:04)
05. Of Memoriam (7:03)
06. How Life Lost Her Race (6:18)
07. The Dust Bowl Rose Again (4:14)
08. Right/Left Think Tank (4:59)
09. A Light Left on to Greet You in the Morning (5:08)
10. How To Iron The Devils Cloak (10:16)
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