Autumn has had a bit of an overhaul since they last visited us with Summer's End a few years back. On their third CD My New Time, the band has incorporated a few new members, lessened up on the metallic, doomy vibe, and added more modern & symphonic elements to the mix, resulting in an enjoyable album that should find wider appeal for the band. It's hard not to imagine that fans into Within Temptation, After Forever, The Gathering, and Evanescene, won't gobble this stuff up in a second. Led by the gorgeous vocals of Nienke de Jong, Atumn run the listener through 11 tracks of symphonic & ethereal progressive metal here on My New Time, long on orchestral keyboards, ethereal vocal passages, and crunchy guitar work. You can't help but be swept away by the catchy hooks of "Angel of Desire", the proggy bliss of "Satellites", the feel-good rock of the title track, or the complex arrangements of "Twisted And Turned". Overall, the album's not overly heavy, the most rocking tracks being the Deep Purple inspired guitar/organ burner "Shadowmancer", the grinding riffs of "Communication On Opium", and the excellent prog-metal track "State of Mind", complete with intricate synth and guitar lines and de Jong's amazing vocal performance. Despite the lighter appearance of some of these songs, they still carry plenty of weight, thanks to the solid production, excellent vocals, and tight instrumentation.
It's not hard to say that some of the band's loyal fans might not like the more melodic and accessible approach here, but on the upside there's no denying that these songs have a much broader potential. This band has the look, and has the songs, to potentially be breakout stars. While it seems like Metal Blade is a stange place for Autumn considering the amount of metalcore, grind, death, thrash, and black metal bands that normally occupy their roster, I think in the long run they know exactly what they are doing, and should push this band to the moon. Good stuff here.
Track Listing
1. Satellites
2. Closest Friends Conspire
3. Blue Wine
4. Angel Of Desire
5. Ny New Time
6. Communication On Opium
7. Twisted And Turned
8. Shadowmancer
9. Forget To Remember (Sunday Mornings)
10. State Of Mind
11. Epilogue (What's Done Is Done)
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