This is the debut album from US black metal band Another Black Autumn.
Containing members of Canis Dirus and Crown of Asteria, Another Black Autumn play atmospheric black metal. Across 31 minutes the band demonstrate a keen ability at producing black metal that doesn’t always do what you expect it to do.
Blod Skogr opens the release, offering an immersive intro of synths and textured acoustics, leading into the first real song, Back to the Land. This reveals an underground black metal sound that’s raw, but not needlessly so. Atmospherically aggressive, with a presence that’s understated, yet potent, it’s a song that walks a nice line between atmosphere and hostility. There’s a lovely mid-section of light introspection and clean singing on this track too, before it picks up its blackened core once more.
Night in June follows, with a strikingly cruel sound and the sort of vocals that sound like a call to war. It drops into a pitch-black groove, only with clean vocals, instead of the harsh screams I was expecting, although underpinning these are ragged growls that sound like malevolence personified. The song, although only just under seven minutes in length, moves through various parts, from synth-driven interlude, to riotous blackened aggression accompanied by wailing cleans and malignant screams, to expansive synths again. We end in deep atmospheric absorption, which to my mind could have lasted even longer, before fading out like the dying light.
The enigmatically titled Who Robbed the Woods? fades up from the ashes of its predecessor, providing a four-minute interlude of ambiance that would normally be the sort of track I rail against, were it not for how well-crafted it is. It slowly builds in percussive and atmospheric depth as it progresses; truly, there’s nothing to complain about here.
The album closes with its longest cut, To the Muses, which begins with an arcing lead, and a traditional doom metal feel. At least, doom metal with atypical drums, and until it erupts into tense blackened intensity. The deep growls are the most evil yet, while the now-serrated drumming strips flesh from bone. After dropping to a synth-powered backdrop that sits halfway between blackgaze and progressive rock, it continues to work itself up into a doom metal interlude, before the band once again unleash furious Hell. I particularly like the rhythm guitars during this part. The drumming continues in a near-jazz style that almost sounds like it’s phasing in and out of reality, before the chaos subsides to reveal another softer section; a breather before the blackened riff-focused weight of the last couple of minutes. Doom riffs and engaging drumming? Yes please.
Resplendent Apparitions at the Dawn is a thoroughly enjoyable underground slice of multifaceted black metal.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 