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AutumnTears - Promotional Sampler Compilation (Dark Symphonies)
I had high hopes for this CD from its label alone - as many probably
know, Dark Symphonies put out the recent Maudlin of the Well albums, among
the best experimental extreme metal albums ever. However, don't expect
extreme metal from AutumnTears, as the CD describes it, they play a "unique
brand of dark, orchestral and dramatic music, incorporating somber,
neoclassical symphonies with enchanting vocals, foreboding poetry, duets, and
medieval melodies. Influences range from chant and classical music to Enya,
Stoa and earlier Dead Can Dance." This CD is a compilation of songs from
their 4 releases on Dark Symphonies.
In other words, this is an exclusively minor-key kind of New Age music
with Goth overtones, especially in the lyrics. As the self-description above
surely attests, this band is incredibly, incredibly pretentious (each of
their CDs is labeled as an "Act"), but isn't that really the point of a lot
of goth-oriented music? As easy as it would be to rip into this CD, I have to
admit it is pretty good for it's genre.
The band is heavy on female vocals and synthesizers (actually that and
male vocals is all it consists of), which has it's plusses and minuses. The
female vocals are truly beautiful and the male vocals effective in their
supporting roles, but the synthesized strings (and, to a lesser extent piano
and percussion) are annoyingly fake much of the time. Again, it's standard
for the genre I suppose (though I think Elend somehow transcend that). I like
it better when they use sounds that aren't imitations of classical
instruments (like the one eerie burst of sound in "A Dreaming Kiss"). Lyrics
are often in English with some French (I think) here and there, but except
for some spoken word it's easy to ignore the actual words, which is probably
a good thing for me.
My other criticism is that so many bands like this strive for the
ultimate in "dark mystical gothic romanticism," but still feel obliged to
stay in straightforward minor keys - I find Gregorian chant, Machaut's
motets, Schoenburg's hyper-romantic period, etc. much more intense in the
previous aspects because of the absence of a clear tonal center. Perhaps the
band is exploring this, since some of the tracks from "Act 3" seem more
tonally and timbrally experimental (I especially like the a cappella "The
Passion and the Fury").
All of this said, there are many moments of powerfully intense minor-key
beauty on this CD. There are few things more emotional than two female vocals
lines frantically weaving around each other at a frenzied climax.
In conclusion, this seems to be a good CD containing much of what is both
good and bad about the goth-classical genre (oh yeah, there is one
embarrassingly bad goth-dance track, "The Dance," which I hope is the group's
last foray into synthesized drum loops). Here's hoping they make an a
cappella, more adventurous album eventually. ~ Adam Murphree
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