By Jonny Bakes
It’s an almost unviersally accepted fact that Finland is a powerhouse of metal production, boasting the most number of metal bands per capita to boot. Fortunately the genre is so diverse that it’s unlikely you’ll get bored of trawling through Finnish exports as there’s generally something for everyone, from the most extreme through to radio friendly anthems. Today’s instalment of Jonny’s tour of Finnish metal takes a dive into Autumn’s Grief (although arguably a couple of months late considering it’s the middle of winter) who sit themselves the melodic camp which is normally enough to scratch an itch for me!
Autumn’s Grief released their debut album ‘The Dead Don’t Smile’ in 2021 and wasted no time in bringing about a sequel. The sequel is considered to be something of a sister album to that debut release, and continues the direction that the debut set down. However, the band believe that their musicianship has been stepped up a notch to deliver something that’s a bit crisper. Naturally, I’ll dive in and have a look at what this sophomore album has to offer, and we all know that the sophomore release is always a tricky one…
‘Dead by the Dawn’, despite sounding like a misquote from the Evil Dead movies, straddles the melodic and symphonic metal genres resulting in something that is certainly not scary. In fact the overal feel is something of hope and serenity with beautiful female vocals that generates something uplifting, yet gentle. But there’s also a little something else in the mix to try and grab your attention, in the form of pop-like hooks that threaten to bury their way into your ears. However, despite this, it unfortunately doesn’t really grab my full attention as it fades into the background as I listen to it.
There are a few moments that still stood out though. There’s the introduction to ‘Sea of Apathy’ which reminded me of the start of ‘SOS’ by ABBA but only fleetingly before resuming the familiar sound that spreads throughout the album. Then there’s ‘The Clearing’ which is bolder than some of the other tracks on the album and offers a little more bang for your buck with a healthy dose of energy. ‘The Dragonfly’ is another track that stood out as being a bit bolder, with a powerful opening to lead into some catchy chorus hooks. The rest of the album could be effectively described as Finnish symphonic/melodic metal, in that it does sound a lot like the majority of other bands that fall into that category.
Now if you live and breathe for this, then ‘Dead by the Dawn’ is most definitely up your street! But for me this will end up a bit of a fleeting visit into the world of Autumn’s Grief as I just didn’t find the hook that gives me replay value from an album. That, of course, is just personal taste though, so if you’re tempted by the combination of melodic and symphonic metal elements and a good dose of soothing female vocals then this is worth checking out.
- ‘Dead by the Dawn’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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