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| #FOR FANS OF: Post Black/Post Punk |
Guitar grain creates a wide ranging dreamlike atmosphere, distant screams call out in anguish, and a mixture of organic and computerized rhythms fluctuate within the winds as notes create fleeting familiar sounds only to wash away moments later. An Autumn for Crippled Children inhabits a desolate plane creating the soundtrack to your suicide. A band with a name as edgy as the blade opening your veins, this Dutch trio indulges in similar distant reverberations to Altar of Plagues without the rising intensity, the vocal delivery is screamed from the background of shoegazing guitars, and keyboards bring in synthetic ambiances reminiscent of The Cure in some places and Alcest in others. Some stylistic choices on this album will leave you scratching your head as you wonder how such mainstream moments fit in with an underground moniker like post-black. Ambient moments in “I Will Never Let You Die” bridge on the psychedelic where “Farewell” and “On Fire” take the post part of their designation so far that it rounds the wrong corner and walks into pop-punk territory. 'Eternal' is awash with unusual directions that are easy to listen to and tough to interpret. This is catchy music, surface dwelling, and has just enough elements in it to dip a toe into extreme metal waters. An album like this is sure to be a guilty pleasure, something to wash yourself in while guzzling alcohol and thinking about where it all went wrong. As black metal/ post-black/ blackgaze or whatever label you want to affix to this obscure arrangement, it doesn't hit me as hard as Lifelover.
When you strip away the grain and screams An Autumn for Crippled Children sounds more as though they're playing depressive electronica, punk, and even 80s new wave in this album. Songs like “You Have Been In The Shadows For So Long” and “Swallowed by Night's Despair” launch into positive notes from the get-go and sink into sadness as more layers wash themselves over the bouncing structures. Clinical in their depressive direction, each song refuses to indulge the positive notes without reminding you that there is always something sinister and sad to hold down every up beat. The band's shoegaze sound is best demonstrated in “This Small Space You Occupied Is So Empty Now”. This song may as well be a My Bloody Valentine track with a wave of guitar noise driving the catchy drum sound. Synth organs accompany the breakdown halfway through the track creating a trippy electronica feel. Some points of the album feel like listening to the B-52's in an emo phase, others are like Blink-182's self-titled album. This band takes influence from a myriad of sounds and creates an atmosphere that is a far cry from black metal other than the expected aesthetics in guitar grain and screaming vocals. There's nary a blastbeat to be heard, tremolos are short like in “Matters of the Heart”, but double bass kicking is at a near constant in the juxtaposing rhythms. “On Fire” is very catchy with a morose piano caught in a web of guitars tightly seizing the melancholy of the quiet melody before ripping it away and offering a hard-nosed examination of the structure. An Autumn for Crippled Children works well together. This is a cohesive band with a good handle on how to design standout songs using very familiar sounds. There are many entertaining moments throughout this album and the range from catchy melancholy to the sappiest of sounds like in “Cloud Mood” all exude that dreamlike, ethereal aesthetic common to washing waves of treble across a shoegaze soundscape.
An Autumn for Crippled Children has an unusual take on post-black metal style. Greatly distancing itself from the norm, the band incorporates many influences into a unique approach that fashions the abrasive aesthetic into a desperate and dulcet product. Bending their sound this far has taken them in a direction that's worth a listen and easily accessible despite the sophomoric band name and some of the sappiest song titles I've ever seen. This band has a good handle on their direction and come together more harmoniously than expected. (Five_Nails)
When you strip away the grain and screams An Autumn for Crippled Children sounds more as though they're playing depressive electronica, punk, and even 80s new wave in this album. Songs like “You Have Been In The Shadows For So Long” and “Swallowed by Night's Despair” launch into positive notes from the get-go and sink into sadness as more layers wash themselves over the bouncing structures. Clinical in their depressive direction, each song refuses to indulge the positive notes without reminding you that there is always something sinister and sad to hold down every up beat. The band's shoegaze sound is best demonstrated in “This Small Space You Occupied Is So Empty Now”. This song may as well be a My Bloody Valentine track with a wave of guitar noise driving the catchy drum sound. Synth organs accompany the breakdown halfway through the track creating a trippy electronica feel. Some points of the album feel like listening to the B-52's in an emo phase, others are like Blink-182's self-titled album. This band takes influence from a myriad of sounds and creates an atmosphere that is a far cry from black metal other than the expected aesthetics in guitar grain and screaming vocals. There's nary a blastbeat to be heard, tremolos are short like in “Matters of the Heart”, but double bass kicking is at a near constant in the juxtaposing rhythms. “On Fire” is very catchy with a morose piano caught in a web of guitars tightly seizing the melancholy of the quiet melody before ripping it away and offering a hard-nosed examination of the structure. An Autumn for Crippled Children works well together. This is a cohesive band with a good handle on how to design standout songs using very familiar sounds. There are many entertaining moments throughout this album and the range from catchy melancholy to the sappiest of sounds like in “Cloud Mood” all exude that dreamlike, ethereal aesthetic common to washing waves of treble across a shoegaze soundscape.
An Autumn for Crippled Children has an unusual take on post-black metal style. Greatly distancing itself from the norm, the band incorporates many influences into a unique approach that fashions the abrasive aesthetic into a desperate and dulcet product. Bending their sound this far has taken them in a direction that's worth a listen and easily accessible despite the sophomoric band name and some of the sappiest song titles I've ever seen. This band has a good handle on their direction and come together more harmoniously than expected. (Five_Nails)
(Wicker Man Recordings - 2016)
Score: 70
https://anautumnforcrippledchildren.bandcamp.com/album/eternal
Score: 70
https://anautumnforcrippledchildren.bandcamp.com/album/eternal