Band : Autumn

Album Title : Altitude

Label : Metal Blade Records – Music Shock

Distributor : Rough Trade

Release Date : 16/02/2009

Release : CD

This is a new start for the Dutch band Autumn. They replaced their lead singer and new female vocalist Marjan Welman may actually gain the approval of more fans. The difference with the band’s prior female siren is that Welman’s voice is younger and slightly higher. But in sound they sounds pretty much the same as before on previous albums. At this point the old Autumn fans as well as the new ones will like this new album with a slightly gothic sound. Metal lovers on the other hand will notice that there is no cohesion in this album. It seems that the separate parts were written and recorded separately and that the album was recorded without making sure that all the elements mesh. In a song like “Liquid Under Film Noir” you can here this perfectly. The keyboards are mostly overdone and therefore the guitar work contains no much power. Autumn’s new singer is a definite asset to the Dutch band and offers fans of girl-fronted bands a good alternative. But the overall sound of “Altitude” is less than impressive. Overall it doesn’t stand up well against the band’s older albums.

72/100

Guido Claes.