Search - Dismal Euphony :: Autumn Leaves

A thousand rivers

dismaleuphony | Massachusetts, USA | 09/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"it is the lyrics on this disc that have made me realize that it does not just deserve the 4 stars i had given it before, but the full 5 star rating... simply reading lyrics "A Thousand Rivers" and "Carven" could be enough to make you want the CD, with lines like "Betrayed by the enigma of existence / Yet, we admire this insignificance / O shameful, pathethic."The disc mixes alot of black & goth metal, though the unfortunate last song shows future artists that goth/black metal do not mix very well with techno. But, we must allow for experiments with artists; i just always skip the track since it's the last.my favorites by far on this disc musically are tracks 3 and 4, "A Thousand Rivers" and "Mistress Tears". The female vocals on "A Thousand Rivers" have had me mesmorized since the first day i heard this disc, and her voice in that song is the main reason i still pick up the disc today."Mistress Tears" is a sound in black metal i'd never heard before, because it shows how black metal can be soothing yet technical and heavy as well. the keyboards/synth in this song are the main musical instrument alongside the drums, and it is the synth that gives this song the melody that is so often lacking in black metal. The song "Carven" as well shows this.Just as a note, the 6th track, "Spire," is a somber short accoustic guitar song, with the female singer singing in Norwegian (i assume). She shows off her non-operatic voice that i love in "A Thousand Rivers." It's too bad it is only 2 minutes long, because the Norwegian lyrics expand the elements the singer uses in her voice.According to bandmember Ole, their later releases began a more directed vision of the band, and the members seem much more intent on working together. "Autumn Leaves" has some inconsistencies within it, however, the lyrics are by far at their best for the band, with apathy and gothic themes running thick in all the verses. This is the final disc for female singer Keltziva. 5 stars!! one of the best mergers of gothic and black metal i've heard so far..."

Not a bad black metal album!

Matt Stoessel | Tolland, CT USA | 01/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a rather old CD, so if quality is what you're looking for, just stop reading this right now and go find a Dimmu CD. But if you can stand the low sound quality and very harsh vocals, then this CD just might be your cup of tea. There are some keyboards in here that add a lot of atmosphere. The last song is one of the strangest things I've ever heard. The first 4 minutes are techno and okay, but then there's a pause, and it drags on to like a 14:40 mark with horrible production. So really, this album is only about 33 minutes long. The first song is the one that stands out, and it includes the CDs piano intro. That song is 7 minutes, but the rest are very short. If there was a remastered version of this CD, then I'm sure it would receive 5 stars. Although the production isn't top-notch due to its age, there is a lot of talent showed by this band. Think of what Stratovarius's Fourth Dimension and Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys were like. Despite the quality, those are very good albums. With black metal, it's tougher to keep the listener's interest with a lower sound quality. Ancient just couldn't do it for me (I reviewed Cainian Chronicle), so I got Proxima Centauri, which is a newer album by Ancient. Do yourself a favor - at least give the amazon samples a try. If you're not satisfied, try downloading something somewhere. Although not every black metal fan deserves this in their collection, who does will be pleased. Do me a favor and read some of my other reviews, particularly Cainian Chronicle. When you get the chance, say if this review helped your or not please."