It’s slowly dawning on me that the
Post-Black Metal scene is the most interesting part of Metal at the moment
(apart from Sunbather that is, that is far from interesting.)
While more traditional strains of Black Metal follow the well-trodden path of
their Scandinavian fore-fathers, be it by choice or cultural pressure, this
off-shoot genre seems happy to do whatever the hell it wants… and I am all for
that. Mixing in different elements and external influences that the gauntleted
hand of the traditionalists will not touch, and will rage about on-line,
Post-Black Metal seems to be the refuge of those wanting to do something a
little bit different.
And An
Autumn For Crippled Children, are definitely a band wanting to do something
a little bit different.
The latest from the interestingly named Netherlands Trio, The Long Goodbye, crafts its sound from
the tried and tested Post-Black Metal formula; genre experimentation. The
strong aesthetic nature of Black Metal makes it a perfect play thing for those
willing to explore it’s relation to genres other than Metal. Whereas So Hideous dragged Black Metal kicking
and screaming through Symphonic Screamo and A Pregnant Light flirtation with Indie and Punk has evolved more into a steady relationship with a dog and a kid, An Autumn For Crippled Children seem to
have a thing for 80’s Goth Pop. Beneath the treble heavy guitars, thick layers
of distortion and shrieking vocals, lie chord progressions seemingly lifted
from the darker period of The Cure
or Bauhaus. The bass tone too,
sitting high in the mix, bares a strong resemblance to the tone found on The Cure tracks like Fascination Street. But despite all of
the former, the over-all aesthetic remains entirely Black Metal.
It is the synth work however, as on
previous An Autumn For Crippled Children
albums that really stands out. They are unashamedly old school, adding to
that 80’s Synth Pop vibe while creating an atmosphere entirely of its own. It
harnesses that depressed darkness of 80’s Goth Music that is similar, yet
far-detached, from the misery normally depicted in core Black Metal releases,
mainly in the DSBM scene. When The Long
Goodbye gets it right, it creates unique soundscapes that works well with
the core themes of Black Metal, but does not convey them in the same way. It is
a grandiose and lushly beautiful experience.
When it doesn't get it right however, this
latest release from An Autumn For
Crippled Children, becomes immensely frustrating, if for no other reason
that its sections of brilliance are… well… brilliant. As the way with much
music with a particularly unique goal in mind, the issues spring forth from the
same source as the positive aspects. The key issue is that the best parts of The Long Goodbye suffer from repetition,
and the worst suffer from being a mess. The merger of 80’s synth pop sounds and
Black Metal is a tricky one. The synth tones themselves hold a breathy, upper
register timbre that gets into dirty top-end fights with the treble boosted distorted
guitar tone. When both instruments are trying to do separate things the result
is a mix between white noise and a Kerry
King solo. This is especially obvious when the guitars attempt to play
Indie Goth Rock style guitar riffs within the context of a Black Metal track.
The distorted guitars of the Nordic Export lack the staccato clarity that the
start-stop, rhythmic playing style requires. Black Metal guitar tones fit much
better with a long term melodic commitment than such overt rhythmic focus and it
is these sections of drawn out grandiosity that suit An Autumn For Crippled Children down to a tee. The problem with
THIS is that when only one kind of playing style suites a band, it can become
very one note; that is where the problem of repetition comes in.
These issues aside however, I found it hard
not to enjoy The Long Goodbye. While
it has some pitfalls, the unique quality of An Autumn For Crippled Children’s style keeps me coming back, I
don’t think any other band can fulfil my newly found addiction to Goth Rock
influenced Black Metal and that’s certainly not something I can say about any other band.
4/5
