Review Summary: A pleasant yet extremely safe endeavor from the alternative metal notables.
When it comes to alternative metal,
The Autumn Effect is criminally underrated and proves to be up later with the greats of the genre. The combination of moody atmosphere and complexity is a breath of fresh air for this type of music, but they have yet to top a record of that caliber. A number of things that made this band notable, such as their passionate instrumentation, poetic lyrics and willingness to push boundaries have mostly vanished from their recent outputs as of late. This happens to be why
From Birth to Burial could only be called just another 10 Years album. Despite the lack of any bad moments, that doesn't necessarily make it a great album by any means. Enjoyable and yet surprisingly safe, it lacks the energy of Chevelle and sophistication of Deftones, but it most importantly only shows glimpses of their past brilliance as usual. Make no mistake that this record is basically a lesser version of
Minus the Machine.
Let’s face it, expecting a band to release their magnum opus over and over again is nothing short of ill advised. However, the exceptional aspect of this band that has always been their willingness to fully realize their atmospheric side and lyrical expertise. With this record, the two songs that fully realize their potential in this light happens to be “Survivors” and “Moisture Residue.” In “Survivors,” the guitar tones provides a dark and lush atmosphere that Jesse’s vocals help emphasis so well. His Maynard James Keenan influenced voice elevates the moody vibe of the song to impressive levels and the other instruments help bring home the chilling climax of the song. Opposing the gritty nature of “Survivors” is the album closer “Moisture Residue.” An incredibly dreary piece, the soothing piano really pleases the listener by means of Jesse’s gentle vocals and soaring string melodies. “Luna” also functions in a similar impressive vein, with the punchy bass paving the way in the verses and an enjoyable rhythm section pounding away throughout. Still, one can’t help but wish the rest of the album’s heavier tracks were as exemplary.
As for the rest of the songs, it's not that they fail at providing an enjoyable listen, but how they merely keep it to a good listen and nothing more. The title track kicks off the album with a piano melody and mesmerizing vocals, as well as admirable musicianship revealing itself throughout the rest of the song. However, the listener can’t help but feel like this was heard many times before. “Selling Skeletons” gives off a similar vibe to the title track, with it being driven by punchy guitar and soaring vocals. Judging by these two tracks, there truly seems like something is missing despite them being pleasant listens.
All in all, the album flows nicely, with one song easily paving the way for the next. However, it’s a shame that most of the songs don’t quite accomplish enough to keep the listener coming back for more. It's not an entirely lackluster experience, but hardly good enough to keep the listener coming back for more. The record without a doubt lacks bad moments and it can be easily swallowed, but most of the emotional weight that the band has exhibited in past endeavors seems to have disappeared. “Miscellanea” definitely coveys this point to great affect due to the band’s signature character and passion being contained. The same goes for the whole thing because of how the listener simply can’t hear this upon first listen and assume it’s a 10 Years album. What it really comes down to is that
From Birth to Burial exists as a pleasant yet extremely safe alternative metal album for the genre notables.
Nonetheless I'll use the proofreading thread from now on.
