The Autumn Offering – The Autumn Offering
Have you ever bought that album that made you so excited you squealed like a little school girl? You rush home, barge in the door and proceed to ignore family, siblings, and significant others in your mad dash to the stereo. You reverently, but hurriedly, rip off the plastic wrapping and insert the CD into the stereo. This is where it gets risky. You are past the point of no return. The album is opened and un-returnable. You really only heard a few songs. Will the rest of the album be as good as the single? Maybe, just maybe, you pause. A hint of trepidation creeps unbidden into your mind. Your hand shakes ever so slightly as you reach for the play button. You press play. Will you be enraptured by pure audio beauty or dismayed by formless drivel?
As a youngster new to the ways of metal I would often sneak into the family room and watch Headbanger’s Ball, against the wishes of my parents, on Saturday night. This MTV portal into all things metal is where I experienced my first taste of The Autumn Offering. I saw numerous commercials for their record Embrace the Gutter as well as the music video for the album’s title song. I was intrigued. Not having grown up with Metallica, Slayer, and Iron Maiden like so many other metalheads I was fascinated by the screamed melody in some of the choruses and of course the shredding solos. As soon as I could sneak to a store with a like-minded friend (without my parents knowledge of course) I bought said album.
And this brings us full circle to the moment of truth. And to be honest I was pretty disappointed with the album. I listened to it a few times but it just didn’t catch on with me. I moved on to other things and forgot about The Autumn Offering. Fast forward to 2010. The Autumn Offering has undergone a few lineup changes. And boy have they improved.
The first thing I noticed was the “new” vocalist, Matt McChesney. He has actually been with the band since their third album but since I haven’t listened to them in years he was new to me. His screams are at the same time smooth but brutal. He pulls off brutal low growls and epic, piercing, high shrieks. The next thing I noticed was the drumming. Instead of simply keeping the band on tempo in the background, as I felt the original drummer did, Brian Sculley manages to accent the music without being lost in the background. The band also features a new guitarist and bassist. These lineup changes seem to have truly been for the best.
The album features blistering solos, catchy riffs, bone crushing chugs, and even a few clean (sort of) vocal sections. The Autumn Offering has clearly matured not just in sheer technical skill but in their ability to write catchy music. But don’t let phrases like “catchy music” and “clean vocals” deter those of you that require sheer back breaking brutality. This album won’t leave you unsatisfied. This is one of the heavier albums I have had the privilege of listening to in recent memory. McChesney told TNR that, “This new one is pure rage, sadness, vitriol, everything ugly…These are real things, real events, and they are horrifying. To put these lyrics to anything less than music this brutal would be a exercise in futility.” The album details his struggles with substance abuse and his road to recovery and fear of future consequences for his decisions. Because of this, the album’s lyrics are brutal and not family friendly. Many a song will become the anthem of the wretched, brokenhearted, abused and abandoned.
Although my first experience with The Autumn Offering was not amazing, this album definitely redeemed them in my eyes. This album will please fans of death metal everywhere. The Autumn Offering has truly come into their own. This album is the epitome of what it means to evolve as a band without selling out. It contains the technical skill and shredding fans of “older” metal cherish, while allowing room to incorporate newer styles and ideas, such as the smattering of electronic effects, into the mix. McChesney screams his heart out in ways that will attract any interested in brutality and depth. This album is, and will remain, a must listen to for fans of the original Autumn Offering as well as those new to this Daytona Beach quintet.
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25 Comments
July 18th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
This IS one disgustingly awesome album! Great job on the review and killer work by The Autumn Offering as usual.
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Luke Amos replied:
July 19th, 2010 at 1:11 am
You always know which music to send my way lol
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July 18th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Nice review, Im gettin' stoked for this album. Have you heard Requiem? Cause I hated Embrace the Gutter and I was wondering how this self title compares to Requiem.
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Lee replied:
July 18th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Hey Jchambers15, what’s up? This album is total night and day compared to "Requiem." We reviewed "Requiem" and here is the link if you want to check it out as well. http://thenewreview.net/reviews/the-autumn-offering-requiem
This album takes the brutality to another level entirely for the band, which I believe a lot of fans will enjoy.
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jchambers15 replied:
July 18th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Nice! thats what I want to hear! Do you know if theyve changed any members since requiem?
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Lee replied:
July 18th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
I believe so, here is the link to their Wikipedia page. It should have even more info on there…more than my tiny little brain can hold. LOL! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autumn_Offering
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jchambers15 replied:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Damn, just listened to one of the songs off their myspace and that shit killed! That is a huge change, into something way more brutal, I cant wait to hear the rest. So they dont sing at all anymore?
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Lee replied:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Jchambers15 you asked how much singing there is on this one. well, there are a few sections where Matt does sing, but, they are few and far between. This album is pure rage, hatred and disgust fueled metal. Its fast, in your face and brutal. GREAT RECORD!
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jchambers15 replied:
July 20th, 2010 at 1:52 am
Oh sweet, I always liked his cleans, theyre pretty unique. Cant wait!
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Luke Amos replied:
July 18th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
There was a few changes. I believe the guitarist and bassist are new to this album.
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July 18th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Can't wait to hear this stuff… I just listened to these previews and must say that vocals changed too much compared to Requiem, and that might be the a little letdown, because I liked those old vocals very much… :/
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July 18th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
I totally forgot about these guys. I'm glad to see them getting back to their roots.
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July 19th, 2010 at 1:27 am
Hmmm….I remain skeptic. I fell in love with TAO back during the "Revelations" line-up I loved the heaviness but yet melodic thrash elements of that band. Embrace The Gutter was even more amazing in my opinion. However after the two piles of shit they released to the masses in the form of "Fear Will Cast No Shadow" and "Requiem" I am not convinced this album will "bring the band full circle". Requiem was a lack luster attempt at breaking through to the mainstream, the album was ultimately too horrendous for even the most mainstream metal fans, especially the lackluster effort on drums (Pro Tools much?). Being such a huge fan of the first two albums I will more than likely pick this up to see what we have here, I mean I have spent more money on less. Honestly though, another disappointing album from these guys would put the nail in the coffin at least personally. I know Tommy Church and Matt McChesney have the ability to make this album great. Here's to hoping!
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Luke Amos replied:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
I was also pretty skeptical. But I love the finished product.
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July 19th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
hey are you sure thats the right tracklisting?
check this: http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=57188
btw good review, this time I'm actually stoked for TAO's new release!
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Lee replied:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Hey Otac55,
Just talked to Matt (TAO vocalist) and he confirmed that we have the correct tracklisting on the review. Thanks for the kind words!
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Luke Amos replied:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Thanks for the comment man.
This release is going to be good!
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July 22nd, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Born Dead is sooo sick, can't wait!
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Luke Amos replied:
July 22nd, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Born Dead is one of my personal favorites.
Thanks for commenting man
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July 22nd, 2010 at 10:39 pm
I'm a pretty big fan of Embrace the Gutter. When I discovered TAO, I became an instant fan of the guitar work and the rapsy vocals. And to be honest, I didn't enjoy the change much between Dennis and Matt. But after listening a bit, I see the vocal range Matt has, and how the new album is sounding pretty good, though it's a completely different sound from the others.
I think I will enjoy it very much.
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July 27th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Wow. I checked out the samples. I'm interested. Oddly enough, I haven't liked anything they did SINCE Embrace the Gutter (which I really enjoyed for some reason), but my interest is piqued.
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July 27th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
I cannot wait to get my greasy hands on this. August 31st cant come fast enough. You guys are so lucky to get stuff so early, I am jealous.
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July 28th, 2010 at 2:26 am
I just listened to 'Born Dead' and I'm floored at how awesome it is! Looking forward to this!
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September 7th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
What a great album! While I was a fan of the last two that they put out, it's very nice to see a band step back and realize that they need to change things up. The result is a heavy, unrelenting, kick ass album. Nice review!
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Luke Amos replied:
September 17th, 2010 at 1:32 am
Thanks for the kind words man. Glad you liked it
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