Sam had been pretty enthusiastic about these Spaniards’ demo a year or so ago, so when their full-length debut came in I was intrigued, not least as I am a big fan of Doom Metal myself. Now I was pretty surprised to see that they signed with Xtreem Music, as the Spanish label usually packs quite a punch musically and even though we also are treated to some Death Metal vocals, I had not thought AUTUMNAL would really fit into their roster. But be is as it may, a band worthy of a deal received one, that’s all there is to it.

Now AUTUMNAL are neither your regular Doom nor are they pure Doom/Death, as they sit rather between the two chairs. Singer Javier de Pablo manages to enthrall the listener with his mournful clear voice, but then also goes into the more aggressive realms of Death Metal, sometimes alternating within the song, sometimes keeping a whole song in either of the two styles. Musically, of course, everything is pretty slow, but with enough tidal waves of heaviness and more reflective passages to keep things interesting and the use of a violin definitely adds to the morose atmosphere, the violin should become a standard Doom instrument as few instruments can capture and exude such sadness and melancholy.

At times the band reminds me a bit of ANATHEMA before they abandoned Doom, but without sounding like a carbon copy, rather taking influence and trying to add their own signature to the songs, which works well, if you ask me, as they do not alienate the listener with more or less adventurous excursions, but gives a feeling of welcome familiarity without getting predictable. Opener “As Soon As You Die, Kill Me” sets out very reminiscent of mentioned ANATHEMA with some violin (and clear vocals) before after 3 minutes the Death enters the fields of Doom and the whole song gets a good bit heavier and also rougher in the vocal department, while the following “There Is Only One Season” brings us mournful clear vocals all the way through and “It Lays Over The Leaves” does not give us any respite from the harsh vocals. So you can see that there are enough twists and turns to be found to keep things interesting, which is something not all Doom bands manage (or even want to).

Overall there is not a single weak song on this disc, the variability of the songs is what makes this album so interesting and sound like so much more than just a debut album. With more experience in their song writing these guys should be able to grow into a Doom force that is to be reckoned with, I will be looking forward to their upcoming endeavours!

(Online March 25, 2007)