Autumnblaze - Bleak
Prophecy
Electronic atmospheric goth
9 songs (50'32")
Release year: 2000
Autumnblaze, Prophecy
Reviewed by Alex

I only have a promo of Autumnblaze’s Bleak and the outlook of me trying to get a regular copy or finding more about the band is, indeed, bleak. According to some sources the band is German, and it is almost a one-man show. Trying to characterize Autumnblaze’s style the closest I can come up with is repetitive atmoshperic electronic goth.

The opener Someone’s Picture actually holds some promise when, after an electronic intro, goth-rock ( Entwine comes to mind) riffs grab the stage. Vocals strangely appear only where the guitar does not, but it is OK. You can only hear them when the quiet arpeggios are played anyway.

Almost every song on the album is modeled after a certain cookie cutter recipe. Take more or less 20 or 30% of dissonant, resinous as oven-melted cheese guitar playing and combine it with electronic parts. The latter portions are where melody is supposed to flow, but I, frankly, do not hear any. The percussion is unbelievably repetitive, at times trippy, in a progressive sort of way, but always programmed and ultimately not interesting. The vocals are either quiet narrative or whispers when melancholy is projected or electronically distorted screams when the singer feels tortured. In So Close Yet So Far such screams actually ruin a decent guitar. After Someone’s Picture another flicker of hope was Thoughts by a Weary Man’s Side which resembles more Finnish goth-rock scene with its atmospheric keys and a tinge of female backing voice.

I know that Prophecy Productions is famous for having unconventional and artistic bands on their roster, so I gave Autumnblaze multiple chances. While definitely not the music to drive your car in the morning after only 3 hours of sleep, I tried Bleak in multiple settings. With my headphones on while doing house chores, alone in a dark room when my family was gone. However, the result was always the same: “This is boring and I can’t wait for it to end”. And, unfortunately, boredom doesn’t equal melancholia, so Bleak left me completely unaffected. At times it felt that Autumnblaze wants to be in Katatonia's territory, but this album falls very short in that regard.

Killing Songs :
Someone's Picture, Thoughts by a Weary Man's Side are better than others
Alex quoted 40 / 100
Other albums by Autumnblaze that we have reviewed:
Autumnblaze - Every Sun Is Fragile reviewed by Alex and quoted 71 / 100
Autumnblaze - Perdition Diaries reviewed by Goat and quoted 62 / 100
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