The
Autumn Offering
Revelations of the Unsung (re-released)
Victory Records, January 2006
Offensive words: 5+
Genre: brutal metal/hardcore
Also check out Becoming the
Archetype and The
Showdown.
Well known as the birthplace of NASCAR and home of beautiful beaches, Daytona Beach also hosts a fertile metal and hardcore scene. The Autumn Offering emerged when its members were still in their teens; inspired by thrash metal and southern rock, they devoted every waking moment to creating their own lethal brew. Revelations of the Unsung is The Autumn Offering’s debut full length album which was originally released in January of 2004. The band caught the attention of Victory Records, who signed them in the fall of 2005 and opted to re-release “Revelations of the Unsung”. The band presents ten bone crushing tracks, combining the brutal riffs of In Flames and Slayer with the southern edge of Pantera. Revelations Of The Unsung was produced by the legendary Zeuss (Hatebreed, Staind, Shadows Fall) and Jamey Jasta (of Hatebreed and MTV2’s Headbanger’s Ball), and introduced thousands to the talent and inescapable force of The Autumn Offering.
Music
Overall, this cd hits you right square between the eyes with an
onslaught of slashing guitars, heavy bass lines and double kick drum to
the chest. The album start and ends with brutality. This is starting
to become a very crowded market place for bands but there still remains
the competence to create some unique attributes such as The Autumn
Offering. "The Great Escape" kicks in with amazing guitar
breakouts and duals that cut you deep. "Last Desperado" is
an example of one of the unique features of this band. Their ability on
several tracks to completely cut the pace of the song and get into a very
melodic overtone with spoken vocals in the background is a pretty cool
attribute. "Doomed Generation" shows some of the thrash
roots of this band as an absolute onslaught of double kick pounds you down
in the intro. "Homecoming" is an incredible track mixing every
form of metal you can imagine, even a bit of a progressive turn.
Overall, musically these guys are great. The guitar work is a major highlight
in most the tracks. The feeling of classic metal influences shine
through when you hear the guitars come to life.
Lyrically/Vocally
Lyrically, only one offensive song is listed in the album but after listening
I heard at least 4 extra 'f' bombs snuck in. The Autumn Offering is as
brutal lyrically as they are musically. A very doom and gloom
nature, especially when talking about our government, is a hot topic in
the lyrics. Even though the band does not hold to the current political
convictions of our President, the band does tell the listeners to take a
stand. The problem is that doom and gloom feature saying things such
as "We are not a generation, we are doomed generation...United we
stand, United we'll fall." Several other tracks hit everything from corporate
america to friends to dating. Vocally, Dennis Miller, not the
comedian, has some major growling vocal chords. He also changes the
pace during the melodic portions and reads the lyrics. A fairly
uncommon trend that finds it's way on many of the tracks.
Overall, I'm just not a fan of the doom and gloom, the sky is falling,, type of lyrics. I tend to like messages that are honest but offer some light at the end of the tunnel. Musically these guys are great and extremely talented. As a Christian, I will probably steer into a different life approach personally.