Release date: 9th November 2018
I had to admit, when this album landed in my inbox I immediately recognised Décembre Noir as being on the lineup for next year’s Dark Easter Metal Meeting in Munich, so decided to check it out based on that alone. However, as soon as I hit ‘play’, I knew I had something special on my hands.
Autumn Kings is the third album from Décembre Noir, and it’s an absolutely mighty piece of work. This is death/doom at its finest, combining the perfect amount of melody with aggression, and subsequently engages with the listener from start to finish. The album has a bit of a Swallow The Sun vibe to it at times (especially the guitar tone), which certainly isn’t a bad thing, but also has its own distinct style, giving the music its own unique spin.
Opener In The Pouring Rain sets the scene well for things to come. Beginning with ambient rain noises before adding a sorrowful sounding guitar melody, when the full band kicks in it hits you like a tonne of bricks. The vocals are emotive and powerful, with a lot of body and substance to them, and give the track an extra bit of bite.
As the album progresses, each track just continues to floor you. You can really feel the amount of emotion and passion that has gone into each of the eight tracks and another powerful inclusion is later track Between Shadows And Shards. The pounding drums moving in sync with the guitars at certain points helps the track pack a real punch, and the repeating melody that reappears at several points in the song gives everything an extra sparkle.
Autumn Kings has it all. This is an exceptional album that Décembre Noir should be very proud of, and I for one can’t wait to see them live in a few months! Now, let’s track down the rest of their back catalogue…!
10/10
