AUTUMN BRIDE
Bedtime Stories
With the big three seemingly drifting further and further from the path of true symphonic metal the world has never been more in need of someone to save the colours, raise the mood and carry this fantastic genre onward to a new fresh and younger audience of listeners.
In my humble opinion AUTUMN BRIDE could indeed fulfil that promise, wear the crown and lead the charge from a whole new generation of upcoming symphonic metal bands. Hopefully propelling them forward to pick up and follow the seemingly long-lost trail from which many of the giants of the past have either fallen by the wayside or strayed away from.
Following on from their superb 2021 debut album, AUTUMN BRIDE had already set the bar extremely high. So discovering if the infamous sophomore album “Bedtime Stories” would successfully pick up where “Undying” left off was certainly a question I was dying to have answered.
Well, I needn’t have worried as “Bedtime Stories” does indeed maintain the same high standard of excellently compelling compositions as its predecessor and maybe even lift the bar by another notch or two if that was indeed possible. Therefore, I can now declare that symphonic metal as we all know and love it is very much alive and flourishing in the safe and capable hands of Austria’s AUTUMN BRIDE.
Every track on “Bedtime Stories” stands up well to individual scrutiny with each one being more than capable of being released a single or music video and hence ticking the definitive all killer no filler box for me!
Amazingly moody, gothic and vocally pitch perfect songs like “Underworld”, “Northwind” and title track “Bedtime Stories” form the backbone to the album. They are darkly atmospheric compositions with Suzy Fingernagel‘s equally powerful and divine vocals never failing to enhance the ambiance throughout.
Harder, faster and heavier tracks such as “The Wolf”, “Foreign Flames” and “Sparks” (where they really do fly) add the necessary grit and steel to form a pucker metal album. Whilst in contrast these are perfectly offset by the beautifully dreamy, emotional and tear-jerking ballad “Your Hand” that shows the more tender side of AUTUMN BRIDE.
There are also a couple of unexpected but welcome turns along the way too. One being “H.eart.H” which gives us a pinpoint lesson in classic symphonic metal whilst also delivering some authentic echoes or glimpses into those early days at the birth of the genre. The other being “Ashes To Ashes” which demonstrates something a little more raw and untested using pagan or folk influences to give us a brief insight into some of AUTUMN BRIDE‘s potential future capabilities.
If you are a fan of traditional symphonic metal or gothic metal, then “Bedtime Stories” is the perfect album for you and the perfect addition to your playlist. AUTUMN BRIDE offer up a cathartic tonic to cleanse your mind and soul with “Bedtime Stories” for me easily being the best album from this genre in 2024 so far bar none! Very highly recommended!
Mark Waight