Autumn | Cold Comfort

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by Joe Mis
Staff Writer —

Dutch rockers Autumn are poised to release their fifth album entitled Cold Comfort this November on Metal Blade. A strong female voice and tight musicianship make Cold Comfort an interesting choice for progressive rock or guitar rock fans. Blending progressive elements with some heavy guitars and just a hint of gothic, Autumn’s music is solid, melodic and appealing.

Fronted by the strong yet incredibly feminine voice of Marjan Welman, Autumn has its feet in a number of musical genres. She sings crisply and cleanly – her voice is well suited to the more progressive and sometimes melancholy tone of the music. The fine guitar duo of Jens and Mats van der Valk provide the backbone of the music and handle the heavy stuff and acoustic passages with equal skill and intensity. Keyboardist Jan Munnik adds a vital contribution to most of the tracks and works well with the guitarists without dominating the music. Bassist Jeroen Vrielink and drummer Jan Grijpstra provide a solid bottom end, and like the others seem comfortable no matter what the style or tempo. The veteran status of this band is readily apparent as they play off each other well, the songwriting is mature, the lyrics intelligent, and the performances tight

The production values of the album are high. The overall sound is rich and warm, with equal care being given to all of the performers. The subtle passages are clear and the heavy parts heavy but not overwhelming. The recoding quality allows the listener to pick up on the complex layers without a struggle, but doesn’t beat them over the head with the details. One can listen to Cold Comfort at a high level and be entertained, or drill down into the layers and be fascinated by the subtleties.

The album opens with “The Scarecrow,” a track built around the van der Valk’s guitar chops and Welman’s fine voice. Rich with tempo changes, strong lyric images and even stronger melody, this track sets the bar high for the remainder of the album. “Cold Comfort” starts with an almost grunge/alternative riff before sweeping off in to melodic metal territory. Nicely done guitars and vocals make this one of the strongest on the CD. “Black Stars In A Blue Sky” has a great upbeat tone, probably the most energetic on the release, and features some great guitar and keyboard teamwork. “Retrospect” opens with some very proggy keyboards, has a great bass line, biting lyrics and a pop-rock sounding chorus that flows over a simple chugging rhythm line. ”Alloy” is a mostly acoustic track that features some amazing keyboard work and layers of instrumentation that build in intensity, but the song just doesn’t seem to go anywhere and is a bit drawn out.

“End Of Sorrow” has a bit of alternative rock in the guitar opening, but becomes a very pleasant soft rock tune with some nicely done guitars and a good vocal performance. “Naeon” has bit of a dance rock / electronica feel to it, riding on an incredible bass line and some very slick guitars. “Truth Be Told (Exhale)” is a moody sounding track with, a solid and short lead break, a very powerful chorus and the strongest vocals of the release. “The Venamoured” closes out the CD with some very dissonant guitars, interesting and sad lyrics (“Venom for the enamored”) and a bleak and moody tone – and another fine vocal performance by Marjan Welman.

The only criticisms of Autumn’s Cold Comfort are a result of the lack of a real upbeat, high-energy turn-it-to-eleven track. Autumn seems to straddle the genres – they are too heavy to be considered prog rock, but not consistently heavy enough to be metal – but it works for them. The band manages to maintain a nice contrast of warmer, positive musical sound with somewhat moody and melancholy lyrics – all without being overly dark or depressing. Since there is not a huge barnburner of a track the consistent tempo of the music does occasionally make the album seem to drag, but for the most part this is a minor issue.

This album should appeal to almost any fan of progressive rock or metal, and those who like strong female vocalists. Nicely done overall, well recorded, melodic and musically mature, Autumn’s Cold Comfort is a winner – and highly recommended.

Genre: Progressive Rock

Band:
Marjan Welman (vocals)
Mats van der Valk (guitars, backing vocals)
Jan Munnik (piano, synths, samples)
Jens van der Valk (guitars, backing vocals)
Jeroen Vrielink (bass)
Jan Grijpstra (drums)

Track Listing:
1. The Scarecrow
2. Cold Comfort
3. Black Stars In A Blue Sky
4. Retrospect
5. Alloy
6. End Of Sorrow
7. Naeon
8. Truth Be Told (Exhale)
9. The Venamoured

Label: Metal Blade

Website: www.autumn-band.com

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5 / 10