From Autumn to Ashes - Too Bad You're Beautiful
From Autumn to Ashes is a synthesis of hardcore, emo and straight up metal.
Caution: Extreme metal riffage ahead.
Relying on more than the aforementioned, From Autumn to Ashes is a synthesis of hardcore, emo and straight up metal. With elements of acoustic guitar work (most prevalent in the song “Chloroform Perfume”), soothing female back up vocals (the epic finale “Short Stories with Tragic Endings”) and pure intensity – it is with this coalescent sound that Too Bad You’re Beautiful shines. Breaking in more than just certain loudness, they are perfectly content with turning down the volume while slowing down the tempo. But don’t be mistaken – where From Autumn to Ashes truly shines is when they unleash their raw, irrepressible assault of audio butchery. And that is said in the highest regard. With such display present in tracks like “The Royal Crown vs. Blue Duchess” and “Cherry Kiss”, there is no denying the musical and vocal intensity of this band.
They aren’t shy about taking tracks the distance either – some clocking in around the 7 minute mark while the finale clocks in at a meaty nine minutes and twenty three seconds. It is however with a more diverse sound in each of the tracks that makes up for some of the song lengths. Generally speaking, a song has reached its peak and told its story by around the 3 or 4 minute mark but with the combination of metal, hardcore breakdowns, some screaming and growling, plus some equally impressive acoustic guitar work – it’s a more complete 7 or so minutes.
The strengths of this record may not lie in true originality or being different – it is their ability to combine the efforts and styles of a few specific genres effectively without sounding too experimental. The record is an almost perfect blend of said musical styles; it can be listened to and openly interpreted. Its metalcore at it’s finest – a very intense, brutal equivocal coalescent sound. You have been cautioned, but at least none of the members sport hair down to their asses.
(Ferret Music)