Autolatry - Native

Review by Justin Petrick.

Artwork by Casey Stone-Pirrie

I was originally introduced to Autolatry right here on Metal Bandcamp when I stumbled across their incredibly underrated but truly exceptional EP Of The Land. At the time, I wrote a mini review of the album on my blog and the one thing that I wrote about Autolatry that still stands true is this band has the "ability to incorporate unique instruments and sounds and beautiful breaks that you wouldn’t normally hear on an ‘extreme’ metal album". While there is going to be some discussion on whether this band is truly a USBM band or part of some other genre should be discarded as any debate will take away from what is a solid album that arguably spans several metal genres.

Similar to past offerings by the band, Native is a concept album centered on the assimilation of Native Americans during the settling of New England colonies. One would think a significant task in and of itself as this is some pretty weighty subject matter and it needs to be translated just right to make sense. Autolatry has done just that and much like Of The Land this album gives the listener a look into the landscape and history of their home state with authority and respect. This album shows the dedication that this band puts into their music as the story unfolds throughout the interpretation.

Transitions are made in these songs that lend themselves to a more progressive side of the music and this actually brings more scope to the songs than I think the average USBM band tries to achieve. The combination of the semi-clean vocals and spectacular mid-song break of “Pale Dishonor” is a showcase in how well a band comfortable with each other can achieve a level of excellence that is hard to quantify. The final song on the album, also the title song, ends in a cacophony of metal goodness that it optimizes the energy, aggression and passion that play out on this album. I could go song by song describing in each what makes them so significant to US metal as it stands today and what makes this album so unique but all one really has to do is give this album a chance and feel for themselves the power of Native.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Autolatry - Of The Land

Review by Andy Osborn.


The very first Bandcamp page I had ever stumbled across was for Autolatry’s 2010 LP The Hill. At the time I was mourning the loss of USBM greats Ludicra, and Autolatry’s like-minded metal helped me through the grieving process immensely. Earlier this year, though, the band released another great recording. Of The Land is a concept album about the beauty found in the band’s home, taking you through the wintry forests and mountains of the New England wilderness. Autolatry play a new-school brand of black metal that is just begging for its own official title. It’s melodic, prog-influenced grimness covered in a sheen of ice and beauty. The songs are crafted meticulously, drawing every inch of breath from the chilled riffs to explore their full potential and tweaking them through each verse and chorus. Between acoustic bridges, unsuspecting timing and beautifully reserved solos, Autolatry compact the sweet spots into accessible packages instead of drawing out every unique section as so many “forward-thinking” bands tend to do. They put enough work into their sub-six minute tracks that others would take a quarter hour to explore, making the Of The Land a wholly satisfying listening experience rather than leaving you begging for more.

The EP is book-ended by up-tempo forays which give away hints of influence from Northern Europe without straying too far from the band’s prog roots. Such hearty fare is impressive for a band so young; on their most recent tour only 3/5 of the band was of legal drinking age in the States. To have crafted something with so much soul speaks volumes of the energy of their lives and of the passion for what they do. Masterfully cemented at the legendary Morrisound Recordings studio, the mix perfectly complements the band’s style. The guitars are gritty without giving way to frostbitten buzzes and the bass shines forward, guiding and swaying the band through journeys that sometimes step into jam session status. Of The Land is metal for music lovers, full of rich texture, undoubted skill and completely lacking in compromise.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]