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After having completed their "Love Poems For Dying Children" trilogy, Autumn Tears have been working on a highly anticipated follow-up album for four years now. The result is "Eclipse". When the band first convened in September of 1995 they were merely a duo of song writer / composer Ted Tringo and vocalist Erika Swinnich who searched for a creative outlet for the darkness within them. This union gave birth to Autumn Tears and their own label Dark Symphonies. To this date they have sold over 30,000 copies of their albums and they are a highly respected name in neo-classical / darkwave communities all over the world. While still rooted in the neo-classical, sacral tradition that was quickly to be associated with the band's music, "Eclipse" dwells in a somewhat less minimalistic atmosphere. It is still dark, hypnotic and brooding but musically the album shows richer spectrum of sounds and instruments. This probably has something to do with the inclusion of Terran Olson (ex-Maudlin Of The Well, Kayo Dot) on flute and clarinet as well as Greg Ball (ex-Long Winters Stare, Sound Of Enoch) on acoustic guitar and contrabass into the band. They have brought something of their own with them but they do not leave the boundaries set by the Autumn Tears concept.
I can't help but miss the wonderful vocals from Jennifer LeeAnna who have now unfortunately left the band but left is still Erika Swinnich, at least for this album. A new face in front of the microphone is Laurie Ann Haus (ex-Rain Fell Within, Ephemeral Sun, Todesbonden) who is doing a fine job with Autmn Tears as well. My favorite song on "Eclipse" is definitely "Remember" where the band pays tribute to their old self by creating a versatile, powerful and chilling song. The weird thing is that this was actually the only song on the album that Terran Olson has penned. Even though Ted is reponsible for the rest of the song writing it feels as if there is something missing to make the story complete. Autumn Tears has never been about writing the most complex or breathtaking of songs musically speaking but more about atmospheres, emotions and vocals. The problem with "Eclipse" is that the vocal parts do not hold up as well as they used to on the band's previous releases. If neither Jennifer LeeAnna nor Erika Swinnich remains with the band then I am afraid Autumn Tears is no more. I sincerely hope that this is not the case because the world of music needs an entity like this one. "Eclipse" is still a very good album but I had hoped for more from one of the most prominent neo-classical acts.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Commemoration |
| 2. Ophelia’s Crown |
| 3. Three |
| 4. Dawn |
| 5. Remember |
| 6. Flight |
| 7. The Beauty In All Things |
| 8. Pandora's Womb |
| 9. At A Distance |
| 10. Eclipse |
: 40.05
| Buy other Autumn Tears albums |
