Review: An Autumn For Crippled Children – All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Have you ever been caught in a storm? I don’t mean a little bit of rain or a strong breeze that might move some outdoor furniture. I mean a torrential deluge that attacks your face in all directions making it impossible to see. A storm of unrelenting wind that literally stops you in your tracks. You try to call out to someone, anyone, only to have your voice lost in the swirling howl. Thunder booms overhead as lightning streaks across the sky to a destination that is far too close for comfort. A true force of nature runs through, revealing that you are just a tiny speck in the path of something far more powerful and greater than you can ever understand. You are at its mercy and can only hope that you make it out intact. That’s what it’s like to listen to An Autumn For Crippled Children’s All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet.
The mysterious Dutch trio gives us the gift of agony with their 8th full-length album, their first on Prosthetic Records. Screams of agonized torment blend masterfully with an onslaught of guitars and drums. They are the emotional catalyst for spiritual rage we all feel, especially in our current strange and terrifying times. Complimenting and enhancing that primal anguish are the gut-wrenching electronic melodies that separate and elevate An Autumn For Crippled Children above other shoegaze and DSBM bands.
Though it is difficult to discern any type of clear message in any particular song without explanation, the basic sentiments are clear. The sounds put forth on this album are as clear as day. Denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression, and acceptance can all be construed and understood through the screams and instruments. An Autumn For Crippled Children could easily become the next Deafheaven. All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet is unrelentingly vicious, but with a gorgeous sadness that leaves you changed.
The band does not completely fit into a specific genre, choosing more to bend bits and pieces to make their own. The end result is something as unforgiving as it is beautiful. All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet is the quintessential internal struggle put into musical form. It is anxiety, angst, agony, and, dare I say, even a little bit of hope. Through the maelstrom, through the never-ending assault we go through every second of every day, there is that flicker of reprieve. Even with the rain pouring and the wind beating us down, we can persevere. With a shaky, but satisfied sigh of having gone on an emotional roller coaster, this album gets a 5/5.
Follow An Autumn For Crippled Children on Facebook and order the album here.
