AUTUMN BRIDE – Bedtime Stories (2024) *HQ*
While formed almost a decade ago, “Bedtime Stories” is the second album from Vienna based Melodic / Symphonic Metal 4-piece AUTUMN BRIDE. In a time when the biggest and most popular acts in this type of music are seemingly drifting further and further from the path of true symphonic metal, the world has never been more in need of someone to save the colors, raise the mood and carry this fantastic genre onward to a new fresh and younger audience of listeners.
AUTUMN BRIDE could indeed fulfil that promise and lead the charge from a whole new generation of upcoming symphonic metal bands. ”Bedtime Stories” is a proof of that, a mature, organic, and at the same time modern platter of sympho metal done with intelligence. And AUTUMN BRIDE provides the necessary flow to listen to ”Bedtime Stories” in a mere 42 minutes of entertaining music.
Following on from their very good 2021 debut album, AUTUMN BRIDE had already set the bar extremely high. So discovering if the infamous sophomore album would successfully pick up where “Undying” left off was certainly a question to have answered.
Well, “Bedtime Stories” does indeed maintain the same high standard of excellently compelling compositions as its predecessor and augmented in execution. Symphonic metal with melody as we all know and love it is very much alive and flourishing in the capable hands of Austria’s AUTUMN BRIDE.
Every track on “Bedtime Stories” stands up well to individual scrutiny with each one being more than make is as a single or music video. Amazingly moody and vocally pitch perfect songs like “Underworld”, “Northwind” and title track “Bedtime Stories” form the backbone to the album. They are darkly atmospheric compositions with Suzy Fingernagel‘s equally powerful and divine vocals never failing to enhance the ambiance throughout.
Harder, faster and heavier tracks such as “The Wolf”, “Foreign Flames” and “Sparks” (where they really do fly) add the necessary grit and steel to form a pucker melodic metal album. Whilst in contrast these are perfectly offset by the beautifully dreamy, emotional and tear-jerking ballad “Your Hand” that shows the more tender side of AUTUMN BRIDE.
There are also a couple of unexpected but welcome turns along the way too. One being “H.eart.H” which gives us a pinpoint lesson in classic symphonic metal whilst also delivering some authentic echoes or glimpses into those early days at the birth of the genre.
The other being “Ashes To Ashes” which demonstrates something a little more raw and untested using folk / acoustic influences to give us a brief insight into some of AUTUMN BRIDE‘s potential future capabilities.
If you are a fan of traditional symphonic metal / melodic metal, then “Bedtime Stories” is the perfect addition to your playlist. AUTUMN BRIDE offer up a cathartic tonic to cleanse your mind and soul with “Bedtime Stories”, easily being one the best album from this genre in 2024 so far.
Highly recommended
01 – Lilith (Intro)
02 – Underworld
03 – The Wolf
04 – Bedtime Stories
05 – Ashes to Ashes
06 – Sparks
07 – H.eart.h
08 – Your Hand
09 – Foreign Flames
10 – Northwind
Suzy Fingernagel (vocals)
Max Fingernagel (drums)
Alexander Schmid (guitar)
Ken Straetman (bass)
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