The next wave of the Welsh metal invasion...?
LostProphets and Bullet For My Valentine have all done their bit to put Wales firmly on the metal map; could Port Talbot's The Autonomy Within be the next Welsh band to assert their place on the British music scene? If the Praise Broken E.P. is anything to go by, then the answer is a resounding 'yes'.
Their mix of brutal, bone-crushing metal interlaced with emotive sung choruses aligns them with the likes of Killswitch Engage and 36 Crazyfists, and ensures a listenable and accessible sound in spite of the heavy helpings of incessant hardcore drumming and screeching pinched harmonics. 'Prasie the Broken' opens with explosive machine gun drumming and, while the vocalist growls like a fiend, melodic guitars march menacingly alongside; as quickly as you find yourself won over by the song's passionate, soaring chorus the next wave of ferocity is unleashed. 'Through the Ashes' follows a similar pattern, but is more intense in terms of its speed and melody before 'Simple Man' erupts with pinched harmonics abound among dark winding hooks and another gigantic melody. The final track, 'War Drums' begins with picked guitar and far-away sounding sung vocals before the chugging guitars and drums enter the fray to partake in yet more hardcore brutality in what is perhaps the vocalists most passionate and enraged performance.
Overall, a dazzling metal debut from this (surprisingly) currently unsigned band.