An Autumn for Crippled Children - Closure

Angry Metal Guy 70

For a while there, around 2013, when black metal briefly flirted with being cool, it seemed like everyone and their dog were trying to be the next, “Black metal but with [insert random genre here, the weirder the better].” One of the weirder projects, both conceptually and in name, was The Netherlands’ An Autumn for Crippled Children (AAfCC). Fusing black metal and dream pop, it was shoegazey… but lighter; post-metally… but shriekier. While it certainly wasn’t for everyone, it found its audience and arguably peaked with 2013’s Contrite-Metal-Guy-Waiting-to- Happen, Try Not to Destroy Everything You Love. Since then, AAfCC have stuck to their tried-and-tested formula, churning out a solid effort every few years or so, without ever moving the dial forward significantly. Now, they’re back with Closure, their tenth effort. With Alcest going quiet, Lantlôs underwhelming, and Deafheaven doing… whatever it is that they’re doing, we could do with some solid blackgaze. Weirdly, Closure might just be what fans need.

As with previous efforts, Closure is a refinement of AAfCC’s sound, not a radical reimagining of it. At its core, this is a dreamy shoegaze, with harsh screamo vocals, and a post-rock structure to songwriting, overlaid with gorgeous synthesizers to create expansive, hallucinatory landscapes. If you’ve heard even one AAfCC album before, this will be instantly familiar, but in a good way—like a hug from a friend you haven’t seen in a while. There is comfort in familiarity, and for those of us still on the AAfCC train, there is familiarity in spades. But crucially, there is enough here to tempt back those who may have jumped off in recent years.

CLOSURE by An Autumn For Crippled Children

The reason Closure stands as one of AAfCC’s strongest efforts is that the minor tinkers this time are all beneficial. I, and other reviewers, have frequently bemoaned that one of the band’s biggest weaknesses is the tendency to merge its elements into what El Cuervo deemed “a bland, unappetizing smoothie.” To remedy this, the tracks on Closure lean hard into their specific soundscapes. When the band go shoegaze, they gaze (opener “Missed,” and “Closure,” are absolutely gorgeous, relying on those ethereal synths for maximum beauty); when they go rock, they rock (“Where Pain Begins,” and “For Tomorrow,” both feel urgent and weighty, driven by actual riffs and dynamic guitar work). And when they go post-rock, they embrace the spaciness. Songs stand out a little more than previously, with distinct personalities. This is important because previous efforts have erred towards an all-encompassing embrace of the band’s elements, leaching them of personality.

It’s not all peaches and cream though. I still feel that AAfCC have reached the boundaries of what their aesthetic allows. Listening to it, I felt the feelings, but never that profound sense of cathartic release that the very best shoegaze/blackgaze unleashes (No “Pecan Tree” buckling riff, no “Écailles de Lune” explosive gut-punch). To achieve those heights, AAfCC would have to add another bow to their quiver… and ten albums in, I’m not sure that’s going to happen. As a result, Closure oscillates between “good” and “very good,” but isn’t often “great.”

I’m sad that metal has largely moved on from shoegaze/blackgaze. It was the genre that got me into metal, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. There is something uniquely interesting about the mashing of two subgenres that have no business being in the same room, let alone the same dish. And yet, like salt in chocolate, they complement and bring out the best in each other. AAfCC are not reinventing anything with Closure, and it’s unlikely to convert any existing doubters, but if you’re looking for that particular feeling that no other sound in metal will provide, this is one of the strongest examples of the year, and AAfCC’s best effort in ages.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: anautumnforcrippledchildren.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/aafcc2009
Releases Worldwide: August 4th, 2023

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