The band officially formed in 1987, under another alias, but after some line-up lockdowns, the band officially changed their name to AUTUMN SILENCE in the early 90's. In 1991 the band released their first EP "Winter's Coming". In 1994 the guys followed their previous release up with "Echoes In The Garden". The band formally disbanded in 1996 due to time and money, because of the inability to secure a record deal. Divebomb Records has released a fully remastered, eleven song complete discography "Echoes In The Garden". Complete with an in depth retrospective interview with the band. This album comes in at a listening time of right at an hour.

The opening track, "Winter's Calling", starts off with your classic 80's sound riffage and vocals that can soar to the beyond. The music feels muted, overall, meaning the production quality wasn't up to par, but the musicianship is so very much on par. The guitars are great and the solos are hypnotic, but the bass, even in this muted state, sounds incredible. It creates a depth in the track the kicks it up a notch. The drums and guitars meld together to create a rhythmic baby. At about 4:40 there is a weird outro repeating "this is not a test". It's just weird and takes away from the overall feel of the track.

"Pain Fills My Eyes", track two, starts off with a neat little beat that is so low and almost gritty guitars and bass. The slide work is phenomenal. The drums, while not exceedingly fast or technical, can complete rhythm changes on a drop of a dime. The vocals really share their range in this track as he hits some profoundly high notes.

Track five, "So This is Home", takes on a new tone. It's softer, the guitars are soft but high and vocals are light and airy. It does create a bit of tempo as it goes on and the vocals liven up. There is an interesting interlude about three minutes in that give way to a grandiose guitar solo. This is definitely a ballad track, but it's not bad. In fact, if the album was missing it, I would be worried.

"Echoes In The Garden", track seven and title track comes precession-ing in at 16:20, being the longest track on the album by over half the time for every other track. I say it precessions in because it sounds a bit like a wedding precession at first, but much more epic. At :30 in though all bets are off and the guitars come in bringing much more fun and alive energy. The vocals are nice and low, but do bring their power to the surface every now and then. There are several tempo and dynamic changes. I feel like there is a little RUSH feel to a small portion later in the track. All sixteen minutes of this track are enjoyable. That is no easy feat.

Track nine, "Doubtful Expectations" starts of fast with an interesting rhythm that hooks the listener. The bass is absolutely stunning in this track. It's as if they own this track, or at least better used in it. The guitars are lively and help bring that extra boost into this track. This is undoubtedly one of my favorite tracks on the album.

The next two tracks are live rehearsal demos, which are absolutely wondrous. They sound hard and fast and like these guys were growing musically. It would have been extraordinarily cool to see where these guys would have gone after a listen to these. The final track, "Echoes In The Garden (Modified)" is an almost seven minute beauty that feels harder and more thoughtful than its predecessor. This track rounds this compiled album out nicely.

Overall, AUTUMN SILENCE is talented and I think they would have succeeded if given the chance, especially after hearing those rehearsal demos. While the production quality isn't great, the music is good. If you are in the market for a definite 80's early 90's style Progressive Rock, "Echoes In The Garden" could be something new and inspiring for you. Give it a listen.