Now here's a band knowing exactly how to make me happy. Autere sent me their mini EP a week ago. The package included a nicely written biography, a color picture of the band and the CD factory printed with nice artwork etc. Just because of that they deserved my attention. Please stop sending me CD-R's with a post-it note on it saying here's our shit, review it. It won't work with me, it won't work with a label manager either.
Autere formed in the fall of 2002 by the drummer Jaakko Pellotalo and guitarist Juha Matti Helmi, later joined by Markus Virtanen as a bass player. The band started as a Gothenburg-style cover project. Jussi Kaumi joined as a second guitar player. As they started working on original material the need for a vocalist was fulfilled with the addition of Jemmy Kaumi (Jussi's little brother).
In late 2003 Pellotsalo departed for studies and was replaced by Tatu Turunen. With this lineup the band hit the studio for the first time in order to record a two track demo CD. After several live shows Helmi also departed and though originally the band tried to replace his loss in the end they decided to continue with just one guitar.
Autere plays a mixture of metalcore and Gothenburg style death metal. The vocal lines are extreme, blended however with several clean lines. The sound can be considered modern, with one eye staring at the new trends in the U.S.A. Can't really blame them since everything shows that this Metalcore hybrid is the next big thing in the extreme music industry. Though there is room for improvement (and mostly attempts must be made in order to gain some personality in their sound) in its entirety this EP shows a rather professional attempt by a team of musicians willing to experiment and enhance their sound.
Fans of Metalcore must keep an eye open waiting for this band's next steps.