Describing themselves as Depressive Rock and Black Metal, the AUTUMN'S DAWN duo of Sorrow and Anguish have taken their music in that exact direction. At first listen, their latest album, "Gone" is familiar and comfortable. A closer listen will give the listener hints of several potential influences. There's a solid element of Pop-Rock that is heard in some of the melodies, while the darker, Black Metal grooves provide a stark contrast.

While the lead guitar provides some clear audio, the overall production is more inline with traditional Black Metal recording. It has the raw feel as though it were recorded in the depths of a dark Norwegian forest, mid-winter of 1992, however the vocals give it a much more modern tone.

There are a few elements of some songs that I enjoyed, but overall, I found more that I did not like. I'll start with the good. The vocals, while not particularly groundbreaking, are pleasant. The harsh vocals aren't out of place and the cleans are pretty satisfying. I heard everything from a hint of Lane Stayley, to Robert Smith of THE CURE. The instrumental parts were also pretty easy to listen to. Simply, I liked the Black Metal grooves with the double bass giving the music a harder sound.

Now for the bad. Looking for originality? Keep looking. I heard at least three "separate" songs that had the same two chords on guitar and the same one-beat, slow drum rhythm. I heard so many elements from bands I could actually name that I could not believe it was a different band I was listening to. Again, not that the music was all that bad, it was just the same thing over and over for the most part. Also, in some cases there were vocals that combined the melodic cleans over the harsh, and the two contrasted in a manner that was unusual, if not tacky. Even the band member's names, Sorrow and Anguish are a bit over the top dramatic.

All in all, "Gone" is rather generic, and though the album is listenable in some parts, it leaves me scratching my head as to what they were specifically trying to do with it. Fans may be left scratching their heads too, though hopefully the next album will provide a little more in the way of variety and energy to their sound.<