NEW NOISE ARRIVAL OF AUTUMN

How one Opeth lyric helped spawn one of modern metalcore’s most interesting bands

Arrival Of Autumn decided on their name after discovering a fascination with a line in Opeth’s Demon Of The Fall: ‘Everything is lost. Torn by the arrival of autumn.’ The beauty of the term’s bleakness enthralled the band: “We felt it was a great analogy for the turn of the season into a more depressing time of year,” says frontman Jamison Friesen. What was born from there was not only Arrival Of Autumn themselves, but the makings of a band who think it important to share messages in music and be unafraid to speak about bleaker times to come.

Described by Jamison as a “headbanger with a lot of emotion,” Arrival Of Autumn’s first full-length record, Harbinger, goes far past simply being metal ear candy, harnessing a story deeper and closer to the band’s hearts. From the album’s title, to the cloaked omen of death that graces the cover, it seems the Canadian five-piece are trying to send a rather ominous message. “The world is heading in a negative direction. We’re always on our phones and the constant stream of negativity weighs us down. We have to find something worth living for to give our lives meaning away from that,” insists Jamison.

The band’s love of both 90s death metal and 00s metalcore has amalgamated into a crisp sound that differentiates itself from their peers, allowing the band to stand out and let their messages be heard. “Lyrically, I’m always trying to express something that I find important, something that I’ve thought about a lot about or has impacted me personally. And musically, we just want to make sure it’s heavy and awesome,” explains Jamison. It’s a rather simple formula for good music but one that’s clearly worked in the band’s favour.

It’s been years since that Opeth lyric first captured the band’s interest, but now they’re finding their feet in the world of big record labels, proper studio recordings and, hopefully, overseas tours. Thank god they’ve got a lot to say, because now they’re firmly on the pedestal to say it.

HARBINGER IS OUT NOW VIA NUCLEAR BLAST

A GAZE AMONG THEM IS OUT NOW VIA SOUTHERN LORD