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Autumns Eyes is a one-man Gothic Metal band from Connecticut. While that one man doesn't have the most evil name (it's Dan), he does turn out some truly evil music on 2008's Surrender the Fire. According to the Autumns Eyes website, the songs on Surrender the Fire are the speediest and most aggressive the band has recorded. I haven't listened to any of the other albums (they are all available for free download on the site, so feel free to compare and contrast) but I really like what I hear on Surrender the Fire. The inclusion of a Dimmu Borgir cover ("Mourning Palace") will probably give most fans of the Gothic and Melodic Death styles a clear point of reference as to what Surrender the Fire sounds like. I haven't listened to a lot of either styles and given Dimmu Borgir's love-them-or-hate-them reputation, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised.

Surrender the Fire is definitely on the melodic side of the aisle, but we also get a ton of furious riffing, insanely fast double kick drums and some great growling vocals that, with a bit of effort, are understandable in most spots. Keyboards are present but are kept in a supporting role for most of the album, which allows the guitar to carry the songs. Dan gets a great sound from his guitar and the solos are top notch. The tempos range from the aforementioned buzz saw blur to slower, atmospheric passages, usually all within one song, so they never get boring. All the original songs are very well written. "Greedy Demon Parasites" opens with a bubbling cauldron/mad scientist's laboratory effect before the music starts, slow and evil, and then blasts off at a frenetic pace. "Empty Bliss" and "What's Left of Flesh" follow roughly the same formula. The last original song, "Feast of the Dead" tells a great story of the dead returning to the earth around the autumnal equinox. The atmospheric break in the middle adds to the overall creepiness of the song. The Dimmu Borgir cover, "Mourning Palace," is the most melodic song on the album and features some great keyboard and guitar harmonies.

Surrender the Fire is well executed and accomplishes its goal of being creepy and evil. The melodic aspects make it a great jumping off point for people like me, who listen mainly to Power Metal, to explore some of the other genres of metal and to discover a larger world of music. And since it's available free on the website, the price is certainly right.