Pantera is an obvious point of reference in describing Autumn’s End’s sound, as many of the riffs here have a definite Dimebag feel to them. By no means copying the band, AE create some original grooves of their own and are at their best when the material calls for a quicker tempo. “Scars From the Candle” is probably the best track here with it’s exciting drumming and fresh, eclectic guitar solo. “Give Up the Ghost” is another fast and sharp high point of the album. The band bio for Autumn’s End makes several references to their sounding like Opeth, however, and this simply cannot go without mention. I’ve always felt that Opeth was the sort of band that you just aren’t allowed to compare yourselves to. It’s frankly a comparison that you should let other people make on their own if they so choose. Sounds like a silly rule, and probably is, but having read this before hearing the band, I simply could not listen objectively without searching for the parts that sound like Opeth. Now granted, at times vocalist Chris Cannella’s growls do sound quite a bit like Mr. Akerfeldt’s, and I did, in fact, hear some slower, melancholy passages with clean vocals that sound as if AE has been studying “The Grand Conjuration” and “Deliverance.” Sometimes these parts work well like in “Eyes of Ignorance” and “Integrity”, but at other times these solemn sections sound a bit out of place and awkward as in the far too mopey “To Carry the Burden” and my least favorite track “Hand of Glory.” Despite this minor complaint (which could have been avoided by not mentioning certain Swedish metal deities) Autumn’s End show with “Act of Attrition” that they have a lot of potential to become, with time, metal deities themselves.