Release Date: August 16, 2005
Reviewed by Scott Olivenbaum
Major labels may be the spine of the music industry but their habit of doing anything to make a couple of bucks really poisons the body. By flooding the scene with lesser rip offs of proven acts, labels really dilute the talent and cater to the lowest common denominator.
Sadly the signing of knock off bands leads to good musicians wasting their talents on what is essentially other people’s music. 10 Years is the case in point. The Knoxville, TN quintet seems to have some real talent, but on The Autumn Effect they
As his voice meanders through “Fault Line”, Jesse Hasek sounds remarkably like Maynard Keenan. In fact, Hasek’s pitch and style are virtually identical to that of the enigmatic frontman, he just lacks some of the depth that Keenan’s voice has and the emotion it conveys.
That, combined with the solid, yet unremarkable, playing by the band behind Hasek, pretty much leaves 10 Years as a lesser man’s (or emo kid’s) A Perfect Circle. Josh Abraham, who produced Staind, worked the studio with 10 Years and Autumn Effect clearly is a derivative of Aaron Lewis’ broken relationship fare. The songs on The Autumn Effect flow pretty well but 10 Years can’t match the oneness that is a Finger 11 album. The hooks on the album are too generic and similar to pick a standout track; if they differentiate them a bit on the follow up, perhaps they can produce some singles and mirror the addictiveness of bands like Chevelle.
Band after band has followed the money to major labels and even some radio plays but, like much of America today, their music proves to be as disposable as diapers and are cast away almost as quickly once used.
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