Autokrator-Autokrator

Autokrator is a metal band from France. They describe themselves as a Industrial Death-Drone metal band. Ok so another sub genre right? But here is the thing does all new music in whatever form have to be of poor quality? I am not saying don't buy it rather let us analyze this and you be the judge. The production is poor, the guitars are too loud and just pumped up to the max on both channels. Therefore, it is hard to discern the individual instruments against the ambiance created by the reverb and the bass and the guitars. So is this a bad thing? Well yes you idiots. This is why I say DON"T LET GUITARISTS PRODUCE YOUR CD! If you want to create a CD that others should purchase then hear me clearly from a real producer. Among the many uses of reverb, the more you increase the drive and delay on the reverb you will get this deep lasting sound that permeates and creates ambient sound but on top if you pump up the low frequencies then you are killing your sound. So I do respect your sub genre but I don't think that the artists in Industrial Death Drone (IDD) intend on killing their sound, but rather would want to create a mood and atmosphere where the listener is taking into their (the band's) world on IDD and gain similar impressions of the bands intent behind their music. Therefore by killing your sound you've done the exact opposite. Bottom line is I am right. The constant double bass has to work harder to pierce through the low frequencies and the drumming could have easily been accomplished by a drum machine instead of a real drummer. I understand that there is nothing better than the feel of a real drummer but for a constant even mid paced tempo with a snare that sounds like a watering pan that HillBilly's use to bathe their kids in deep in the mountains of Appalachia. Therefore, you would probably have gotten better samples from a drum machine. And this is illustrated in "Qualis Artifex Pero" where the drums are not as evident except for the extra click of the double bass. But your listener should not have to work hard to listen to the musical instruments. Yet if they were going for white noise then they did a great job at the destruction of sound.

The CD seems to clip, yes, I said clip, especially with "Exsuperator" and "The Filth Pig of Rome". And you thought that this could not happen with digital recording, well, again, as a sound producer, I am telling you that with digital it is worse. In the olden days of Analog, the red zone would create a distorted feel even a slight crunch, and for Death or Black Metal this was and probably is a great way to record because you can't really go wrong with extra distortion on a metal CD, especially since it is natural. But with IDD you really need to have a clean sound and the production must be equalized by a good producer that understands music and not one sub style of music.

Again on "Sit Divus, Modo Non Vivus" I at time index 0:35 I begin to hear the clipping and as a sound engineer it is rather annoying. It rather shows me the carelessness that you have in sound. I know what Drone music sounds like, but when Autokrator is using pedals that over exemplify the distortion that the instrument should produce that does not bring me into their world of industrial Drone with a little posh of Death on the side.

They are good musicians with a nice style that will probable get themselves into dark movies. You know those movie scenes where some people are walking into a club and there is music in the background, well this is that style of music for some types of movies. Chord structure does not seem to be there. Ok Autokrator, calm down!!! Look at this as a learning point. The darkness that you create can be dully accomplished by hitting one string and even one note and changing it ever so slightly which with all of the ambience that is present anyway would get lost. Again if the sound was cleaned up, then chord structure would matter and then the instruments would be deciphered in a clearer manner. Maybe Autokrator should get a lawyer and file suit with the so called producer. The question is to ask, do you want fans or just have a CD? Regardless of the style, the music is overwhelming, and that is fine because with Industrial Death Drone, the music has to be heavy, ambient, sort of artificial in it's use of electronic musicianship but still have elements of Death. Yet, i can see these guys doing away with their drummer for a full time synth sampler and having more programmed elements in their music. Yet, by the end of the CD, I feel drained, and as if I was listening to the same song for about an hour. Nothing stands out to captivate me or bring me into thinking that this was about Roman civilization and the evils of a sinister empire. Loic, the main guy behind this project said it himself (http://stencfromthegrave.blogspot.com/2015/06/autokrator.html) that everybody is from a different style, and that is the problem, this band is not focused into one style and one direction of where they wanted the music to go and hence I give you the review that is not even worth my free time but in only hopes that you guys can appreciate some criticism and grow and become successful. If you don't appreciate it then I feel sorry for you guys, because you should go out there and see how much a real engineer costs. Take and appreciate the free review, because no one else will touch it in their free time.

2 out of 5 guitar picks.

com/autokratormetal autokrator.bandcamp.com