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Clearing Autumn Skies
Patent Distorted
February 19, 2003 
Out of the South Bay, the popular hardcore meets metalcore act Clearing Autumn Skies released this new effort earlier in 2003 on State of Grace Records to plenty of critical acclaim. And, the reality is, all of the acclaim was merited as this disc succeeds in just about every possible facet with extreme riff combinations, time stopping tempo shifts and a dose of experimentation thrown into the mix to keep the whole thing off balance enough to be explosive. For this recording, the line-up features vocalist Mike Amaro, guitarist Mike McClatchey, bassist Dave Small (who has since left the band), guitarist Peter Layman, and drummer John Lazarus.
Of the highlights on this disc, the band offers the killer opening track “This Is Not The X-Ray Room” which meanders through some big riffs, “Charles Forensic” which almost has a hook come chorus time, in that hardcore sense, and “How Hypnosis Works” which offers some of their heaviest straight chunk riffing.
These guys basically took no directive path here, busting into just about any thought that pops into their collective conscious, only to right the ship and blast away at the bottom line over and over. Their riff to riff transitions is what makes this band so complex, yet from a far away distance, their sound has that precise direction that moves into some of the most heavy and brutal riffing in the underground today. Of course, the almost jazz like tracks woven into this disc throw the whole thing into a loop, breaking the brutality up with these serene, beautiful landscapes. Still, on the whole, the thundering riffs matched against Lazarus’ extremely talented drumming gives this whole thing life, breaking off one massive tune after another with total unabashed pure musicianship. A must have for sure.
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