UMUR
"A Pale Deliberating Autumn" is the debut full-length studio album by German technical/progressive death metal act Pavor. The album was released through Imperator Music in 1994. Pavor formed in 1987 in Bonn. There is an official demo released under the Pavor name from 1992 and an EP from 1993, so the band obviously spend the time between their inception and the release of their 1992 demo, rehearsing and honing their songwriting craft. Not all artists release demos shortly after forming, and for various reasons some artists need more time before releasing anything. Since Pavor have (by 2022) only released one further album in 2003, my guess is that these guys are perfectionists who only release music, when they feel that nothing more can be done to make it sound better.
Listening to the technical/progressive death metal tracks on "A Pale Deliberating Autumn", I´d say that´s a qualified guess, as these guys write some really intricate/sophisticated death metal. Not the kind of music you write with one hand behind your back. The vocals are deep death metal growling (and very rarely higher pitched screaming), the riffs are heavy and the drums are technical in nature. The most progressive feature of the album is the fretless bass playing though. Full chords, loads of higher note runs, and a general disregard for what the other instruments are playing characterizes the bass style on "A Pale Deliberating Autumn". I´m not always sure I think the bass playing suits the overall atmosphere of the compositions and sometimes it feels like two different songs are playing at the same time, but the bass sure does provide the music with an adventurous touch.
The 8 tracks on the 45:31 minutes long album are all quality material, but a bit more variation between tracks and within tracks would have made the songs stand out more. As it is the tracks have a tendency to feature many of the same types of riffs, rhythms, vocals, and dominant bass, and you´ll find very few recognisable hooks or catchy moments on the album. For the most part it´s a dark, brutal, tech fest of a death metal release. The sound prodution is decent although the guitar riffs don´t always sound clear enough to catch details. So upon conclusion "A Pale Deliberating Autumn" is a strong release in some areas while it´s a bit lacking in others, but a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.