I thought I was merely jumping on the bandwagon of post-rock, trying to listen to The Autumn Project's A Burning Light. All this talk about Godspeed You Black Emperor, Isis and Mogwai had me longing to experience what everybody else was raving about so much. So, here I was merely following a trend, but stumbled over a piece of music which brought me an incredible chance to relax and to rest the case of frayed nerves.

I can see how music reviewer may consider albums like A Burning Light to be feast and famine at the same time. On one hand, what do you say about 56 minutes of experimental instrumental structure-less music, but at the same time, look how much of your own imagination you can invest into creating feelings associated with this very music.

It is quite certain that Mike Gustafson and his Huffman brothers co-workers are creating something entirely non-commercial, emotional and almost cinematic in its perception. All five compositions on A Burning Light seamlessly transition, where the end of one track becomes the beginning of the next one. The moods are different, just like the sounds of drum kit on every one of these compositions.

At the Feet of Sleeping Giants begins and ends with nothingness. The emptiness first grows a guitar skeleton, which material fuzz fills in. Then the birth of tribal drumming creates an explosion of sorts, all coming to a soothing still end with some electrical crackling and the sound of migrating birds. These are the sounds of the Rockies, the nature that is both powerful and still, the one that was there before you came, or will be there after you leave. Just like any self-respected post-rock outfit The Autumn Project has functional crescendos, the emotional atmospheric melody wrapped around percussion in Across Mountain Tops to Broken Bridges, or the throbbing epic guitar on Between the Smoke and Mirrors, where the gathering storm ends up with the amp blow-up. Contrast is another good tool in the hands of a talented musician. Gloomy, pensive and funereal, We Cast These Shadows outgrows the electric fuzz to go into a Shabbat dancing, with another tremolo melody crescendo. In the end, however, A Burning Light is about peace, as the closing title track evidences, after one final climax is reached.

I trust you forgive my lack of efficiency describing this album to you. I guess I am still new to the genre, and still not taking in all of what it has to offer. I would recommend A Burning Light to someone, who is fussing around, trying to upset the balance. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the flight, as they say before you board a plane. I could use this advice myself on many occasions.
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While I'm not a huge fan of instrumental music, with Pelican being about the only band I can regularly stomach, the fact remains, with A Burning Light, Iowa's The Autumn Project have delivered a towering monolith of brilliance within the genre of expansive instrumental, Neur-Isis styled music.Weaving part God Speed You! Black Emperor like builds with tidal waves of (older) Isis-ian density and Pelican like waves of instrumental soundscapes, is over an hour of truly enthralling and captivating music. Each of 5 lengthy tracks shimmer delicately early and build into vast crescendoes of beautiful, tidal apexes of sonorous heft, then often clam back down to dreamy diminuendos of equally relaxing closure."At the Feet of Sleeping Giants" is the perfect opener with a barely audible opening few moments, which makes the listener truly concentrate, and draws you into the album before the hypnotic acoustic build and stunning resultant sonic peak and valley. Three of the following 4 tracks essentially follow suit with the whole, slow build, massive climax and comedown period, but are done with such artful and epic sense of atmosphere and timing, that it is at times, breathtaking and truthfully not fit for my mere words to describe.But in summation, "Across Mountain Tops to Broken Bridges" is almost tear inducing in its beauty while "Between Smoke And Mirrors" forsakes the lengthy build and is the album shortest most direct track, serving as sort of a purely metal cerebral breather between the vast other tracks. The 17 minute "We Cast These Shadows" returns to sumptuous iridescent hues with a rather urgent mid section, and the title track closing the album out with a perfectly somber lope.A Burning Light is an intensely evocative listening experience. Buy this. Absorb this.
-By Erik Thomas - Digimetal.com
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The Autumn Project are one of those memorable bands, that while they may play a similar kind of sound or fit into a certain genre (the band exudes shades of Isis, Mogwai, and Sonic Youth), there is something alluring and distinct about the way they create the music. I believe it's the feel of their music that makes them stand out, if you know what I mean. I loved the band's previous album Fable (my first intoduction to them), but A Burning Light has stepped things up a bit more, with a lot more intensity in certain spots, as well as some of the most spine-tingling atmosphere in recent memory, case in point the brilliant rumble "Across Mountain Tops to Broken Bridges." This band can do no wrong in my books. If you don't know them, check them out. 8.5
-Adrian Bromely - Unrestrained! Magazine
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Atmospheric, memezerizing soundscapes in a very post rock back drop it sounds a lot like the mellower moments of Mogwai or Sliver mt zion. The about 7 mins in it becomes this epic orchestral post rock wall or majesty that only could be what Godspeed your black emperor or Sigor Ros would present. The 1st track is 14 mins long and worth every 14 mins to listen to. This is a release you turn off the lights , put the headphones on and absorb as much as you can in each release and always remember you can go back to and get more from . The Autumn Project's will have an interview in our pages soon. For now find everything this project does and find your self lucky to just know of a such a band this is just jaw droppingly good.
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