In May 1997, Autumn Tears released their second full-length album, "Love Poems for Dying Children, Act II: The Garden of Crystalline Dreams". Erika left Autumn Tears after the release of "Act II" to pursue writing her novel. New vocalist Jennifer LeeAnna was recruited due to her extensive experience and tremendous talent. The first release of "Act I" was originally supposed to be limited to 2000 copies and sold out quickly, but due to an overwhelming amount of requests it was re-released with a new layout and artwork in 1998. All tracks were remixed and remastered. As a bonus, an additional and exclusive track titled "The Intermission", was also included on the repress, in which Jennifer LeeAnna made her debut appearance.
In December 1999, Erika rejoined Autumn Tears as a full-time member.
In July of 1999, Autumn Tears released a mini-CD titled "Absolution". In June of 2000, The band finished their third full length album and most epic release so far, "Love Poems for Dying Children, Act III: Winter and the Broken Angel".
In 2004, after four years of silence, the band recorded the album "Eclipse", which is described in Autumn Tears' official homepage as "the most epic, conceptual, and fullest neoclassical piece of music they have ever offered. Lush strings, acoustic guitars, and woodwinds accompany soaring orchestral soundscapes, painting the backdrop for a staggering array of vocal performances that range from operatic and classical solos to Baltic choral passages and duets".
In 2007, after a decade evolving, the band has finally shed its shell of neoclassical darkwave and gothic sound, in place of a more traditional classical and chamber music style. Drawing influences from such masters as Bach, Brahms, Hayden, Mahler and a host of others, Autumn Tears boasts rich and diverse musical arrangements based on music theory. In place of the usual keyboards and samples, "The Hallowing" employs fully live, authentic classical instrumentation including a live string section, woodwinds, oboe, french horn and haunting, operatic vocals. The album was originally limited to 1000 copies, but due to very high demand, it sold out within three weeks, and was soon re-released with an improved layout.
Immediately after the release of "The Hallowing", the project has been put on hold.
Members
Current line-up
Ted Tringo - composition, arrangements, original lyrics
Laurie Ann Haus - lead and backing vocals, revised lyrics
Terran Olson - flute, clarinet
Greg Ball - strings, snare drum
Session musicians
Cathleen Torres - French horn
Maya Glovinsky - oboe
Tanya Brody - harp
Angela Hsu - violin
Emily Packard - viola
Past members
Erika - lead and backing vocals, composition and keyboards
Jennifer LeeAnna - lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements, composition and keyboards
Discography
Albums
1996 - Love Poems for Dying Children, Act I
1997 - Love Poems for Dying Children, Act II: Garden of Crystalline Dreams
2000 - Love Poems for Dying Children, Act III: Winter and the Broken Angel
2004 - Eclipse
2007 - The Hallowing
Mini-CD
1999 - Absolution
Ophelia's Crown
Autumn Tears Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the shame, it's burning my eyes
Etching each memory
In time, just to be by her side
Her face carved deeply in innocence
She walks and she secretly smiles
Taunting with a lover's grin
And she laughs, and watches me die
Now we are here and there is no forgiveness
Empty words are the promises within
Without a passing thought, I shed my life to join them
Eden is bruning and lovers delve in sin
Empty words are the promises within
Eden is burning and lovers delve in sin
Hand in hand, we walk in shame
Mother is dying and we are to blame
The lyrics of Autumn Tears's song Ophelia's Crown describe a love affair where shame and guilt reign supreme. The singer is deeply in love with his partner, but he can't help feeling that their relationship is wrong. They walk together, hand in hand, but the shame burns in his eyes, etching each memory in time. His partner's face is carved deeply in innocence, and she walks and smiles secretively, as if taunting him.
Despite his moral qualms, the singer is powerless to resist his lover's allure. She grins at him like a lover, and he feels himself dying slowly, consumed by guilt and shame. The end of the song sees the singer and his lover facing the consequences of their sinful relationship. They are no longer able to seek forgiveness, and empty words are all they have left. Eden is burning, and lovers delve in sin. Finally, in a moment of despair and regret, the singer realizes that he and his lover are to blame for their own misery, as well as their mother's slow demise.
Overall, the lyrics of Ophelia's Crown touch on themes of guilt, shame, and forbidden love. The singer is torn between his desire for his partner and his moral conscience, ultimately realizing that their love has led them down a path of ruin and sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Hand in hand she walks with me
She walks beside me, holding my hand as we go together.
And the shame, it's burning my eyes
I feel ashamed and this feeling is intense and painful.
Etching each memory
This moment, this experience is forever etched or engraved in my mind.
In time, just to be by her side
I'm willing to endure the passage of time just to be with her always.
Her face carved deeply in innocence
Her face has been marked by an innocence that runs deep.
She walks and she secretly smiles
As she walks, she wears a smile that nobody else can see.
Taunting with a lover's grin
She plays with my emotions, the smile on her face teasing me like a lover would.
And she laughs, and watches me die
She laughs as I suffer the agony of my own heartbreak, watching me suffer without remorse.
Now we are here and there is no forgiveness
At this point we're beyond the reach of forgiveness. It's too late.
Empty words are the promises within
The promises we made were hollow and empty, without any real intention behind them.
Without a passing thought, I shed my life to join them
I gave up everything, without even pausing to consider the consequences, to be with her and those like her.
Eden is burning and lovers delve in sin
The paradise we once lived in is now ablaze, and we lovers are indulging in our own sinful pleasures.
Hand in hand, we walk in shame
We walk hand in hand, both full of shame for the path we've taken.
Mother is dying and we are to blame
Our actions and our love have brought destruction and death to the world around us, and we bear the responsibility for it all.
Contributed by Jack F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.