The Circle – Of Awakening
The Circle – Of Awakening
AOP Records
Release Date: 18/08/23
Running Time: 33:17
Review by Oli Gonzalez
10/10
The Circle, bleakly hailing from the realm of the darkened sun have emerged from the shadows to unleash upon us mortals their latest full-length album, Of Awakening. Maybe that was a little too poetic so let me be much more direct; this is incredible! Easily in my top 3 for the year already! After all, when you have an ex-member of Finnish legends Wintersun in your ranks, and a collaboration with Australian prog masters Ne Obliviscaris, it suggests that the band have some serious connections and talent at their disposal. To be truthful, I had never heard of the record label AOP Records up until now, but if they’re putting out records of this calibre, I’d better give them a lot more attention!
‘Ruins, My Dying World’ opens with a slow, solemn clean guitar passage, each note filled with dread and despair. This reminds of the prog metal titans Woods Of Ypres, such is the moodiness of this riff. Like something you would hear in a gloomy war movie. That’s up until The Circle certainly up the ante and assault your ears with a 10-ton wall of sound! The drums are fierce and charging at a rate of knots. The use of synths is sublime, providing an epic feel to the music, juxtaposed to the sheer relenting intensity of Asim’s equally fierce growling vocals. Sounding demonic yet still intelligible, I’m invested in his lyrics and the utterly dark tale he is recounting. A tale of despair, woe, and tragedy. All of this and we’re only 80 seconds into the song!
How do you make Asim’s vocals better? Have a plain cleaner chant-style vocal sitting lower in the mix, creating an unholy beauty and the beast style harmony. Like in this opening song – that was a thing of beauty.
I particularly admire the tempo changes, and how quickly the band can switch from a rapid pace, to a slow, bludgeoning, doom-inspired pace. Yet this never feels rushed or out of place, but rather calculated and deliberate. This isn’t the highlight of the song for me though. The solo towards the is… Well, if this was a react video, you’d see me grinning from ear to ear, giving it my very best smile! It truly is a masterclass in sweep picking, and just a delight on the senses. I need a minute to rest and gather my thoughts.
That. Was. Intense.
Many of those beautifully epic melodic ideas and tempo changes carry over into the next song, ‘Of Awakening (feat. Ne Obliviscaris)’. However, this is definitely more guitar led and rhythm focused now. The distortion setting is cranked up higher, and all instruments lock in to create a much sharper dynamic. We’re treated to another solo masterclass. This time though, Tim Charles (Ne Obliviscaris) makes an appearance, unleashing a spine-chilling violin solo. Who would have predicted that?
‘Afflux’ I found to be a paradox. A very different lighter dynamic, this acts as respite from the 14 minutes or so of carnage we’ve just witnessed. Asim demonstrates a new aspect of his vocal range, with a much cleaner and ethereal vocal. Not quite serenading, but I feel at peace listening to this somehow. This is before the band close out the song by reverting to their trademark blackened death metal intensity for the remaining minute or so. Perhaps an obscure analogy, but I’ve always admired the great Dimmu Borgir’s track ‘Spellbound’ for the manner in which it effortlessly switches from crushing KVLT intensity to almost new age/easy listening level of calm. I get a similar vibe here. This is definitely something to celebrate. My highlight of the album.
Next is ‘Reign of the Black Sun’. Much of the same signature blackened death metal stylings quickly becoming synonymous with The Circle now. What I found interesting was the mix of Asim’s cleaner vocals layered over the much heavier and darker music. His voice sounds anguished, tortured. It’s both dark and beautiful! The song closes out with an absolute scorcher of a guitar solo! I rewinded this section countless times. Each note and strike of the fretboard pierces your soul deeper and deeper each time. Deceptively simple yet outrageously effective! Again, I need to catch my breath and gather my thoughts.
Sadly, we’re coming to the end of the album, ‘Ashes and Fading Tides’ being the final song. This is a 9:08 journey and true statement of intent, the band frantic in their intentions to impose everything that is truly special about The Circle! An elegant synergy of melodic and gut wrenchingly heavy, soul crushingly dark yet heartwarming in its sheer beauty. The vast array of emotions you experience is staggering. What a way to finish the album. Mercifully, it’s all over. That’s not to say I won’t be listening to it again, because I already have… Multiple times!
Much like I did in my opening paragraph, I’ll lay this out simple. The Circle are a phenomenal band. “Of Awakening” is a phenomenal album. I’ll keep an eye out for this band and track their progress. Much like I would urge you to do!
TRACKLISTING:
01. Ruins, My Dying World
02. Of Awakening (feat. Ne Obliviscaris)
03. Afflux
04. Reign of the Black Sun
05. Ashes and Fading Tides
LINE-UP:
Stanley Robertson – Music and guitars
Asim Searah – Lyrics and vocals
Philipp Wende – Drums
Jaakko Nikko – Bass
Lisa Wende – Viola and violin
Tim Charles (Ne Obliviscaris) – Violin guest solo on ‘Of Awakening’
LINKS:
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