RSS Feed


AMORPHIS
Circle

Nuclear Blast (2013)
Rating: 7.5/10

Finland’s Amorphis return with their 11th studio album, Circle. Recorded by Peter Tägtgren (of Hypocrisy and Pain), the album is tied together by a story penned by lyricist Pekka Kainulainen. Whereas, The Beginning Of Times (2011) had flashes of brilliance that were debilitated by it being so long in the tooth, Circle is a much more fluid album. Initially, it comes off as very straightforward, but repeated listens reveal it to be a solid beast.

The album opens with the thick, twisted, carnival-organ riddled sound of the growly ‘Shades Of Gray’. The band’s death metal roots shine here but the addition of singing parts makes it feel more well-rounded than many of the band’s songs.

‘Nightbird’s Song’ is a similar affair, with a bit more of a progressive edge. The band let their progressive edge shine with a number of big anthems that remind me of the victorious sound of Skyforger (2009) and Silent Waters (2007) musically. ‘Mission’ is one of the tracks that sticks with you right from the start for this very reason. It’s got a huge sound with blazing guitars, moving rhythms, some well-laid piano riffing, and a solid vocal delivery. The breakdown three-fourths of the way through the song is so thick that it’s almost Kansas-esque in its complexity (but obviously much heavier).

Another highlight is certainly the more dynamic ‘Hopeless Days’. The vocals here are truly wonderful, staying mostly in the high range and entirely sung, taking the song up a notch and making it a massively solid slab of progressive (yet accessible) heaviness. The near power ballad bravado of ‘A New Day’ brings a victorious close to the album / story, while leaving the door open for its continuance, as all good stories do.

The vocals are still the weak point, as they always come off more limited in range than the music does, but we do get a couple of tracks where the band really gels perfectly. Don’t get me wrong, the vocals are “fine” or “solid”, or whatever you want to call it. They just don’t wholly encapsulate the music in my opinion. As with the band’s last few releases, the music remains a step ahead of the vocal work.

Overall, Amorphis get really deep here. Circle is surprisingly bright in musical texture and extremely thought-provoking lyrically. At this point in their storied career, Amorphis basically do what they do and each album captures that essence to varying degrees. Circle is one of their better moments for sure.

Mark Fisher

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share