The Circle – Of Awakening (Review)

The Circle are a German black metal band and this is their second album.

Of Awakening is a 33-minute black metal album of sorts that incorporates elements of doom, ambient, symphonic, and post-black metal. While black metal is the obvious tag for this, and it’s superficially the correct one, it doesn’t tell the whole story of what The Circle sound like. Of Awakening is not really symphonic black metal, post-black metal, or doom metal, but some strange amalgamation of the three that nonetheless sounds natural, unforced, and quite enjoyable.

The Circle create their contemporary brand of black metal with presence and character. The music is well-crafted and built of solid, sturdy materials. Theirs is a modern style that takes lessons from older influences as well as new ones, resulting in music that benefits from a range of ingredients.

The songs emphasise an emotive delivery, one that works in concert with the well-delivered vocals to portray feeling and texture to good effect. Each of the five songs has its own personality, delivering a different facet of The Circle to the listener, while still retaining a coherent whole.

The different aspects of The Circle come together in compelling ways, fusing the band’s doom and black metal into a post-blackened concoction that brings out the best in the band. The use of violin is most welcome, (delivered by the violinist of Ne Obliviscaris on one track), and the symphonic aspects are embedded and not ostentatious. The guitars are varied and well-performed, delivering a choice selection of riffs, rhythms, and melodies. I’ll mention the singer again too, (ex-Wintersun), as his vocals are an obvious asset to the band. His voice is diverse and charismatic, and I like his style very much.

Of Awakening is an interesting, enjoyable, and impressive album. The Circle have done well to take a few different influences and use them as they have. If you’re looking for a multifaceted take on a blackened style that scratches a few different itches, then this is for you.

Very highly recommended.