Circle- Hollywood
(Ektro Records 052)
From Aural Innovations May 2009 update
This damn CD is addictive… I can’t stop playing this. This is a highly successful collaboration with American singer, Bruce Duff. You get 7 tracks in onme hour and it starts with a track that you may have heard before on the Earthworm CD-EP, called Connection. This is a fast pace track with a melodic vocal line. The other track from Earthworm is the 3rd track and a sort of speed metal thing. Mercy and Tuesday is a 7 min very groovy and repetitive track that just sucks you in. Bruce writes really cool lyrics as well. Sacrifice is another melodic fast paced metal track, something Circle is doing quite well, with that real 80’s feel but also their own unique touch. Now, is where the record starts getting really cool. Spam Folder is a strange sort of mysterious track and Mika plays some really cool keyboards. The next 3 tracks are put together as a suite called Requiem in D Minor and it starts off with the acoustic blues track called Hard to Realize. I love this track. Next up is the amazing total trance track called Madman, that just totally rocks out at the end. Phew.. The CD ends with the very cool track Suddenly. You will probably recognize the riff on this track from the Tyrant LP but the track is different here. Amazing lyrics by Bruce. This might be my all time favourite Circle CD. Can’t wait for the vinyl and hope for an extra track or two.
Check out the band and label web site at: http://www.circlefinland.com
Reviewed by Scott Heller