Album Review: Of Awakening by The Circle (AOP Records)

Germany’s symphonic black/doom metal band, The Circle, return with their second full length album titled Of Awakening, due for release on the 18th of August via AOP Records.

Risen from the ruins, created by the fierce tides, The Circle hails you to the realm of the blackened sun with the upcoming full-length concept album entitled “Of Awakening”. With their second creation, the 3-piece founded in 2021 based around vocalist Asim Searah (Ex-Wintersun) takes you on a voyage through the facets of egoism, devastation, self-hatred and reflection and the results of destructive behavior that lead to a higher level of self-actualisation. Emphasized by a blend of aggression and disharmony, yet captivating the listener in a sorrowful and haunting atmosphere, the five compositions take the audience into a sound of ambient Black/Doom Metal combined with progressive and symphonic elements which the band describes as ‘Art Metal’. The highest aim of this album is to open up the uncovered horizons of personal philosophy and launch a cathartic process in the inner self of every listener.

The Circle aren’t a band I have come across before and Of Awakening is their second full length following 2021’s Metamorphosis but symphonic black metal with touches of ambient and doom sounds exactly like what I need so this is exciting.

The Circle are Stanley Robertson on music writing and guitars, Asim Searah provides lyrics and vocals, Philipp Wende is on drums and Jaakko Nikko is on bass with viola and violin provided by Lisa Wende and an additional guest violin solo on the track, Of Awakening by Tim Charles of Ne Obliviscaris.

Of Awakening was recorded and produced by The Circle and was mixed and mastered by Miiro Varjus of Wavescape Productions. The excellent artwork is courtesy of Awinita Alm. Layout at Heresie Studio with band photographs provided by Anne C. Swallow.

Of Awakening gives us 5 tracks to get stuck into starting with Ruins, My Dying World. Starting off with an 8 and a half minute track is a bold move but it pays off and has me quickly engaged. The melancholic melody in the intro doesn’t tease for too long descending quite quickly into a cacophony of chaos with vicious drums leading the charge. The vocals are strong, supremely heavy and intense and with plenty of power. Dark riffs keep you engaged and the dappled light of melody keeps you from falling entirely into the abyss. The flow of the song is really cool. It’s got a slow, stomping rhythm to it at times, using the weight of emotion and power to generate heaviness, rather than just speed. That’s not to say there isn’t sped up sections either and when they drop, man, that drummer is getting a work out.

Choruses bring layered, harmonised vocals into the mix which sound absolutely killer and just wait for that switch to cymbal crashes and violin part way through. A stunning and morose sound that is quite hypnotic to listen to and acts as a perfect foil for the aggressive, intensity to return and wow us through to the close. What a song this is and what an opener for Of Awakening. Wow. That bar is set very high now and it’s the title track’s job to reach it.

Of Awakening, the song, takes that challenge and scoffs at me bringing another absolute belter of a track. The vocals seem even more intense and those layers work so well. It’s chunky, it’s black, it’s dark and it’s relentless. The slightly off kilter rhythm of the intense verses adds an even more threatening feel but that chorus, man, that is some serious song writing ability right there. The violin is prominent at points too, with the masterful Tim Charles showing off his skills with an impressive violin solo to add even more quality to a song that is overflowing with it. The Circle are killing it.

Afflux follows and starts with an almost uplifting melody, easing us in to one of the shorter tracks on Of Awakening at 4 minutes in length. Whispered vocals sit alongside the melody, growing into cleans to demonstrate another string to The Circle’s bow. Speaking of bows, the violin joins in as the general weight of the track appears to be growing, layer by layer with each passing bar. It’s an emotional track that reaches into you and really takes hold as we reach the peak of the layering and the vocals switch to uncleans, the drums rain down and the guitars fire out riffs.

Reign of the Black Sun is our penultimate track and The Circle bring more creativity with them. The intro is intense and intelligent. The wailing female vocals add a lot to that start. The tapping drum beat is really neat while the guitars and symphonic elements create an all encompassing soundscape for you to lose yourself in. The verses are seriously aggressive with an impressive range of harsh vocals in operation and machine like drumming. The guitars are great too, just making everything feels so full and weighty. Clean sung chorus sections surprise me in a good way – it works so well. The clean ringing lead guitars elevate the track further as the cleans come back after a verse of intense harshness.

I think I am falling in love with The Cricle. I certainly am with Of Awakening and when that guitar solo drops, man, I want to propose. This is so good but sadly all good things must come to an end and Of Awakening doesn’t escape that fate. We close out with the longest track on the album at over 9 minutes in length.

Ashes and Fading Tides see The Circle bring it all together in impressive fashion. All the elements across the album come back, as one, to create a sonic masterpiece. The powerful intro sees some “whoah” singing with huge guitars, big symphonic backing and intense drumming. It drops into a riff heavy, headbanger of a verse with catchy beats and thick bass lines all backed with symphony filling gaps. The verses are hard, heavy and unrelenting. We then move into a chorus that eases back a little bringing some deep cleans into the mix. A slow down to nothing but distorted ringing guitars adds a little doom flavouring before the violins start building us back up, backed by whispery clean vocals. It’s a beautiful sound, made more magical as the drums start to engage.

We build and build, waiting for that eruption but they tease us longer, bringing back the harsh vocals but still over the more melancholic section when that suddenly starts transforming into a beast and without even seeing it coming we are suddenly into epic territory with insane drums, screaming violins, guitars ringing and throat ripping vocals. It’s a very full sound, very busy, but it works and the now intensly heavy sound leads us towards the end where there is time for one small lead guitar solo to close out a magnificent album.

And what an album it is too. Of Awakening has blown my mind. The Circle have released what could well be the best album, or at least one of the best albums, you will hear this year. It is dark, morose, heavy yet somehow beautiful and engaging. There is a lot going on, many components crafted expertly to make these magical compositions. Wow. There is some serious talent in this band, and the song writing, the flow of each track and the album as a whole is hypnotic and a treat for your ears and your soul. I adore this, and you will too. Just make sure you check it out and then quickly grab your preorder of this amazing release from The Circle, here.

The Circle Links

Facebook – Bandcamp – Instagram – YouTube – AOP Records Bandcamp – AOP Records Facebook – AOP Records Webstore