Artist: Callenish Circle
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: 5/20/03
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Title: My Passion // Your Pain Artist: Callenish Circle Label: Metal Blade Release Date: 5/20/03 |
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Abyss's Review:
Callenish Circle really started to make some waves with their last release, but they were known by many even before that. If there was any true criticism of the last record, it usually centered around the melodic death metal genre as a whole. For a lot of people, just about everything in the genre has been done to death, but at the same time many bands that changed their sound (Soilwork, In Flames) met with resistance and accusations of sellout.
"They are very good at what they do, and I'll take their brand of melodic death metal over the new material from Soilwork and In Flames any day of the week." Basically it's the same 'ol catch-22 that every band faces - there's no way you're going to please everyone. It is for this reason that YOU the listener have to figure out what you look for in a band. There is no doubt that Callenish Circle aren't the most original band out there, but in many ways that doesn't really matter. They are very good at what they do, and I'll take their brand of melodic death metal over the new material from Soilwork and In Flames any day of the week.
Callenish Circle's biggest asset is that they have the innate ability to write catchy, melodic songs that remain somewhat ugly and angry. The melodies might be sweet at times, but are never syrupy. They never try to use clean vocals (Thank God!), there aren't any long or overpowering keyboards (Thank Satan!), and at no point do they ever forget that this is 'metal' not 'art'. What I mean that last comment is that of course metal is a form of art, but to be metal it must have some underlying ugliness, something that goes against the grain. This is something that I feel a lot of more 'progressive' bands are lacking nowadays.
"I find this band to be far from mandatory, but most definitely worthwhile." So the end result is that if you liked their last album you'll like this one as well. I find this band to be far from mandatory, but most definitely worthwhile. One word review: Solid.
Death's Review:
As a title, I like My Arms, Your Hearse better, but I suppose that one was taken. Just kidding. Anyway, while I suppose I'm getting a bit played out on Melodic Death Metal (in the capital letter sense of the phrase), Callenish Circle do sound pretty killer, playing technical and interesting melodic death metal that avoids the sellout commerciality of recent efforts by bands like In Flames and Soilwork. Instead, Callenish Circle, like Dark Tranquillity did with Damage Done (btw, Niklas Sundin did the album cover art), stay heavy, stay intricate and stay metal while infusing their sound with a darker, more intense and slightly industrial overlay not present on Flesh_Power_Dominion, their Metal Blade debut. The result is a serviceable effort that at times borders on greatness, displaying some killer riffs and some precision musicianship that provide a perfect platform for them to woo U.S. audiences if given the right touring opportunities. The riffs are the best part - at once evoking The Crown, At the Gates, the Haunted and that ilk (and governed by a similar vocal style - I love the vocals on "The Forsaken" the best), while also displaying a certain penchant for groove a la Sepultura or Soulfly as well as a healthy respect for both mood and melody (and lengthy guitar solos), often throughout the course of the same song. Some of the catchiness feels similar to the addictive headbanging inspired by the last Bloodbath record, but just as often I'm left with a Gothenburg-influenced feel as much as Stockholm.
"The result is a serviceable effort that at times borders on greatness, displaying some killer riffs and some precision musicianship that provide a perfect platform for them to woo U.S. audiences if given the right touring opportunities."
So, in the end, I'd describe as an amalgamation of the best of the last decade of Swedish death metal (think At the Gates, Dismember, early-to-mid-era In Flames) played with a strong, Arch Enemy-esque sense of what it takes to both play your instruments well and write a good song at the same time while managing to stay aggressive and "metal" and spiced up with a touch of modern melodic hardcore stylings. "What Could Have Been" (my favorite track) sets a splendidly somber mood, painting a bleak landscape and then crushing all of it in a well-produced, bludgeoning haze. Callenish Circle are very good when they are at their peak. Look for them to establish more of their own identity on these shores if they can commit to logging some serious U.S. road miles in the coming months. This stuff is gonna sound good in the live setting.
"This stuff is gonna sound good in the live setting."
Hel's Review:
Callenish Circle delivers the kind of old-fashioned melodic death metal you've been craving, but not getting from the likes of Soilwork and In Flames. None of that namby-pamby clean vocal crap here - just straightforward growling and dueling melodic guitars like you remember from the early days of melo-death.
"The production is perfection, the songwriting is interesting from beginning to end, and the musicianship is of the finest quality."
"I find myself without a single thing to complain about, without delving into the realm of my own personal jadedness, and that in and of itself is pretty refreshing." I had received excellent reports regarding Callenish Circle's last release, Flesh_Power_Dominion, but never found the opportunity to acquaint myself with it. So when My Passion // Your Pain landed in my hands, I couldn't wait to put it in the player. I was not disappointed in the slightest, and I daresay you will not be either. The production is perfection, the songwriting is interesting from beginning to end, and the musicianship is of the finest quality.
I find myself without a single thing to complain about, without delving into the realm of my own personal jadedness, and that in and of itself is pretty refreshing. The ultra-jaded amongst you need not bother with this record - you will probably decide you've heard it all before - but those with a serious yen for melody delivered with a sledgehammer backhand will find yourselves immolated.
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