Massacre/Sound Pollution
German heavy/power quartet CIRCLE OF SILENCE releases their third album of riff orientated power metal with a touch of thrash and heavy metal. Aiming for fans of SAVATAGE and ICED EARTH you cannot release a cock-up. The band has released two previous albums since 2006, “Your Own Story” and “The Supremacy of Time”. They have been active live, and are booked to appear on the bill of the 2011 Building a Force Festival. Powerful and energetic as they may be, is it enough to compete with the giants of the scene?
My first thought was “METAL!”. Opener “Synthetic Sleep” may not have been the ultimate song on the album, but it sure has guts. Nope, the best cuts on the album are the groovy and melodic “21 Grams”, the rifferama of the title track, the well-arranged “Reflections” and the witty and METALLICA-infused “Redesign”. There is actually only one track that is mildly ok in my world, and that is the lamer “Never Forget”. Otherwise I have a lot of plusses noted in the margin, ranging from thrashy to well-arranged. There is a flow in this music that is necessary to compete in the chosen genre. The misses are few, I mostly reacted at the shriek vocals of album closer “Until the Worlds Collide”, big nono. Otherwise I believe in the info sheet; these guys spare neither cost nor effort, and they mean business. Remember the name, this will not be their last outing…
Track List
Synthetic Sleep
Left to Die
Exception
21 Grams
The Blackened Halo
Take Your Life
Never Forget
Reflections
Redesign
The End
Until the Worlds Collide
www.massacre-records.com www.myspace.com/circleofsilence
