Iconofear - The 13th Circle
Self-released - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Now, it may shock some of you reading this to learn, but I'm something of a lazy son of a bitch. No, don't all leap to my defence at once, it's true. Generally speaking, the less I can get away with doing, the better I feel. So, it's usually with a world-weary sigh that I greet the sight of an unsigned band's CD arriving for review, sans any biographical material or promo guff to give me an idea of their background. I mean, what do they want me to do, research? No way. Unless, of course, the music contained on the EP is sufficiently interesting to warrant Googling the name. And, while the material on this Finnish group's latest demo isn't likely to take the metal world by storm just yet, it did at least merit a look through the magical information archive that is the internet.
Turns out, this group formed largely from the ashes of a fairly well regarded death metal act named Agonia - and while at first listen, the synth-enhanced, trad-leaning power metal showcased by The 13th Circle's four tracks seems as far removed from the rumbling low-end, gurgled vox and typewriter kicks of metal's most censor-maligned subgenre as possible, more considered listening reveals a speedy precision and meaty punch to many of the riffs that belies the group's beginnings. Also, the vocalist generally stays within the realm of the clean vocals, but occasionally gets a bit hoarse or, very rarely, lets out a full-on deathly roar.
This makes for an interesting blend of classically-influenced metal that reaches for the epic in its structure while remaining grounded in metal's visceral power at its core. Every now and again, the band's ambition sees them reaching beyond their grasp - 'The 13th Circle's piano melodies and 'Waning's female-guest-vocal-power-balladry find the group losing their grip on the listener by subsistuting hooky riffs for saccharine lighters-in-the-air moments - but generally, this is a well-played affair that should at least appeal to most metal listeners, if not exactly inspiring their undying devotion.
6.5/10
Official Iconofear Website
Self-released - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Now, it may shock some of you reading this to learn, but I'm something of a lazy son of a bitch. No, don't all leap to my defence at once, it's true. Generally speaking, the less I can get away with doing, the better I feel. So, it's usually with a world-weary sigh that I greet the sight of an unsigned band's CD arriving for review, sans any biographical material or promo guff to give me an idea of their background. I mean, what do they want me to do, research? No way. Unless, of course, the music contained on the EP is sufficiently interesting to warrant Googling the name. And, while the material on this Finnish group's latest demo isn't likely to take the metal world by storm just yet, it did at least merit a look through the magical information archive that is the internet.
Turns out, this group formed largely from the ashes of a fairly well regarded death metal act named Agonia - and while at first listen, the synth-enhanced, trad-leaning power metal showcased by The 13th Circle's four tracks seems as far removed from the rumbling low-end, gurgled vox and typewriter kicks of metal's most censor-maligned subgenre as possible, more considered listening reveals a speedy precision and meaty punch to many of the riffs that belies the group's beginnings. Also, the vocalist generally stays within the realm of the clean vocals, but occasionally gets a bit hoarse or, very rarely, lets out a full-on deathly roar.
This makes for an interesting blend of classically-influenced metal that reaches for the epic in its structure while remaining grounded in metal's visceral power at its core. Every now and again, the band's ambition sees them reaching beyond their grasp - 'The 13th Circle's piano melodies and 'Waning's female-guest-vocal-power-balladry find the group losing their grip on the listener by subsistuting hooky riffs for saccharine lighters-in-the-air moments - but generally, this is a well-played affair that should at least appeal to most metal listeners, if not exactly inspiring their undying devotion.
6.5/10
Official Iconofear Website
