Review of Callenish Circle - Flesh_Power_Dominion

When I first got my meathooks on this album, I was new to the underground metal scene and an ultra In Flames fanboy, thereby causing me to dismiss it as an In Flames ripoff. But Callenish Circle is so much more, I couldn't resist the greatness of this album. As I slowly opened up to the rest of the underground scene, I realized that Callenish Circle is a most excellent band, while not groundbreaking in the Gothenburg style, they are nonetheless truly outstanding. Flesh_Power_Dominion is a testament to this greatness. Much like In Flames and The Haunted, every song has a specific hook to drag you in and keep you riveted to your seat. The opening track, "Obey Me" is so mind blowing, it makes me wonder why these guys aren't more well known. Every instrument is played with absolute precision. The harmony between the guitars will bring a tear to your eye, it's so good. Drumming is fast paced, with double kicks o'plenty. Singing, if you can call death metal vocals that, is somewhat standard. Not as cool as the outstanding rasp of Anders Friden of In Flames, but it is definitely more than competent. The production perfectly brings out all of the talent this band has to offer, which is quite a bit. Nothing is lost to a bad recording, you know the production is great if you don't even have to think about it. If I had to pick a favorite track, it would have to be "Take Me Along". It is the longest track, clocking in at six minutes (I'm a sucker for a long song), and there are so many excellently orgasmic riffs and harmonies and tempo changes... I just can't get enough of it. If someone put a gun to my head and forced me to say something bad about the album, it would have to be the lyrics. While not terrible, or even bad, they are a little bit lacking. Personally I like poetic lyrics, and these just seem a little straight forward. But like I said, they are by no means bad, just a little lacking. Everything else about the album is as near perfect as you can get without changing your name to "Iron Maiden". Once you hear this album, the only thing you need to be asking is, "How much?". Any fan of the Gothenburg sound is bound by a code of honor to buy this album. Callenish Circle has a very bright future in the world of melodic death metal, so if you have any interest in metal of any kind, I highly suggest that you haul your ass away from your computer for five minutes and purchase what will no doubt be considered one of the classics, if it isn't already.

Release Details

Callenish Circle

Flesh_Power_Dominion

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