- Country: Finland
- Style: Melodic death metal / Progressive metal
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Release date: 19 April 2013
Amorphis’ 11th album was produced and mixed by Peter Tägtgren, recorded at Petrax Studio in Hollola and 5K Studios in Helsinki, and went to No. 1 in Finland. On paper that’s the usual story for the band at this stage. In practice Circle is rougher and darker than the records around it.
Pekka Kainulainen’s lyrics tell an original story about an outsider who finds his inner strength after a crisis. “Shades of Gray” starts with a growl and a heavy riff before Tomi Joutsen’s clean chorus opens it up, and “Hopeless Days” is the kind of minor-key single this band seems able to write on demand. “The Wanderer” carries a folk melody that would sit comfortably on Tales from the Thousand Lakes.
The weaker stretch is in the middle, where a couple of songs repeat the formula without adding much. “Narrow Path” is the exception, short and direct. Not essential Amorphis, but one of the more muscular albums of their later years.
Best tracks:
Shades of Gray
Hopeless Days
The Wanderer
Narrow Path
Author’s rating: 8.1/10
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