Fantasy fiction is among the numerous cliches of black metal and has led to a surge in its popularity and with groups like Stormkeep helping form a whole movement of bands obsessed with the writings of Tolkien, Moorcock and other raconteurs, Sweden’s Cirkeln fits right into the mix.
Having released two albums laden with all the adventure and wonderment you’d expect from a decent melodic black metal band obsessed with magical quests, third album “The Primitive Covenant” was awaited in anticipation and was expected to score high.
In terms of musicianship, I found that Cirkeln has mastered a mix of the melodic and the dissonant that reminded me of similar acts like Mystras in using the buzz of strings and rampant percussion to sound like an epic battle scene. But in terms of lyrical content there did not seem to be the same epic tales as seen on recent releases which was a tad disappointing but didn’t make me enjoy it any less.
Darker themes populate the songs with elements of the occult and dark tales add to the mix making this piece shadowed in all the darkness you’d want from a typical melodic black metal album so it’s still worth adding to your collection if that’s the kind of metal you dig. But if you wanted something epic and retelling your favorite fantasy sagas in the most brilliant way possible, you’re not going to be 100% satisfied.
Overall, another decent piece from an experienced one-man project and I look forward to seeing what will come next from Cirkeln’s mind.
(7/10 Demitri Levantis)
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