Sweden and death metal are probably part of Swedish folklore by now as the two have been integrally linked together for well over 25 years now. So much so that I suspect any aspiring death metal band wanting to capture that true Swedeath sound will probably undertake pilgrimages to said iconic location in search of divine deathly inspiration. All joking aside the number of acts either aiming for the Swedeath sound, whether it’s the old school style or the Gothenberg type is really quite staggering, so to get the attention and more importantly the cash off metallers is that bit more competitive which in theory should provide a glut of quality acts to pick from. However when faced with a massive range to choose from it can become a bit of headache, like going into a record store and being greeted by endless racks of records and only have a set amount to spend. The process of choice can be stressful and quite demoralising.

So here we have a band hailing from Stockholm, a band that already has a full length out under the name of “Black Oblivion” which was mastered by none other than Dan Swanö. I am slightly suspicious of a band whose discography is devoid of any demo recordings, which may be a tad old fashioned in today’s digital age but old habits die hard as they say. Having not heard the debut I can’t comment on the progression or digression made, but it does appear that the band has changed vocalist since that release. Playing Swedish death metal means you need to be tight in your playing and Circle Of Chaos is certainly that on this new five song EP that squarely aims for the Gothenberg style sound immediately apparent on the title track opener. The problem with releases like this is that it is like a thousand other bands and is void of any distinguishable auditory pieces to make you stop thinking of bands like old In Flames, Arch Enemy, etc. Critically one could say this is extremely generic but the aspect that does enable you to sit up and take note is the heaviness of the sound and the punishing speed incorporated, though the emphasis on melody is ingrained like cement into the structure of the songs.

“Unholy Fire” possesses a catchy riff that is primarily mild, though the vocals are hostile and aggressive, snarled and hissed out like an acid spray. Some aspects of the riffing at various points have a Metallica feel, the way the riff has that chunky manly feel. In Flames is a major reference point for “Vicious Circle” with its modernistic bounce riff being saturated with melody and that characteristic foot tapping beat with a great score on the head nodding scale. As I stated earlier releases like this are churned out with such regularity that being picked out from the crowded melododeath scene is going to be tough for Circle Of Chaos though this is certainly enough for people to check them over on the net before investing, when you have the decent melodic riffing on “Fate Of Brutality” coupled to some quality lead solos. Despite not being an amazing EP it can proudly boast a handful of quality melodic death metal songs that are a match for anything put out so far this year, and for those that like a clean and majestic feel to their death metal then treat yourself to Circle Of Chaos. 

6.5/10 (Martin Harris)

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