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Circle Of Snakes

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Circle Of Snakes
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Type: Full-Length
Release Date: 2004
Genre: Doom, Heavy
1. Wotans Procession
2. SkinCarver
3. Circle of Snakes
4. 1000 Devils Reign
5. Skull Forrest
6. HellMask
7. When We Were Dead
8. Night, BeSodom
9. My Darkness
10. NetherBound
11. Black Angel, White Angel

Review by TheOneNeverSeen on April 10, 2023.

Gyrdleah's first full-length shows considerable increase in diversity since its 2011 debut EP Passage Into The Night. Possessing a satisfying sound and a bleak atmosphere, it also offers many exciting melodies that most fans of the genre are likely to appreciate.

Starting off with a cool riff of 'Stab The Lamb' (love the consonances like that used in song titles), the album instantly sets a dark mood created by its mighty guitar sound, Flagrum's impressive shrieks and solid clean drumming alongside the unobtrusive yet appropriate bass. The mood of the album is uneven, varying from Mgła-like spirit of the aforementioned 'GYFU' and 'Gathered For The Murder' to a more epic, Dark Funeral/Nocturnal Depression one of 'Speak Of The Devil' and the title track.

Speaking of the changes made to the band's sound, there is quite a lot to mention. First, the guitar tone is much nicer and thicker, not as "dry" as on Passage Into The Night. The singing is roughly the same aside from the nearly prog-like vocals on 'Six Hundred Threescore and Six', something not used by Flagrum before. Finally, probably due to a new drummer participating in the recording of the album, the drumming is much more entertaining. Overall, the songs became faster and more energetic, developing the mysterious, somber atmosphere even better than on the 2011 EP.

What I especially love about Spellbinder is its consistency. Most songs offer solid grim black metal, with even the two short instrumental tracks, 'Approaching Gyrdleah' and 'Outro' having nice atmospheric passages, adding to the album's beautiful flow. Ironically, the track I enjoyed the least is the album's first single with a very creative name 'VVitch', the guitar work on w(h)itch is not as good, the melody is rather blurry and the odd drum-less passage in the middle fails to make the track interesting or captivating. However, considering I enjoyed the rest of the songs, I don't view this as a significant issue.

In conclusion, Spellbinder is a creative, dark and highly enjoyable release that certainly expands the boundaries of Flagrum's craft a lot. I will definitely be waiting for the band’s next material, for the one we have at the moment is highly promising.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

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Review by David on February 13, 2005.

Let’s just ignore Danzig’s extra-curricular activities for the moment and look at his musical output of late. We all know that’s been largely sub-par; we lost the great bluesy drawl that made his best albums so sublime, and his amazing, soulful voice got distorted under the weight of studio trickery. Tracks as devastatingly beautiful as "How the Gods Kill" and "Going Down to Die" became a thing of the past as the Evil Elvis wrapped himself in a cocoon of the all-too-modern. Now we arrive at album eight and the last bit of tradition is out of the window; there are no more numbers kids, it’s just Circle of Snakes.

I’m sure opener "Wotan’s Possession" is meant to be the scene-setter; the eerie intro to a soundtrack of bleak and soulful metal. What it actually sounds like is an Oompa-Loompa death march (no dwarf-related jokes please). It’s time to bear witness to another disappointment; apparently the guy still has his finger on the pulse, little realising that the pulse stopped when the body died about a decade ago.

The second warning sign is the obvious lack of effort spent on recording the album. The guitars sound like the audio equivalent of processed cheese. The dense tone is too heavy on the bass and makes some rather natty riffs sound lazy and stilted. Meanwhile the drums don’t fair any better, sounding tinny and weak, for a while I thought I was listening to a shoddy MP3 rip. The whole thing literally sounds cheap and muddy.

And sadly, Danzig himself doesn’t sound like the damn scary dude he used to. His voice has just lost that deeper and natural timbre that made him sound so … Danzig. The majority of the singing sounds forced and desperately strained, something evidenced clearly in "Hellmask" with its wide-open, up-tempo verses calling for a great Glenn holler but getting a forced yelp. Maybe it should be expected as time takes its toll, but what is a Danzig album without those stunning and imperious vocals? I suppose it’s a good thing then that his vocals aren’t dominating the mix anymore, even if it is a sad sign of the times.

Song-wise there are some really good ideas on this record with "1000 Devils Reign" harking back to the past in a way that would have probably seen it sneak its way onto a classic album, had it been recorded with a bit more care. In contrast the likes of "Night, Besodom" sound thin on the ground and hastily thrown together with tedious and clumsy structuring. Of course one can’t throw all the blame at the main man. I just don’t see Tommy Victor as a musical match for him; he just doesn’t have that bluesy spark John Christ used to great effect and consequentially the guitars lack a distinct personality.

Basically, this could have been a solid if unspectacular regain of some form. It’s sad to say this, but the album is lacking in so many ways that it’s just another disappointment. I’m calling time on the poison dwarf, and I’m thankful I’ve got long enough legs that I could probably outrun him.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Production: 3
Originality: 4
Overall: 5

Rating: 4.2 out of 10

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