CIRCLES

The Last One SEASON OF MIST Artful Australians attempt to bend tech metal into a new shape

Another formidable band from Down Under suggests there’s something in the water down there besides great whites. With this only being their second album since their 2010 formation, Circles clearly spend a great deal of time and thought crafting their music. Though the djent hallmarks of juddering staccato riffs on Dream Sequence and complicated meanders are all present and correct, there’s enormous breadth here, whether it’s the groove and crunch of opener Winter or the dreamy soundscapes and glorious leads of Renegade and The Messenger. So while you can get lost in the layers and crescendos that build up throughout The Last

One, there are also distinct highlights that leap out, ably helped by the cracking pipes of Ben Rechter on the urgent Breaker, the immediate chorus and infectious patterns of Arrival and the dramatic final salvo of Alone With Ghosts. Very much in a similar fashion to countrymen Karnivool, Circles have crafted a modern progressive tapestry with plenty of wider appeal thanks to songwriting nous coupled with their apparent technicality. FOR FANS OF: PERIPHERY, TESSERACT, KARNIVOOL