Label - True Cult Records
Release Date- 25 March 2022
Words- Tony Bliss
Although it’s more than well established that the mythical, high-fantasy worlds of literary masters Tolkien and Moorcock make natural bedfellows with black metals tales-from-beyond ethos, this long-standing well of inspiration still - decades after the emergence of Cirith Ungol, Gorgoroth and Isengard - shows no sign of running dry. Luckily, whilst Cirkeln pursue a similar thematic line of orc-slaying heroism, these tracks (the sole work of enigmatic Swedish musician Våndarr) tread a sonic path rippling with grim bombast, where the primordial power of peak form Bathory and an effortless mastery of brazenly old school heavy metal collide in narrative aplomb.
Indeed, it takes just one cursory glance at that nerd friendly album art to know that Cirkeln are the real deal, and as the title track explodes like the Iron Maiden meets early Emperor mash up we never knew we needed, it’s clear that whilst this (remarkably) one man project taps into a strain of swords aloft splendor that we have heard before, ‘A Song For Sorrow’ is a thrillingly authentic distillation of black metals enduring power and arcane, occult driven allure. Take ‘Vaults Behind Vaults’ for example, which rattles along like a more melodically inclined ‘Memoria…’ era Blut Aus Nord, or ‘Var Blaser Vinden’ with its atmospheric intro and flickering keys throwing us back to the Norwegian scenes first tentative steps toward an analogue synth. Closer ‘Thine Winter Realm Enthroned’ may be the best of the lot, with almost three minutes of eve-of-battle ambience then taking off like a beast mode Ulver in full flight, all sinew wrenching blast beats and freezing-fog riff-work, and bowing out on a thunderous trad-metal money shot.
Reference points are numerous, and as dark-hearted and raw as the album gets there is always an unshakeable, unbreakable connection to the immortal craft of heavy metal songwriting (hell, if you ever wondered what Gandalf fronting a NWOBHM band would sound like (and who hasn't?), look no further than ‘Vandraren’). In truth, every second of ‘Song For Sorrow’ is steeped in the sort of Nazgul-battling mysticism and otherworldly magic that the more immaculately produced and high resolution black metal bands arguably fail to capture, these eight songs exerting a preternatural, sword and sorcery escapism that, as the genres history will attest, only a fistful of acts are truly capable of summoning.
8/10
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