Circle of Contempt just let loose with the following statement on their official Facebook page.
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We will be recording two BRAND NEW tracks (pre-production) off the new album, which we will release early next year.
We are also shooting a drum playthrough video next week which is going to be released sometime next month.
You heard right! All kinds of new Circle of Contempt content is on the way! Obviously, this is all great news from the Finland prog camp. While you're waiting for all that, blast some classics below and do as the band said... stay tuned!
The thing that sucks about living in States is that Europe gets all the great shows. And the problem with living in Europe is that the US gets all the great shows. If you catch my drift... You can't win either way.
For this reason I did not personally attend Euroblast 8 but there's no denying the line-up was insanely good. There was also an incredible tour alongside the main event with Scar Symmetry among others. So today we're gonna be taking a look back at some of the incredible sets that were played at the main festival itself along with prepping you for this year's Euroblast 9.
Euroblast 8 was stacked with names like After The Burial, Tesseract, Jeff Loomis, War From A Harlots Mouth, Vildhjarta, Skyharbor, Chimp Spanner, Monuments, Circle of Contempt, The Algorithm, Agent Fresco, Destiny Potato, and the list goes on... Check out footage from the bands down below! Also included possibly one of the coolest festival trailers ever made, featuring music from the incredible Akeldama.
Currently the line-up for this years festival is being announced bit by bit. There have already been several awesome bands announced including Benea Reach, Mnemic, Twelve Foot Ninja, The Omega Experiment, Cyclamen, Tardive Dyskinesia, etc. You can check the rest of the bands / get all kinds of info here. This years festival will be huge!
UK Tech Metal fanatics have something very awesome to look forward to. Circle Of Contempt will be coming over from Finland to join forces with the local talents, Red Seas Fire, to wreak havoc from London to Brighton. The tour will be short, but the shows will be intense. If you live in the UK, it's HIGHLY recommended you check the dates below. If that doesn't apply to you... blast the music!
This year was packed with amazing music in all forms. EP releases were no exception. The competition on this list was fierce but it is finally settled. Here are the top 5 EPs of 2012.
1 CHIMP SPANNER - ALL ROADS LEAD HERE
Hailing from the UK, guitar and composition wizard Paul Ortiz has been creating
some of the most mind bending, out of the box tracks known to man since 2005 and
he hasn't even remotely slowed down. If anything, he's sped up with his newest "All Roads Lead Here". This is a multi-dimensional aural adventure teeming with musical genius and complete excellence. And it's all crammed into 25 minutes of explosive audio perfection. From "Dark Age Of Technology" to "Cloud City",and the three massive parts of the epic "Möbius" in between, this is one you don't want to miss.This release deserves your full attention as the EP of the year.
Circle of Contempt have grown in
many ways since their debut while maintaining the edge they are known
for. Technical and creative with an increased focus on musical execution, Circle of Contempt have achieved classic status with the phenomenal "Entwine The Threads". Tracks such as "Transient Belief", "Perceive The Mendacity", and "Entwine The Threads" really set it apart. This is definitely an EP that's worth your time and money. More than that,
this is an EP worth recognition among the best this year has to offer.
"Entwine The Threads" is like the metal cherry on top of 2012 \m/ It is a
massive and inspiring musical experience.
This is the kind of band that will either inspire the hell out of other
artists or make them want to give up on their respective instruments. The Ascariasis debut was one of the most impressive Death Metal EPs to come out in awhile. "Ocean Of Colour" is filled with shreddy, razor-edged metal combined with a creative, tasteful
side. This band has the ability to combine a chaotic, heavy sound with a classical, melodic flavor. They even throw in some ambience. Altogether, it makes them really stand out
amongst the Death Metal pack. "Shatter", "Eleven", "Carving The World" and the title track all demonstrate why Ascariasis is the cream of the crop.
Coming
from Serbia, David Maxim Micic has both re-defined and set the bar
high for other "bedroom producers" worldwide. The Berklee trained
multi-instrumentalist followed up his debut in the biggest way possible.
"Bilo 2.0" borrows elements of the original release while being a beast
of it's own. Bringing together genius, progressive metal,
jazz fusion, huge atmosphere, electronics, technicality, tasteful
writing, and cutting edge experimentation, this EP creates a musical
journey
for the listener. Every track on "Bilo 2.0" will bring you "Along For A
Ride" like nothing you've heard before. This is easily one of 2012's
best EPs.
Novallo sounds like a combination of Periphery, The Human Abstract, Mute Math, Maroon 5, and lord knows what... The music these guys make, although random at times, is damn impressive. Their debut is easily one of the strongest EPs to drop this year. Packed with tight instrumental work, amazing vocals, and infectious ear candy, Novallo will leave you hooked. Every track on this release has something interesting and unique going. To name a few - "Angle of Perception", "4 Eyes Win!", and "Visually Silent" really stand out. Definitely give the EP a listen. Warning: It will get stuck in your head in the best way possible.
In the weeks leading up to the end of 2012and our top 10 list of the year, we decided to give credit to the past couple years too. Here's the top ten albums of 2009, no shits given about whiny elitist opinions.
1 ANIMALS AS LEADERS - SELF TITLED
The album that almost didn't happen is our top album of 2009. Thank the metal gods it did! The Animals as Leaders self-titled debut is nothing short of perfection. Powered by Tosin Abasi's incredible songwriting and unreal, virtuosic talent level while backed by Misha Mansoor's superior production skills, this album is pure intellectual ear candy. Boasting solid gold masterpieces such as "CAFO", "On Impulse", "Tempting Time", and so on, this record pushed musical boundaries from beginning to end. There was a lot of amazing music in 2009, but no real comparison to the genius complexities of "Animals As Leaders".
This album is a devastating, ruthless tech storm which ripped minds apart nerve by nerve. Circle Of Contempt emerged from Finland as immediate heavyweights of the metal underground with this absolute genius contribution to heavy music. "Artifacts In Motion" was serious, groundbreaking material for the time. And this record is still scary good, featuring some of the biggest skull cracking segments in metal to date. Songs such as "Color Lines", "The Pendulum Swing", "Concealed", and "Nothing Imminent" among others were responsible for several hospital visits over the years. Complex and solid, "Artifacts in Motion" is a classic.
Without a doubt, musical genius / producer Paul Ortiz brought his very best on this Chimp Spanner record. "At The Dream's Edge" sounds like a dream itself. Technically proficient and musically sound with perfect use of ambiance, this album is a treat for the ears from "Galaxy Rise" to the ender, "All Good Things". In between, the album packs several other classics such as "Supererogation", "Far From Home", "Under One Sky" and the three epic parts of "Terminus". Chimp Spanner's "At The Dream's Edge" easily stands out as one of the year's brightest and is highly recommended for anyone who loves awesome music.
North Carolina's Between The Buried And Me always brings an interesting listening experience with their music. "The Great Misdirect" is no exception. One of the best things about this band is they don't just think outside the box, they live way out there with an unusually high talent level to match. This is an hours worth of incredible, original heavy music. The lengthy tracks found on this record all bring a classic quality with them. In particular, "Obfuscation", "Disease, Injury, Madness", "Desert of Song", and the huge closer "Swim To The Moon" stand out. If you enjoy outgoing, intelligent Progressive Metal, you'll enjoy this record.
Converge's "Axe To Fall" hits like it already fell. This extremely talented chaotic hardcore four piece pulled off a whirlwind of a record with this one. Absolutely ruthless, energetic, and creative with it's delivery, this album spread across the heavy music community like wildfire. Most of the songs are very short in the typical hardcore fashion but they all pack one helluva punch. However, there are a few that span up to 4-7 mins of pure original greatness. Tracks such as "Dark Horse", "Reap What You Sew", the title track, and the lighter epics such as "Cruel Bloom" stand out. Get chaotic with Converge if you haven't already.
In
many ways, this album was before it's time. Bringing a ridiculously
tech heavy sound with an energetic hardcore edge, The Arusha Accord debut is one for the record books. "The Echo Verses" came
across with the subtleness of a bomb, striking many listeners off guard
with it's rampant chaos and creativity. Big time stand outs "Dead To Me", "Night of the Long Knives", "The Tightrope", and the epic closer "The Last Rise of the Fallen King" are all reasons why this album is still relevant to this
day. There's no doubt "The Echo Verses" is an explosive heavy listening experience from start to finish. A real classic through and through.
Dream
Theater has been going strong for a long time. Their tenth studio album
"Black Clouds & Silver Linings" is an epic musical experience to
say the least. It clocks in at well over an hour of absolutely solid
Progressive Metal. Not to mention this was back when Mike Portnoy was
still drumming in the band. There are so many awesome moments on this
record from the edges of "The Shattered Fortress" to the mind blowing closer "The Count of Tuscany". Even the more accessible tracks such as "A Rite of Passage" and "Wither" are outstanding. All in all, it would be a crime not to include this Dream Theater record among the best of 2009.
In many ways this was August Burns Red's transitioning record between the revolutionary "Messengers" and their latest juggernaut "Leveler". "Constellations" marks when the band began discovering their own unique musical push instead of going for crazy breakdown after breakdown. There's still plenty of that, but ABR really put their all into this record to grow as musicians. Tracks such as "Marianas Trench", "Meddler", "Thirty and Seven", and "The Escape Artist" showed how far this band stood above the Metalcore pack. And they still do. "Constellations" is an absolutely phenomenal heavy listening experience.
The Within The Ruins debut full-length emerged to breathe new life into an ever staling sub-genre of metal. The band immediately became top notch innovators with their classic "Creature" feature. Boasting next level talent and technicality to match their intense rhythmic segments and driving riffs, they put themselves on the map with a signature sound. Heavy as hell segments made ears bleed without mercy (in a good way \m/). For example, the intense opener "The Book Of Books", and stand outs such as "Tractor Pull", "Arsenal", and "Extinguish Them" all caused major blood loss. Within The Ruins will satisfy your heavy cravings.
Long Island Hardcore giants Stray From The Path certainly made their own history with this stand out album. "Make Your Own History" is pissed off beyond words, but it has a lot to say. In the
tried and true hardcore fashion, Stray From The Path packs honest,
gritty commentaries while musically pushing the limits of the genre itself with creative off time rhythms and chaotic guitar work.
Titles such as "Negative & Violent", "Fraudulent", "Black Anchor" and "Lucid
Dreaming" all pack a punch. And I have to say there's nothing like moshing to
"Damien". If you consider yourself a fan of hardcore, this record is a must for your music collection.
Finland's tech metal giants, Circle of Contempt, have finally made a comeback to follow up their huge debut album "Artifacts in Motion". Having hyped up the record for a good month, the highly anticipated EP "Entwine The Threads" is officially out! Produced by the legendary Sami Raatikainen of Necrophagist and released by Sumerian Records, it seems "Entwine The Threads" has all the makings of an epic return. But was it actually worth the wait?
Hell yeah! Circle of Contempt are back with a vengeance. This band has grown in many ways since their debut while maintaining the edge they are known for. There is an increased focus on atmosphere and musical execution in the songwriting instead of pure complexity and skull breaking, though there is still plenty of that. Technical, creative, and musically sound, this is definitely an EP worth your time and money. More than that, this is an EP worth recognition among the best this year has to offer. "Entwine The Threads" is like the metal cherry on top of 2012 \m/ It is a massive and inspiring musical experience.
It is important to note there were some key line-up change over the years. Former vocalist, Riku Haavisto left the band to be replaced by Denis Hautaniemi and they have also taken on a new bassist in Markus Karhumäki. But the core members of C.O.C. have stayed true in Risto-Matti Toivonen and Ville Patrikainen making up the beastly guitar front and the mechanical tank JP Kaukonen behind the drum kit. All of the above brought their best effort on "Entwine The Threads". The current line-up is solid as ever. This EP backs up that statement 100%
All the songs on "Entwine The Threads" are rock solid and offer something very special to the listener. Every track is a stand out track filled with original ideas and chilling moments. I could sit here and describe the songs individually, but instead I recommend you go listen to all of the above from the opening title track to the closer "Perceive The Mendacity" as soon as possible.
To sum things up, this EP is just plain incredible. I have no real criticisms here. Objectively, some people may not appreciate the greatness, but that's their own problem. "Entwine The Threads" is a highly recommended musical experience. If you haven't already, go out and buy this! Support great metal!
If you want a physical copy of this CD, you MUST ACT NOW (or you may already be too late...). There are only 500 physical copies available. Grab them while they last at Soundcheck Hollywood. However, if you pre-ordered the EP, you're in the clear. According to Sumerian Records, everyone who purchased the digital download card should have a physical copy on the way.
I feel like I was just talking about these guys.... Oh wait, I was.
Recap - It's official! After the long wait following the release of 2009's
massive record "Artifacts In Motion", Circle of Contempt are coming back
next month with a brand new EP! December 11th is the day to mark down.
These Finnish Tech Metal giants announced this along with releasing some
hype material today. Also be sure to check out the studio
updates the band posted here.
Almost immediately after showing us a release date for the new EP, Circle of Contempt released an official album teaser, artwork, and pre-orders for the release titled "Entwine The Threads". All of the above is looking and sounding intense. Not to mention the EP was produced by Sami Raatikainen of Necrophagist... No wonder why it took so long to get here! Check out the goods below and grab your pre-orders right here.
I should note no physical copies have been made available which is strange for Sumerian Records. Or should I say... haven't been made available yet. Sumerian Records owner Ash Avildsen (ex-Reflux along with Tosin Abasi), posed this question, "should we make a limited run of physical copies for the new Circle of Contempt EP? I don't like the idea of a digital only release... we just want to make sure you feel the same way."
It's official! After the long wait following the release of 2009's massive record "Artifacts In Motion", Circle of Contempt are coming back next month with a brand new EP! December 11th is the day to mark down. These Finnish Tech Metal giants announced this along with releasing some hype material today. You can take a look below and listen to some classic Circle of Contempt tracks. Also be sure to check out the studio updates the band posted here. Very soon my friends... Get stoked!
The time is almost here. Finland's Circle of Contempt have finished writing and recording their upcoming EP. It will be the follow up to their incredible 2009 debut, "Artifacts In Motion". They just released the final video in a series of studio updates featuring tid bits from their new vocalist. It's all sounding very good. You can watch that and the rest of the updates right here, right now. Get stoked! We also have the music video for "Concealed" under that.
To anyone going to this festival, you're a lucky bastard. Euroblast is the kind of event that would make me consider moving to another continent for good if I had the money. It is the prog-metal festival of dreams. Euroblast 8's line up is beyond ridiculous. Featuring acts like Animals as Leaders, Scar Symmetry, Tesseract, Jeff Loomis, Vildhjarta, Monuments, Sybreed, Skyharbor, Chimp Spanner, Scale the Summit, Uneven Structure, Long Distance Calling, The Algorithm, Red Seas Fire, Stealing Axion, and Akeldama among many others. And with the recent addition of After the Burial and Circle of Contempt this show is looking better than ever. If you live nearby, it should be considered a crime not to attend. If you don't live in Europe and don't have money to travel, you should be jealous... like me. The 3 day festival kicks off October 19th, 2012 in Cologne, Germany. Watch the awesome trailer featuring an exclusive Akeldama clip below.
Finland juggernaut Circle of Contempt recently released the third update in a series of videos teasing their upcoming EP to be released via Sumerian Records. It's sounding huge, although quite different from their original album. The 2009 release of 'Artifacts in Motion' displayed the band's extreme technical prowess and showed the metal community this band was something special. After a 2 year hiatus, where some of the band members were on mandatory duty in Finland's military, they're at it again with a fresh perspective. Check out the updates below.
Circle of Contempt just let loose with the following statement on their official Facebook page.
