Callenish Circle - Pitch Black Effects

Tight, brutal, melodic, and addicting...and such is the new album by the Dutch death/thrash metal band, Callenish Circle.  This is their 5th album and the maturity of the band is extremely evident on this great release.  Musically, the band is explosive and unrelenting.  But amidst the heaviness is a penchant for the melodic and a great taste for mixing in experimental sounds ala Frantic Bleep.   And where the musical talents of the band impress the listener, the vocals are equally as impressive as the band combines both higher and lower pitched growls along with a few clean male and female vocals for a great overall vocal performance.  And before I continue, those of you scared by the terms melodic and death metal being used in the same review, don't immediately count this band out.  While they will appeal to fans of bands like In Flames or Dark Tranquility, they seem to carve their own niche and really stand on their own.  At times, I hear melodic death metal being criticized as much as metalcore, but those who just dismiss every band because of those terms are really doing themselves a disservice and missing out on some great music in the process.  Some styles are overdone - yes - but that doesn't mean that there still can't be some greatness to be heard from those "overdone" genres. 

As I step off my soapbox, let me tell you that production and packaging on this release are very well done.  And there is also a digipak version of this release that contains a live DVD.  Lyrically, the band pens some interesting and thought-provoking words although I can't say I enjoy the use of a few f-bombs.  Overall though, this is a very solid release that should please past fans of the band and should easily sway new listeners to their side of the fence.

Rating: 91/100

Review By: Matt Morrow

Label: Metal Blade

Total Songs: 10

Total Time: 43:21

Tracklisting: 1. This Day You Regret, 2. Ignorant, 3. Behind Lines, 4. Schwarzes Light, 5. Sweet Cyanide, 6. Blind, 7. Guess Again, 8. Self-Inflicted, 9. As You Speak, 10. Pitch Black.

Best Songs: Tracks 2 & 4.

Band Lineup: Pat Savelkoul - Vocals, Ron Tijssen - Guitars, Gav Harte - Drums, Muuk Dieteren - Guitars, Maruice Brouwers - Bass.

Band Website: http://www.callenish-circle.com