Encyrcle – Burning Child

After a couple of years in hiding, Denmark’s speed/heavy metal juggernaut Encyrcle has returned with a new EP. Anyone salivating at the thought of a new album from this band might be disappointed to hear that it has just 3 full-length tracks, and 1 of them is a cover. Nevertheless, this is a perfect dosage that allows Encyrcle to demonstrate exactly what they’re about to both newcomers and fans who have been around since the debut. Interestingly, the record opens with an uncharacteristically positive melody, showing the band’s eclectic set of influences. Though they are fairly comfortable in the speed/heavy pocket, Encyrcle is much more than just a souped-up Iron Maiden or Judas Priest.

One of the defining characteristics of the band is their wailing singer. In the grand scheme of this style of music, he isn’t particular impressive. Encyrcle’s vocalist doesn’t hit notes that are in the stratosphere, nor does he even hold a pitch for very long. Many of his lines waver somewhat uncontrollably. For many bands this would be a deal breaker, but Encyrcle makes it work by creating an otherworldly feel to some of their music. Sometimes they wander on and on, allowing the guitars to float around with some different melodies or riffs. Where they’re going isn’t clear, but they always arrive somewhere interesting. 

It is this unique mix of sounds that is likely to make or break “Burning Child” for you. If, like me, you prefer things to be a bit more traditional, more predictable, and based around obvious hooks, then Encyrcle is unlikely to capture your attention. But the band deserves credit for taking a heavy metal sound and twisting it on its side just slightly. Surely, “Burning Child” will get better with repeated listening, as the music becomes easier to follow and the subtleties will be clearer. No matter your personal preference or traditional heavy metal, “Burning Child” is well worth a few spins as a breath of fresh air.

Be sure to check out and like Encyrcle on Facebook!

Highlights

"Delight of Evil"

"Burning Child"

Final Rating

3.2/5 or 74%.  

Impalers – The Celestial Dictator

Since their debut record in 2013, Denmark’s Impalers have been alternating between releasing albums and EPs. It is only fitting then, that “The Celestial Dictator” is a full-length record. The band’s growth has been fairly evident throughout the years, as they continue to refine their songwriting craft. “The Celestial Dictator” marks the band’s best effort to date, and shows an interesting, albeit divisive set of sounds. Most of Impalers’ music is pure Kreator worship of the highest order. Think high-speed thrash that relentlessly beats you over the head with its sheer viciousness, accompanied by throat-tearing vocals. Occasionally, the band gets a bit more melodic, particularly with some of the bridge riffs (the one in “Terrestrial Demise” being one excellent example). They also have no shortage of harmonized leads. Even though there is nothing original about this style of thrash, Impalers’ execution is perfect, with tracks like “Terrorborn”, and “Color Me White” being the pinnacle of aggressive thrash. The latter track is the speediest thing on the record, and puts most other thrash bands to shame. It opens with a hilarious high-pitched scream that makes absolute no sense (and thus, is awesome).

“The Celestial Dictator” isn’t quite so one-sided, however. Impalers are evidently big fans of Metallica, amongst others, and so many tracks feature clean vocals and lengthy melodic sections. It’s almost a tale of two records, as tracks are often Kreator worship, or Metallica worship. “Sun” is the clear highlight of this more progressive sound, as it adds some dissonance to the riffing to create unique patterns. The sole flaw of this style (other than it resulting in a truly schizophrenic sounding record, [and not the Sepultura kind of schizophrenia]) is that the clean vocals just aren’t that good. Søren Crawack does his best, but it would take a much stronger singer to really pull off these songs. It’s frustrating because the band does not miss the mark at all musically, but the vocals really detract from the songs. The worst part is that Impalers actually pull off the split-personality perfectly; much better than almost any other band could. 

As a result, “The Celestial Dictator” ends up being a record that is still great, but could be so much more. This should have been one of the best thrash albums of the last decade. And in many spots, it does feel that way. But the full picture is still lacking slightly. Even if the band had only gone with their Kreator-esque sound, this would be an instant album of the year candidate. It will still stand out as one of the stronger thrash albums of 2017, but the squandered potential is disappointing.

Be sure to check out and like Impalers on Facebook!

Highlights

"Terrestrial Demise"

"Color Me White"

"Sun"

Final Rating

4.5/5 or 90%.