Kimura-Circle the Prey album review. FFO: Thrashy/Groovy Metalcore of the highest order!.
Kimura-Circle the Prey album review. FFO: Thrashy/Groovy Metalcore of the highest order!.
This Aussie band has been around for a few years, but definitely, the change of vocalist raised the bar of the pure aggression of this band. Circle the Prey takes a super cohesive formula and just amps the fuck out of it. The band has a Parkway Drive metalcore confidence mixed with the groove of Lamb Of God type jams. Initially, I was expecting some generic metalcore type cancer that seemed to dominate and in my mind pollute the hardcore scene in Australia. But not at all, this is a killer band that literally saturates you in thick nasty riffs that are dynamic as hell and also gritty and heavy as fuck. Just take into account how hectic the first four tracks are of this release, Cliff & Step demands immediately that you take this band seriously with a track that could easily close most sets, Sharpen the Bones and Digital Mercy are also epic glaciers of evil and bulking scale. I also love how when it slows down you don't get that whole heavy and clean vocal bullshit that annoys the crap out of me as a seasoned listener. Fair enough change the vocal tone and scale, but just keep it abrasive. Joshua delivers top-shelf vocal performances that balance out the brilliant playing of this sensational band. Suffer Slow finishes that early award-winning opening section of this release and has enough twists and turns to stagger you already.
Damnare Pt.1 breaks it up as a pleasant instrumental showcase but didn't really do it for me tbh. Hangman gets us back quickly to the staggering meat and potatoes metalcore showcase and leads into the mental black metal meets death metal chaos of Serpents & Worms which indicates how many tricks and skills this band has in their bag. This is a crushing and utterly classic track in every way. This leads into another absolute fave of the album the dazzling Sciolist which is equally at home on a Parkway Drive classic album or on a Trial and Error Compilation. The tempo changes and dominating riffs are to be worshipped deeply. Tracks slows it down, probably so we can all take a breath and the groove and tone are demolishing despite being more mid-paced, but a huge track. Song order and placement can be the defining element for many bands and I love how the last track leads into this wondrous rager Company We Keep that calls for mass moshpit violence. Vultures is as rock as Kimura can go in a Lamb of God Redneck style jam, loved this ripper. Then you have Hell is Coming which is superb and a rollercoaster of a track that has so many riffs that rip into your skull and will have you shouting out this track to be played at every gig this band does. Another important element is this band has many songs that aren't short but they all hold your interest steadily and nothing feels unnecessary or bloated. Damnare Pt.2 closes the album and again shows how absolutely skilled this band is, but like Pt.1 I think the album could have skipped this track as well. But all in all, a sensational release and an album that sounds better with each listen.
This beast of an album is out now:
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