Finland's masters of hypnotic heaviness abandon riffs and repetition to dive blindly into a noisy, freeform abyss. Landmark 2003 album, first time on vinyl. Watch your head, rocker!". This album, originally from 2003 marked yet another detour for these iconoclastic Finnish upstarts, who early on updated, via heavy guitar riffage, the Motorik style developed by German Krautrock pioneers from the '70s such as Faust, Neu! And Can, then subsequently flirted with myriad genres such as psychedelic, folk, noise, prog, post-rock, and even a mock-metal/hobbit rock hybrid (their cannily monikered "New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal"), all the while somehow managing to maintain their signature Circular motif. This album comes from what could aptly be described as Circle's "difficult" period, as the accessibility of their previous albums has been mostly abandoned in favor of experimental textures and unconventional arrangements. That is not to say that it's any less captivating. While some tracks, like the unhinged free folk "Harva Maa," the beatless audio collage "Paaton Mies," the musique concrete exercise "Majakkasaari," and the Beefheart-ian jazz jam "Saapuvat Ne Merelta" venture clear off the deep end into hitherto uncharted territory, even for Circle. Others, like the 12-minute "Teraskylpy" and 15-minute "Alta Rautatammien," will comfort fans with Circle's trademark hypnotic repetition. At 75-plus minutes total, this is an overwhelming release from a totally unique band that has been consistently prolific and mind-blowing.
