HELLCIRCLES - EP review added 4th May 2010
EP Review: Stillness EP (2010)
For fans of: Progressive Heavy Metal... and evil in round form
Italian progressive heavy metallers Hellcircles - currently Marco Parisi on vocals and keys, Roberto Fornaroli on guitar, Danilo Arisi on bass, and Davide Ravara on drums - started at the end of 2008. This EP, Stillness, is their debut release. They are already working on a full length for release later this year.
The sound is somewhere between straight ahead heavy metal, Germanic speed/power metal, and aggressive prog. The musicianship is above average - unexceptional but good 'n' solid. Davide Ravara's drums probably take honours for best individual instrument, although it's hard to pick fault with any of the players.
The vocals on the other hand are not quite so good. Don't get me wrong, Marco does a decent enough job, but there are definitely better vocalists out there. His voice is half an octave away from ideal for my tastes, but I'm sure plenty of people will dig what he does. The occasional singing by former guitarist Fabio Pedrali is especially gravel-fuelled and interesting, although I'm glad he doesn't sing the whole album.
There isn't really a best track on Stillness. Equally, there's nothing outstanding. 'Turn Back Time' is about as close as they get. I kind of like what Hellcircles are doing here, but I'll want to hear a lot more variety in speed and power on the full length album.
Overall, not bad, but Hellcircles have work to do to produce a top-end LP.
Check out... The seriously classy artwork
Track List:
01. Stillness
02. Let Us Unite
03. The Damage Done
04. Turn Back Time
05. Rise Again
Artist's website(s): MySpace
