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Band: Mercury Circle
Album title: Killing Moons
Release date: 8 October 2021
Label: Noble Demon
Genre: Atmospheric Dark Metal, Doom Metal, Dark Rock
Tracklist:
01. The Gates Wide Open
02. Black Mirrors
03. You Open Up The Earth
04. Killing Moons
05. Seven Archangels
06. Call On The Dark
07. Avalanche
08. An Arrow
09. Like Matches
10. Death Poem
To make original music, yet make it captivating, soulful, or at least listenable, is a difficult task these days. Fortunately enough, some bands and artists are still capable to do it, and not only, but they can also do mesmerizing things. One of them is the Finnish "supergroup" Mercury Circle. Even if a newcomer to the scene, the band already gained the attention with the debut EP The Dawn Of Vitriol, released in 2020, by the fast-growing label Noble Demon. I guess that you already know what kind of big calibre musicians we have here in Mercury Circle, but let me refresh your memory by saying that this is a band formed by Jaani Peuhu (Swallow The Sun, Iconcrash), and is featuring renowned musicians like Jussi Hämäläinen (Hanging Garden, The Chant), Juppe Sutela (To/Die/For), Ande Kiiski (Sleep Of Monsters, Rytmihäiriö) and Jaska Raatikainen (Children Of Bodom). So, with this kind of a line-up, you can expect great things but, we already had many so-called "supergroups" before, and not many found the right chemistry, here is a different story.
Mercury Circle is, roughly said, an atmospheric dark rock/metal band, or how they call it - "new-doom". Either way, the music they make sounds familiar, warm and homely, but on the other hand, you haven't heard anything like this before. If the debut EP was still a bit too experimental, the recently released full-length Killing Moons, is a blast of dark, emotional yet heavy and complex music. It won't leave any of its listeners cold-hearted. Mercury Circle's version of dark rock is a diverse one. It's infused with many electronic elements, but it doesn't sound artificial at all. There are huge atmospheric synths, yet the pace and song structures are more likely to be described as some kind of epic doom metal. There's a lot of typical Nordic melancholy, but the band kicks hard here and there with some big stompers and catchy tunes, like for example, is "Black Mirrors". The album has some kind of a depressive nature, but even though is very dynamic, sometimes almost danceable. It has a great replay value, and because of complex arrangements with many layers, the true colours reveal after several spins.
Killing Moons features many guest artists, and I'll mention just some of them: Cammie Gilbert (Oceans Of Slumber), Gogo Melone (Aeonian Sorrow), Ben Christo (The Sisters Of Mercy, Diamond Black), Holocausto (Beherit) and Jan Rechberger (Amorphis). The guests featured here and their renditions in the songs are brilliantly fused in the fully coherent structures, sometimes not even recognizable, other times adding that golden touch like it does Cammie Gilbert in the catchy groovy gothic rock track "Like Matches". The album is a flowing, massive structure with an overwhelming drive, with many well-inserted additions. Throughout the songs, you can hear many different elements that enrich the sound. There are tribal percussion, synth-wave lines, weird rhythms, spoken words, catchy 80s pop refrains, cinematic elements, lush atmospheric synths, typical goth rock, doom metal, post-rock, shoegaze, and much more.
Like I said before, the album is coherent, as much as it can be. The epic, dark atmospheric doom rock/metal of the tracks like "You Open Up The Earth", "Killing Moons", "Call On The Dark" and "Death Poem", to name a few, offers one of the most beautiful sonic soundscapes ever heard. It's a journey that will embrace all of your senses. Just listen to the fine dark atmospheric work of doom art named "Avalanche". To the uplifting gloom of "An Arrow" or the danceable, melodic patterns of "Seven Archangels", and you'll understand what I mean. The songs are graced by soothingly-emotive vocals and enriched with their microcosm. They tell a story of an ever-repeating journey from painful departures to new beginnings, hope and promises echoing loss and regret. This is an enthralling dark art, otherworldly, dramatic, fresh and unique. It might sound distant for a moment, but on the very next note, the beautiful heart-rending melodies and smooth rhythmic lines, combined with lush atmospheres, and dense wall of filled up sound make an impact that engulfs the devoted listener.
Mercury Circle made an album that makes a big impact, it's proof that not everything is said and done in the fields of heavy dark music. I know that some of you will try it just because there are mentioned bands like Swallow The Sun, Children Of Bodom, To/Die/For, and other big names. It doesn't sound like any, even if there can be some tiny comparisons with all of them. When I first heard Killing Moons, I had a similar feeling to when I heard, The Gathering's How To Measure A Planet back then. It's not very similar music-wise, it just has that innovative spirit, dynamics, spacey vibe, it's deeply emotional, and it has a multidimensional feel. Killing Moons is an all-absorbing trip into yet unimaginable spheres. It's hard to describe all the beauty and all of the emotions it offers. Killing Moons needs to be heard from start to finish, many times, and I'm sure that in the end, you'll be thankful to come along with it. It's without any doubt one of the best albums released this year!
The review was written by Tomaz
Rating: 9,5/10
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