It may not come as a surprise to anyone who regularly visits us, but we bloody love Circles here at OneMetal. The Aussie’s mini-album release from last year wormed its way into our hearts thanks to its amazing technicality and the sublime vocal talents displayed by Perry Kakridas’ channeling of Mike Patton. The massive vocal hooks did not overshadow the complex musicality, or vice versa. It was a fantastic amalgamation that earned another gold star for their label Basick Records. Off the back of that release, we have the Eye Embedded single. A single may not add much to the band’s progression, but if it means we can all listen to Circles more and more, then I am all for it. (Read Phil’s review of The Compass here)

The decision to release a single for a 6-track mini-album may confuse some, but ‘Eye Embedded’ was one of, if not the, catchiest and most easily accessible tracks from The Compass. It serves as a good entry point not only to the band, but also to anyone who is keen to check out the whole ‘djent’ scene, or even to someone who isn’t even particularly into their metal. It’s also a real headbanger, so you’d be mad not to enjoy it. The remix of said track is a little harder to get into, however. It gives the single another dimension – an almost dubstep vibe, with the synths hogging the limelight while Perry’s vocals drift in the background. Solid, but certainly the weakest track on the single. Having said that, I applaud the effort, and it’s nice to broaden one’s musical horizons every so often.

We’re also given 2 B-sides that didn’t make it onto The Compass. First B-side ‘Silence’ retains that melody that wafts over you like a warm breeze. Its use of synths make it stand out more than the remix, and the track works as a natural successor to ‘Eye Embedded’. ‘Beautiful Fascination’, on the other hand, is very different to any of Circles’ other tracks; a slow-building, aggressive number culminating with one of the biggest choruses they’ve ever done and a ruthless scream from Perry to close it. Even the brief appearance of auto-tuned vocals at the beginning fail to derail this monster. The final track is an instrumental version of The Compass‘s 5-minute epic, ‘The Design’. In a way, it loses some of its impact without Perry’s vocals, but it reminds you just how technically bonkers and brilliantly unforgettable the band are, so much so you will spend the rest of your day humming the instantly memorable guitar hooks.

Circles have got a bright future ahead of them, if you never heard The Compass, pick both that release and this one up and see just why they have so much fascination surrounding them. It’s not the most vital release, but you should support a fantastic band on a great label – and maybe with enough of us on the bandwagon we can get them to play some shows over here in the future.

Circles’ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/listentocircles
Basick Records’ Website: http://www.basickrecords.com