EP REVIEW: The Stories We Are Afraid Of | Vol. 1 – Circles

Over the top, bombastic, ostentatious, you don’t associate these things with the progressive metal of the modern age. Even the most destructive of the stalwarts – PERIPHERY and MONUMENTS being obvious contenders – usher moments of subtlety and restraint that keep the genre’s dichotomy of mystery and mayhem in healthy balance. CIRCLES, for better or worse, precariously teeter on this ledge. Their palette is refined with jagged, unrestrained riff frenzies, erecting serrated peaks against flurries of arena-sized melodies and pop-tuned chants – the latter of which is an unfortunate bugbear in an otherwise spotless world of sound. The trio’s latest EP, The Stories We Are Afraid Of | Vol. 1, is stricken by this very folly, making for an enjoyable albeit frustratingly flawed experience.

The overwhelming positives are matters that have been laced within the band’s DNA since their 2011 debut. Most notable is CIRCLES being grade A craftsmen in riff-making. As trivial as it sounds, the armada of chugs, bends and squeals presented in forms varying from catchy to viciously filthy are an utter blessing to behold. Sleepwalking takes top prize with a welcome mat of armageddon to introduce the track’s first breath – paired with a sterling production kit and you’re left with an EP weighing leagues beyond its size. 

Reductionist though it may be, the true fault lies with the vocals. Ben Rechter is anything but a bad singer – far from it in fact – but there are moments where the pristine, caricaturistic pop vocals take authentic bangers to overblown Broadway. The hook on intro track Wonder, in particular, could easily be a multiversal fever dream where IMAGINE DRAGONS decided to write musicals and the result is as flattering as it sounds. If you’re not averse to a bit of cheesiness, a touch of the ‘overblown’, you may not have an issue, but for others, it will be a measure of tolerance. 

Perfect? No. Still worth your time? A thousand times yes. The Stories We Are Afraid Of | Vol. 1, for all of its drawbacks, delivers so much to celebrate in this bitesize cliffhanger of a project. With that same cliffhanger to be answered by Part 2, here’s hoping there’s a little more greatness and a little less Greatest Showman.

Rating: 7/10

The Stories We Are Afraid Of | Vol. 1 is set for release on November 25th via Wild Thing Records.

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