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The Tenth Circle - Of War And Reflection
The Tenth Circle is a fairly new band out of Pennsylvania, formed from the ashes of
Cirrhosis. The band made their way around the east coast, playing with other tri-state
acts and crafting their blend of classic death metal intricacies with today's more modern,
processed bands. In 2004 the band recruited vocalist Ross Whitecavage (ex-How It Ends).
Their pre-production demo made its way around the circuits, and gained the notice of
former Hate Eternal drummer Tim "The Missle" Yeung. Recently Yeung picked up the
"fastest feet" award at the '06 NAMM show, and with his veteran background
really put The Tenth Circle in the driver's seat for their debut recording. The Tenth
Circle joined forces with famed producer Eric Rachel (Hatebreed, God Forbid, Black Dahlia
Murder), and received mastering assistance from Alan Douches (Mastodon, Unearth,
Sepultura). Also helping with the mix is Erin Farley (All Out War, Overkill, Sick Of It
All).
"Of War And Reflection" is just a brutal piece of work, and one explosive debut
album. The Tenth Circle should be turning plenty of heads with this massive assault,
hopefully gaining the attention of a label like Earache, Nuclear Blast, or even
Roadrunner. They are that good, and their sound isn't too far removed from the more modern
tendencies of billboard groups like Lamb Of God or Black Dahlia Murder. Vocally
Whitecavage is fairly one dimensional, really using more of a hardcore shout than a deep
death rumble. The riffs here are extremely technical, with plenty of tempo changes with
stop/start precision. At times the guitars are just a monolith of sound, bordering on
walls of pure adrenaline and focused aggression. With this much intensity comes Yeung's
human drum machine skills, with plenty of rapid fire double bass that mixes with the
smashing riffs to leave the listener in sound shock. Fans of the more modern metal scene
will find the sound and mix perfectly in tune with the cutting edge bands dominating MTV2
and Revolver Magazine, while still bridging the gap between old and new.
Bottom Line - The Tenth Circle have created a blistering sonic fury that is pure energy,
pure annihilation, and pure attitude. Today's brand of metal starts here!
--EC 02.02.06
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