The Earth Shall Swallow My Bones

A very new band based in Denver, Circle of Beings has wasted no time in releasing three recordings including one full-length album in 2014 alone. "The Earth Shall Swallow My Bones" is the band's debut release. On first listen, this work might remind some people of Cascadian BM bands like Wolves in the Throne Room with the nature-based field recordings that appear in-between tracks; the EP's title itself could be something WitTR might have written themselves.

After a slow acoustic guitar melody that introduces the recording, the band reveals itself with a fast cracker of rapid blast-beat synth drumming and blistering guitar chord sequences with a slight corroded edge. Although the first track is very repetitive with not much memorable melody or riffing to speak of, CoB has a good sound with a crabby vocal to match. Let's see if the musicians can do better on the next couple of tracks. "A Forgotten Piece of Time" features a pleasant acoustic plucked-strings melodic instrumental with birdsong and soft percussion accompaniment that leads into a passage of wonderful bleeding-raw guitar feedback slather. I don't presume to know what CoB is trying to communicate here but it seems to embody melancholy, longing and anguish, and I only wish this could have lasted all the way through the track. I really could do without the feeble blast-beat percussion: it adds no energy or force to the music and if anything takes something out of the scrabbling, crackling raw guitar layers and the scarecrow singing.

"Haunting Apparition" is a desolate doom BM piece of slashing guitar and if the horrible limp-wristed percussion hadn't intruded in its introduction, I'd rate this track very highly as a piece of varied moods and styles with some experimentation. Of the three songs on the track, this one is the most BM in its sound, emotion and atmosphere. After two minutes the music unleashes its full fury and for once the vocals, guitars and drums in unison erupt with anger and intensity, complementing each other well. The percussion could be a lot sharper and stronger but it's not too bad as it is in supporting the frenetic tremolo guitars with their distinctive pained tones.

I love the band's harsh burning guitar sound and the vocals have a distinctive crocodile croak that goes well with the distorted strings. The percussion is the weakest element in CoB's sound: it's muffled when it should be sharp and hard to give the band more of a hard, uncompromising edge. If the guys had left off the drumming on the second track, I'd have given this EP a higher rating. On future recordings, CoB should either leave the drumming out and just rely on guitar feedback and riffs alone or get a live drummer. The actual songs themselves can get away with repetition and not very distinctive riffs or melodies for the time being but on future releases, depending on what the musicians are aiming for, the songs either need more good melodies or go out on a more experimental limb.