Cast to the Pits

2010 was a fruitful year for the Circle of Ouroborus duo, one of my favourite Finnish acts whether metal or non-metal (and I have listened to quite a lot of Finnish bands and individuals in the past), with no fewer than nine releases, three of them full-length albums. "Cast to the Pits" is an unusual recording for these guys as it's an all-acoustic musical affair with folk elements drawn from different cultures and ambient music. If there is any black metal influence present, it's expressed in the dark urban-blues atmosphere backdrop to the entire album and the subject matter of the lyrics ranging from visions of a dying planet and humanity on its unthinking self-chosen course to extinction, to a search for values that retain meaning in a material but amoral and nihilist universe. Whether metal or otherwise, the style of music is recognisably Circle of Ouroborus, especially in the singing which falls between old 1980s punk English acts The Fall (Mark E Smith) and Joy Division (Ian Curtis).

"Dawn Piper" is the first indication that the musical path taken is right off the beaten BM / post-punk track with all-spoken lyrics against a backdrop of dark post-industrial ambience. Thereafter the music adopts its strange but effective mix of melancholy urban folk blues rock, with Antti Klemi's distinctive half-speaking / half-singing off-key vocal dominant on most tracks. The arrangements may be sparing and the melodies minimalist and repetitive, yet the emotions that range from longing to sorrow can run very deep. An early stand-out is "Hear the Pulse" for its shrill and plaintive flute motif, sparkling guitar tones, Klemi's out-of-tune treated singing which doesn't follow the melody much at all, and the lyrics which speak of the pulse of life that pervades all living creatures and vegetation. "Between Light and Shadow" is an interesting all-instrument breather that cuts the album in half: it features what sounds rather like Tibetan Buddhist religious music. I must confess I've been hearing that kind of droning music with the shrill trilling trumpets a lot lately so I get a bit jaded when I hear experiments like this and a part of my mind is sceptical and cynical as to the reason for the sudden popularity of that genre.

"Mercury Blood" is an unsettling piece with its choppy rhythm, strokes of flute and Klemi's distant vocal. "Remnants of a King" perhaps features the best singing from Klemi on the album and some warm liquid music. The last couple of songs on the album are quite complex emotionally: they seem like elegies and might express slight wistfulness and regret, yet at the same time there is a remote feeling to the songs as if they also intend to warn listeners of being too arrogant about human achievement and capacity to survive.

Generally the music is low-key with few dramatic moments and relies very heavily on the use of woodwinds (real or not, I don't know) and Klemi's idiosyncratic style of singing to carry the emotion. The music serves as background to the singing and rarely takes a lead role. As a result, it's quite good and consistent but there are really no moments that might count as outstanding. Perhaps it's no wonder that when it was released, the album got mixed reviews. The lesson here might be that if musicians decide to go out on a limb and make an album that's completely light years away from their usual musical style, it has to be extremely good, either throughout or in one or two tracks of an otherwise above-average recording, to convince die-hard fans and attract a new audience. Having said this though, I think it would be a pity if the attention CoO got for this album deterred them from recording any more music that doesn't conform to what they've done in the past.