5 Best Metal Albums Of August 2018
2. Circles – The Last One
The Australian metal invasion begins with Circles and their brand new sophomore album The Last One, which barely snuck its way into this list by dropping on the 31st August.
The first Circles release in five hideously agonising years, The Last One makes up for the monumental gap between itself and Infinitas by blending the twisted, guttural heaviness of Meshuggah with the modern cleanliness of TesseracT and the high-flying choruses of classic rock ‘n’ roll. The record is a much more focused and succinct effort than its predecessor, as it regularly packs polyrhythmic riffs, crushing grooves and enrapturing singing into four-minute slices of brilliance. As a result, while the “djent” subgenre is one sometimes ridiculed in prog rock circles, this Australian quartet add more than enough emotion, hooks and diversity to the style to let it rise above the monotony of some of its progenitors and become legitimately unpredictable.
For those with a penchant for timeless, experimental tunes, shining moments like the balladry of “Alone with Ghosts”, the frenetic joy of “Blueprints for a Great Escape” and the glorious catchiness of “Winter” cannot be missed, with each giving prog music an accessible edge while maintaining the genre’s core characteristics.