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 For those of you unfamiliar with the Robotic Empire line-up, get out from under your rock because they it’s the best hardcore has to offer today. Featuring releases from Pg99, The Red Chord, Daughters, Mannequin, Pig Destroyer, The Now, you know Robotic Empire is serious business. The debut full-length from Circle Takes The Square is another terrific release to add to their growing list. After a 55 second whistling intro, “Same Shade as Concrete” opens As the Roots Undo with a frantic battle cry, “Rejoice, rejoice a noble birth!” The frantic drumming and guitars kick in and the insanity ensues. It has been a long, long time since I have heard any band able to combine schizophrenic chaos with melody as well as CTTS does. One of the best things CTTS has going for them is their ability to write long, ambitious hardcore ballads that never get boring. Each song combines frenzied chaotic bursts with epic build ups, melodic runs and a chorus of overlapping, painful vocals. When I say a chorus, think something along the lines of a torture chamber... and the man with the whip is very angry. If you are into growls or hardcore cackling this wont be for you. This is straight up yelling, screaming, hollering, yelping, and even some clean vocals here and there. It’s amazing that there is only three members in the band. “Same Shade as Concrete” features some of these “clean” vocals that sound a little bit like Conner Oberst - if he killed people instead of crying for them - along with some awesome female backup singing. “Non-Objective Portrait of Karma” commences with an atmospheric guitar intro of nearly four minutes before the ADD enhanced drums blast away as the highly melodic guitars strum their way to oblivion. The production on this album is remarkable considering the layers of vocals coupled with all the muddled textures going on within the songs. Everything has a distinct sound and stays clear throughout. Don’t let the clarity fool you, there is plenty of raw sounds to let their intensity shine through. Seriously though, if you are unfamiliar with Robotic Empire you definitely need to check them out. Release after release they never disappoint; As the Roots Undo is no exception. I’m already pumped to see what CTTS can do in the future. Nailed Shut Forget The Used and the rest of the emo-lite brigade - this twisting, scowling, blackhearted slice of malevolence from Georgia's Circle Takes The Square is what post-hardcore's all about. An uncategorisable blend of the swirling etherealness of Cave In, the poisoned shrieking of Cradle Of Filth and The Mars Volta's complete disregard for song structure, 'As The Roots Undo' is a breathtaking body of work. On pure aggression CTTS are fantastic - when you add in the chilling male/female vocals and the haunting prchestral chords (think Vangelis' 'Blade Runner' soundtrack) they're nothing short of awe-inspiring. BEST TRACKS: 'Interview At The Ruins', 'Crowquill'. Rating: KKKK Kerrang! One of Robotic Empire's greatest acquirings in a while, Savannah, Georgia's Circle Takes The Square destroys all the boundaries and all of the things you thought you knew about music. It's a record that can take the breath right from your chest and leave you not knowing what to say. It's cacophonic, but it's soothing. It's left but it's right. There's no solid definition that could encapsulate this record. As The Roots Undo is as dynamic as it gets. Rating: 5+ dieatzero.com As an album reviewer, you get very little time to actually sit and enjoy an album because you want to. You always have to move on to the next batch of CDs and even if you thoroughly enjoy an album, it's often soon washed away by the next group of reviews, good or bad. Gone are the days of repeated continual day long listens of say Left Hand Path or A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria that I used to enjoy before I got into this writing gig. However, an album has come to my attention, that has me forsaking all other albums due for review, an album so compelling, innovative and draining, that even forthcoming albums by Finntroll and Dismember will be hard pressed to push it out of my CD player, despite their no doubt brilliance. As the Roots Undo takes the current melodic screamo/hardcore trend and turns it on its head with a bitter dual female/male vocal attack (both clean and spit forth venomously), seething black metal blastbeats, indie rock karma and dreamy interludes of brooding introspection. The genre shattering end result plays like Thursday and Shai Hulud watching Karen Crisis and Candace Kucsulain from Walls of Jericho violate each other with obscene sex toys in a deviant torture dungeon run by Darkthrone (or is that the dream I had last night?). Either way their scathing Uphill Battle -esque take on hardcore, is both a barren and beautiful sonic diatribe that alternates from shuddering raptures of pain and anger to swathes of subconscious reflection via acoustics and instrumental interludes. Where do I start? This is an album that demands to be listened to from beginning to end, As the Roots Undo just unfolds brilliance at every turn. Each song is an exhaustive listen as CTTS are capable of shifting from beautiful harmonies to acidic hatred and sobering introspection, normally all within one song, making detailed listening an absolute requirement. "Same Shade as Concrete", fits more moods into its four minutes than a PMS stricken female serial killer. Although some may find CTTS's chaotic delivery off-putting, I found each caustic scream and riff to be ripe with undulating melodies that only surface with focused listening, much like Shai Hulud. But unlike Shai Hulud, the bitter edge is neither uplifting or soaring, but vehement and strained with psychosis. "In the Nervous Light of Sunday", highlights the unusual female/male vocal delivery as Drew reaches almost Dani Filth like peaks, and his female counterpart wails with indignant feminine rage or soothes with angelic fury. "Interview at the Ruins", both pummels and caresses, before revealing CTTS's softer side with a stunning piano laced, chanted close out, that's thick with sadness, truly moving without being overly whiny or emo. The last three songs on the album though are truly magnificent, with Neurosis like ambience ebbs to start "Non Objective Point of Karma", CTTS display their unpredictable personality that explodes half way in with a devastating black metal burst with a throbbing bass line reminding me of Ulver's Nattens Madrigal. As if a polar opposite of the prior track, the nine minute "Kill the Switch" starts in a suffocating fashion, before introducing the now purely heavenly moments of brooding quiet. The sublime closer "Crater to Cough In" follows the same peaceful/turbulent formula as "No Objective Point of Karma", building to a peak of claustrophobic intensity and emotion. Lyrically CTTS, while certainly utilizing the cryptic song titles of their metalcore peers, are on Shai Hulud -ish levels of their own lyrically: "Rejoice, A noble birth, a prince is born, behold the birth of violence, beasts of bird and feather cry for our concrete rapture. And if we beg to be put down, unto us the most inspired storm. A princess ravaged by her Prince: behold the birth of sex and distance. Two frail corpses where they, his eyes were the first to stray" ("Same Shade as Concrete"). And while conveying these poetic sonnets, Drew's clean voice gets a little too whiny here and there, his (and her) screeches are poisonous and spiteful, more than making up for the emo edge that may put off some metal purists. Production wise, rather than the lush resonant earth tones of typical metal core, CTTS sounds are stark and primitive, with the pulsing controlled bass providing the girth over the flimsy drums and raw guitar tone, but when taken as part of the whole, the unusually barren sound works to convey CTTS's unique sound. I normally try to be level headed in my reviews, and try to refrain from gushing too much over an album I wont be listening to in 3 weeks, but in the case of CTTS, I'm not hesitant to throw around words like 'classic' and 'masterpiece', each listen is a experience in itself. My only concern is the 'emo' tag that comes with the band putting off metalheads cautious of the term and its musical saturation. Fear not though wary reader, any listener brave enough to shed labeling and genres will appreciate the sheer brilliance of this album. Utterly amazing. Erik Thomas / metalreview.com In the words of my esteemed ex-colleague Troy Steele: “I had a self imposed rule when I started writing reviews: no perfect scores.” To me, the perfect score has always been the most sacred of sacreds, something that you could never touch, not even with a really long stick. If you call something perfect, what if something comes along that’s just a little bit better? For this reason, I would always leave that perfect rating alone, just in case. My odd paranoias notwithstanding, I was recently confronted with a situation which challenged my no-perfect-scores standard. What if an album is better than a 9, what choice does the leave me?! I reached for the ten, but at the last second backed away, I knew it wasn’t the time for it. Yet. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of hardcore. To me, the entire genre is like a big bowl of Corn Flakes. Somewhat tasty and satisfying, but not something I’d want to eat too much of. Of course, even something as bland as Corn Flakes can be spiced up, with bananas and sugar and berries and such. Breaking loose of the standard scream and thrash method is Circle Takes the Square, with their brilliant release, As the Roots Undo, one of the most innovative and interesting hardcore albums since The Shape of Punk to Come. This is the first release by the band, and it is simply staggering. It’s hard to make these kind of statements without coming off sounding like a drooling fanboy, but this album is spectacular times three. Each piece fits perfectly into the mix, creating ornate compositions which can be both smoothly serene and brutally vicious. As the Roots Undo opens with a single melody, whistled repeatedly like a sound floating over a long silent void. This melody is the theme of the album, coming back time after time, both in the vocal arrangements and music. It is a lonely, sad sound, repeated slowly and carefully. The albums closing track “A Crater to Cough In”, begins with this melody once again, as it creeps slowly forward over a four minute intro, winding up an endless spiral staircase with determined tenacity. Then, out of nowhere, it breaks free, growing to a ferocious volume and speeding to a breakneck pace, whipped through the air like a sheet of looseleaf in a tornado. I’m not one for hyperbole, but this is the musical equivalent of Jesus returning to Earth and baking you a five layer chocolate cake. The album is an epic, with fast, tight transitions, screamed vocals and cleanly sung interludes. The juxtaposition between the male and female lead vocals only adds to the madness they are able to swirl up. Long, carefully built up intros and breaks stretch out a feeling of tension in between the frenzied barnstormers. Also, there are scores of things which you won’t be finding on your run of the mill hardcore album, for one, the choral arrangement on “Non-Objective Portrait of Karma”, which comes out of nowhere and sounds absolutely sublime. As the Roots Undo, approaches perfection, but it just doesn’t make it all the way there. Who knows what could be released in the next few weeks, or months, or years, which might put this album to shame. Imagine then, what would happen to my credibility if I gave this album a perfect score. I’m not taking that chance. Jesse Cataldo / Cloak and Dagger Close your eyes to experience their sterile intro, but be prepared for the desperation that follows... I know I describe some bands as desperate, but that was until I got to know Circle Takes The Square. This record is one of the most intense and emotional records I’ve ever heard and breaths desperation and so much more. Because of the multiple vocal attack, varying from singing, screaming and talking by both a guy and a girl, everything sounds so intense. Musically this isn’t boring as well, punk, hardcore, screamo, and more rocky elements are combined, but that isn’t all. Number 6 is one of the best songs I heard recently, after a long soundscape intro the driven guitars and intense vocals took my breath away. Curious? Check the song here. This CD is as hard to get into, as it is catchy. All vocal lines stick in my head for days, but still I discover new elements within their songs every time I listen to the album. The funny thing is, that the screams of the singer remind me of the way Danni from Cradle Of Filth used to sing on their earlier records, but still it perfectly fits the multi-rhythmic sound of Circle Takes The Square. All in all this probably will be the best album in 2004, if it isn’t because of the music, it definitely is because of the artwork. This looks great and the special digi-pack design is brilliant! Tjeerd / codex4.org This shit is just straight manic! Well executed Hardcore that feeds off everything from Goth to Power-Metal to Grindcore is the element here. It seems that every member of the band [including a lady] shares in the vocal duties, which while creating dynamic madness, it keeps the band from having that certain kind of identity that a lead vocalist can bring to the table. Putting that aside, CTTS kicks major ass from a musician/Hardcore fans standpoint. This crew delivers the goods from musicianship to originality to production. Their song-writing could use a little help, but hey, they're young! I See big things for this band! Jeff Thies / Chord After being delayed for almost 6 months, this has been on the top of my list for purchasing once it did hit the streets. Hearing many great things about them from the internet and word of mouth it peaked my interest and inspired me to mail order their demo. Unfortunately it left something to be desired but the most important ingredient was present, passion. Now this three piece from the East Coast is ready to get your attention in a way that will impress you. First off, this packaging is absolutely exquisite and should warrant a good review for that alone. Full color, multiple folds and textures that make you wonder how they even create a package like this. Musically speaking, this runs over you like a mack truck with blistering vocals, frantic guitar parts and the heaviest recording I have heard come out for a three piece. Comparing this to many of the other “screamo” bands on the market right now really won’t do it justice but I will say this, this is our generations hope at a revival. Adding such elements as a female vocalist, electronic samples and atmospheric parts that remind me of Mogwai on a bad day, Circle Takes The Square have created a early contender for record of the year. This is important on so many levels from the way that they present themselves, to the way they create their music but overall it musically outshines a large portion of what has been released over the past few years. Words really can’t justify the validity of this record. Ray Harkins / punkrocks.net Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |