BATTLE BEAST – Circus Of Doom

Circus Metal

Finnish Symphonic Metal giants Battle Beast are back with their 6th full-length album: Circus of Doom on Nuclear Blast records, and it’s a powerhouse production that shows the strengths and maturity of the band. Battle Beast have been making a name for themselves, and have been successful at perfecting the Symphonic Metal style of big production values, anthem style choruses, strong melodies and a heavy metal backdrop to tie it all together.

Circus of Doom is aptly produced by keyboardist Janne Björkroth (ex-Brymir), with the amazing Noora Louhimo (Laurenne/Louhimo, ex-Tuska20) on vocals, Joona Björkroth (Brymir, For the Imperium) and Juuso Soinio on guitars, Eero Sipilä on bass and Pyry Vikki (ex-Rajavyöhyke) on the drums.

Mesmerizing Roller Coaster Ride

As with past records, Circus of Doom was recorded at JKB Studios in Helsinki, Finland and mostly written, produced and mixed by keyboardist Janne Björkroth. “We decided to name the new record after the opening track. “Circus of Doom” is a big-sounding, adventurous and rather complex song and as such it reveals a lot about the newcomer as a whole – of course keeping in mind that one track can never reflect the album itself”, says keyboardist Janne Björkroth.

What the record does nicely is to have several musical styles all woven into a consistent sound, which is a tough nut to crack. Fans will love the haunting vocals of Noora Louhimo, as she goes from sweet to shredding from song to song, expertly displaying emotions with every word. Outstanding songs include the opening title track, with it’s heavy guitar groove, and  “Russian Roulette” with it’s Pop Music sensibilities that end up morphing into a kicking metal song by it’s climax to name a few.

Final Notes

Battle Beast – Circus of Doom delivers everything we wanted from one of the top Symphonic Metal bands in the game. The slick production and expert performances by all ensure a great listening experience from beginning to end. If Power Metal / Melodic Metal / Symphonic Metal is your wheelhouse, then be sure to pick up this album as it’s a great addition to your collection.

Lineup

Noora Louhimo – vocals
Eero Sipilä – bass
Joona Björkroth – guitars
Juuso Soinio – guitars
Janne Björkroth – keyboards
Pyry Vikki – drums

Circus of Doom – Tracklist

01. Circus Of Doom
02. Wings Of Light
03. Master Of Illusion
04. Where Angels Fear To Fly
05. Eye Of The Storm
06. Russian Roulette
07. Freedom
08. The Road To Avalon
09. Armageddon
10. Place That We Call Home