Harry Potter is back in his transcendent form of Serious Black – the band. And this only a short year after their astonishingly powerful firstling As Daylight Breaks. I still remember when I hit the play button the first time. It felt like being in a jet fighter taking off. Bang it went, and you just hoped, you got these shock absorbing seats that could take the brunt of the attack. And clearly at first we thought that this bunch of old guys (well, yeah..) were not able to punch this one through. How wrong: All seasoned musicians, the band pulled this off beautifully and got us a really powerful record to enjoy. This first album played often on RockmusicRaider’s music systems and still does today.
Okay, agreed! This first album was a motley selection of tracks kind of thrown helter-skelter at the emerging fan crowd. But their brand of Power Metal powered out of the speakers with gusto and without the friggin’ cheese that we have to suffer through on many others of their ilk. And this juggernaut is what kept things interesting with never a boring moment. [...]
It is the Amorphis trademark sound alright, no doubt about it. But I am still confused. Circle, the 11th studio album of Finnish metal artists Amorphis showcases its pockets of excellence very well. Actually many of them. But then also lots of elements that absolutely make no sense to me. And you just ask yourself: Quo Vadis, Amorphis?