CIRCUS – A Kiss Before Dying

What happens when mankind becomes so advanced that technological progress threatens to become a possible weapon of mass destruction? With power comes great responsibility, and just by looking at the history books, we were never good at using anything for the greater good. Today, when politicians use every opportunity to start another war and brag about their arsenal, nuclear power has become the number one source for threatening other nations and spreading panic among people. CIRCUS, an outstanding English rock trio based in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, explores those themes on their brand-new material. “A Kiss Before Dying,” their latest full-length album  released on May 1st via all streaming platforms, explores humanity’s path from denial to destruction and beyond. But, as is usually the case, there’s more than meets the eye, so each composition has its theme, crafting a piece of a greater storyline. The band tackles various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, exploring possible catastrophic events, a cold, remorseful meditation on nuclear proliferation, and an uneasy relationship with its own destructive power. It also examines the ego and moral collapse of those in power, and their unawareness of how nuclear weaponry might be harmful when it falls into the wrong hands. CIRCUS vividly explores all those themes with poetic storytelling that immediately grabs attention and refuses to let go. It’s a material made to leave a lasting impression. Sonically, the band uses various directions, approaches, techniques, and other details to illustrate a luxuriant sonic imagery that wraps around the listening apparatus and launches listeners into a completely different realm. Profoundly inspired by the late seventies, eighties, and nineties rock, you will definitely notice how CIRCUS infused all the fundamental elements of those eras into these songs, but do not be surprised if you stumble upon other subgenres along the way. You’ll hear how some of the finest  ingredients borrowed from alternative, glam, psychedelic, post-punk, punk rock, and metal found their way into this sonic equation, making “A Kiss Before Dying” even more meaningful and powerful. Still, CIRCUS use all those additional elements as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to uplift this material to an entirely new level while the band simultaneously remains loyal to the primary sonic direction. Although the band dominantly leans towards late seventies, eighties, and nineties rock sound, it’s good to mention that they infused qualities that meet all the trends in contemporary music production, making this album such a memorable listening experience, suitable not only for those longtime rock fans, but also for anyone who appreciates cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music that carries a meaningful message.

As soon as you press play, you’ll notice how much time, effort, heart, and soul CIRCUS invested into this fine piece of sonic artistry. Each composition arrives with a perfect structure, decorated with clever arrangements, profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and marvelous orchestrations. Every vocal, sonic, and rhyhtmic maneuver has its place and purpose in this sonic equation, elevating listening experience to the max. And the best part about this material is how every composition resonates with many beautiful moments, making it impossible to pick a favorite song. For example, “Countdown To Global Zero” is a beautiful, psychedelic, cinematic ambient overture that gradually prepares you for such incredible listening experience, while “Hearts On The Wire” carries that eighties sound with all those hard’n’heavy riffs. “90 Seconds Of Panic” expands the sound even more, with guitars delivering multiple complex layers that define the entire song. You’ll immediately notice how each riff, chord progression, harmony, melody, and theme perfectly pair with the impressive, soulful, passionate vocal performance while the powerful rhyhthm section delivers tremendous groove, detail, and dynamics. With such a powerful intro delivered on toms, “Black Sunday” gradually prepares you for another emotional rollercoaster where every instrument plays a significant role in shaping a colossal, complex, captivating ambiance. CIRCUS is one of those bands that knows how to craft a song that will tackle all your senses, and “Shadows From Lamented Light” exemplifies their dedication to the craft. The impressive vocal performance follows the melody delivered with profoundly distorted guitars, while the equally intricate basslines offer more than necessary warmth, depth, and heaviness. The exceptional drumming performance, consisting of flawlessly performed, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, keeps everything in line while dictating groove and pace. And just when you thought that CIRCUS has a blueprint that they use for each composition, they prove you wrong with “The Fall Of Atom (Return Of The Collapsing Star),” the song that strikes hard at the very beginning, yet it gradually gravitates towards a calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal psychedelic rock atmosphere, a la Pink Floyd. “Aftermath” follows nearly the same path, but this time, the band incorporates more folk rock instrumentations, gradually expanding into the colossal psychedelic and glam rock sound. This epic sonic journey comes to an end with a title track, such a mesmerizing ballad delivered on piano. It’s such a perfect closure of an incredible album, forcing us to think about our actions.

CIRCUS has created a captivating rock masterpiece, rarely heard or seen on the contemporary music scene. By bridging the gap between retro and modern rock, they’ve created a fresh, unique, innovative, exciting take on a longstanding music genre, further expanding it in so many ways like no one before. If you love your rock music as soulful, passionate, emotive, and powerful as it could possibly be, then you should immediately place CIRCUS and their“A Kiss Before Dying” on your music radar. Do not miss this masterpiece!