Circle - Terminal (2017) / 97%

NWOFHM #15
That’s a good Tom Hanks movie too, I guess.


NWOFHM is a term coined by Jussi Lehtisalo, the leader of the psych/experimental rock bands Circle and Pharaoh Overlord. It’s to pay homage to the NWOBHM term while namedropping his country, Finland. 

Lehtisalo created a bunch of projects to create that self sufficient scene. Those include Motorspandex, Krypt Axeripper, Tractor Pulling which all released only one recording but also projects like Steel Mammoth or Arkhamin Kirjasto that have a more extensive discography. All those aforementioned bands were covered by yours truly and the NWOFHM review series is never quite dead.

Circle are one of the best rock bands in the world and Terminal, their latest album in an almost three decades career is just another monumental album dedicated to the gods of riffs. Perhaps not one of their heaviest albums (excluding Incarnation where they basically asked another band to record a doom/death Circle album), it’s definitely one of the most riff focused record of their extensive discography. Their first album released on the American and Sunn O))) owned label Southern Lord Records, Terminal is intense, catchy and totally insane psychedelic prog krautrock. Their three guitarists formation just obliterates and gives ‘em a fully realized and rich sound to go with Jussi Lehtisalo’s seminal bass playing and leadership.

What’s totally crazy about Terminal is the vocals, they’re three dudes handling ‘em and they’re all mad insane. There’s screaming (see the twelve minutes opener “Rakkauta El Dente”) that wouldn’t be out of place in a sort of Motorized heavy/black/thrash band, there’s those totally over the top cleans with what I can only assume is weird stuff in Finnish and, while there’s more, there’s some ominous whispering. That’s just for the first song too...There’s group chanting as the introduction of “Saxo” and it’s like cultists leading you to a strange barn or something. It’s just to watch hockey (damn, Sebastian Aho is great) drink beer and get into the sauna (fully naked, of course), nothing wicked. The cleans become those sort of operatic vocals full of punk folk energy fuel and it’s abrasive but charming.

The focus on focusing on repeating riffs is something common in Krautrock or Neu styled prog and it’s something Circle does extremely well. It’s hypnotic, trance-like and it moves you to the allegedly real country of Finland where collecting different sorts of mustard is seen as a serious hobby and why wouldn’t it be? What I love about the Pori based band is their inability to take themselves too seriously, with that in mind they’re able to be as unhinged as their ideas ask for and while their music could be considered complex or smart, there’s no snootiness or over intellectualism in their compositions and attitude. They’re the type of bands that alternates between more experimental, long formed compositions bordering on drone and rockier ones. Albums like Tulikoira explored a punkier side of the band while Sunrise went all out on proto heavy metal, Terminal borderlines on metal at times but it has a pretty distinctive and varied sound throughout its fairly compact duration.

The extended instrumental moments are also moving and tremendous and not numerous enough to bore you. They take their time to introduce their songs with panache and let the keys and riffs flow. Circle is like what I like about music. It’s loud, it’s bigger than life and it has a lot of striking and memorable riffs. It’s never easy and it’s always intriguing. With some hindsight, Terminal was my favorite album of 2017 as I like how it’s dumb but smart, weird but with a sense of familiarity and heavy and groovy but never without purpose.

Aktor - Placebo (2020) / 83%

NWOFHM #14: Yummy Pills

Contextualization:
NWOFHM is a term coined by Jussi Lehtisalo, the leader of the psych/experimental rock bands Circle and Pharaoh Overlord. It’s to pay homage to the NWOBHM term while namedropping his country, Finland.

Lehtisalo created a bunch of projects to create that self sufficient scene. Those include Motorspandex, Krypt Axeripper, Tractor Pulling which all released only one recording but also projects like Steel Mammoth or Arkhamin Kirjasto that have a more extensive discography. All those aforementioned bands were covered by yours truly and the NWOFHM review series is never quite dead.

Chris Black and Jussi Lehtisalo seems to be an odd pairing but they’re two really odd musicians so it just seemed natural. The American is of course famous for High Spirits, Dawnbringer, Pharoah (not overlord) and a plethora of other stuff while Lehtisalo does everything imaginable musically. I really loved Aktor’s debut single released back in 2013 (NWOFHM #6 actually) but I didn’t give their debut full length Paranoia enough spins to truly enjoy it. Looking back, I think it was released during my last year of university and I was perhaps too busy to care... It’s 2020 now and I’m not busy enough right now as it’s the pandemic and I’m stuck alone at home wearing a kimono with birds on it while my cat constantly complains about life. I was ready to rediscover the weirdness of Aktor.

Aktor are weird in a way that’s both familiar and iconoclastic. Mixing hard hittin’ heavy/hard rock riffs with a huge backdrop of 1980s pop influences ranging from new wave to electronica, they sound timeless but created in a vacuum where many musical styles from different eras coexist during the same era. Combine the attractive and catchy riffs of Blue Öyster Cult but played heavier with a large dosage of The Cars or Devo and perhaps many eras of Rush melted together and you’re somewhat near their sound.

It could also be a Judas Priest mid 80s album made by aliens who actually had no idea what to do and were told to add keyboards and David Bowie influences by an elder brain on antidepressant pills.

From another sea
In another symphony
It's all the same eternity
On another night
Underneath an endless sky
Until we meet the ghost of time

In a sense, it really is a mix of Black and Lehtisalo. Black is as intense and catchy as he is on High Spirits but sings about weirder shit. I’ve heard people call him an acquired taste and I guess I can hear why but I always liked his nonchalant but charismatic delivery. He’s combined with the weird riffs of Lehtisalo, the Finn veteran has a wide arsenal at his disposal and I liked how he alternates between super heavy metal riffs and some approachable rock ones. The compositions are often pretty fast (like opener “Bad Mirror”) and even when they’re mid-paced, they’re dynamic and full sounding. After some numerous spins, I’ve noticed how good the bass is on this record (check “Get Me Outta Here”), it’s not too loud and is in the background often but it highlights the grooves found on Placebo very well. I'd say the fight between the raw guitars and the spacey synths is the real highlight of the record though.

Aktor aren’t for everyone as it’s something I’ll dare call experimental heavy metal but I’ve been exploring Jussi Lehtisalo’s bizarre metal offerings for close to a decade now and it always speaks to me. I hope it could speak to y’all too.

Musta Risti - Musta Risti (2018) / 86%

NWOFHM #13 - Worship the Black Cross

Doom metal. Finland. Svart Records. I mean, I knew this was gonna be at least immensely solid. My guts were right. Musta Risti (black cross) was formed back in 2012 and it took them six years to unleash their debut album and while I’ve only discovered the band, I’m sure it was well worth the wait. Finland is a fertile land for doom of all horizons and the Lahti quintet is apt mixing some of those obscure sub genres together.

Vocalist Einari Toiviainen shines on that record. While I regret not speaking Finnish to understand the lyrics, he delivers them effortlessly and with conviction. He’s a strong vocalist with a traditional voice that could easily fit in heavy metal or hard rock bands. Musta Risti bangs hard and don’t waste any time. Seven songs, less than forty minutes, it’s short and condensed like a cute grandma baking pies from a rustic Scandinavian village. They remind me of a band like The Gates of Slumber with how varied they are. They alternate between groovy heavy/doom to psych trad doom and they do it well.

They’re mostly able to distance themselves from the omnipresent presence of Reverend Bizarre in current Finnish doom but the longest track “Kaaoksen lapset” (The Children of Chaos) evokes the masters. The presence of Minotauri isn’t far either. You know, the good influences. Musta Risti is a band with two guitarists and it’s evident. They use their lineup well and indulges in feelsy leads. The bass could be more present but sometimes it’s unleashed like on the closing track. I think the production could had been a bit thicker at times but overall, it fits the band. I’m stoked to see how the band will evolve. They have a lot of potential just like the Montreal Canadiens’ new rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Alongside Mansion or Deep River Acolytes, Musta Risti released one of the strongest doom albums from Suomi and proves that the scene still has a lot to offer.

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Iron Griffin - Iron Griffin (2017) / 87%

NWOFHM #12 Metal Conquest

Released the same year as the second Mausoleum Gate album, this extended play by the new solo project of its drummer managed to surprise me a lot. Iron Griffin formed by Oskari Räsänen joins the rank of the highly effective Finnish heavy metal scene currently lead by the likes of Chevalier, Lord Fist, Legionnaire or the new excellent Outlaw. While I loved Mausoleum Gate’s self titled album, their sophomore bored the hell out of me so I was happy to discover that Iron Griffin managed to make up for that with this fresh and exciting release.

After a synthwave intro reminiscent of the Stranger Things soundtrack, Oskari delivers four solid heavy metal tracks. He handles almost everything on the EP and for a debut release, he knew which direction to follow. He even did the super geeky but highly evocative artwork.

Session member Toni Pentikänen did a wonderful job at the mic even if his resume is basically empty as far as I know. We’re served clean, high pitched and screamy vocals of pristine quality. The keyboards were handled by F.F. Nieminen of the excellent Rivette (covered by the Magickal Realm back in 2017) and they add a certain classiness to the compositions. The songs are catchy, melodic but they’re never cheesy or overly saturated. “Message from Beyond”, “Metal Conquest” and “Journey to the Castle of the King” are all bangers below the four minutes mark and they’re super fun. “Lord Inquisitor” ends the short release with a more epic song structure and some badass lyrics.

With iron, with steel / I will avenge for the gods / With power and force /I command /And claim my throne again!

The bass lines are thick the guitars vibrant, subtle but really outgoing. Iron Griffin aren’t about heaviness at all, they’re all about atmosphere and songwriting. The riffs are a necessary tool for their identity but Iron Griffin doesn’t entirely rely on them and that’s a strength for that particular style.

Like the bands I mentioned in my introduction, Iron Griffin surely play heavy metal but they do it in a way where it’s devoid of fake nostalgia and easy copycat posturing. The Finns are academicians of heavy metal, they know how to craft memorable songs with an original sound worth praising. 

Bandcamp

Tractor Pulling – Ghost Hungerland (2007) / 88%

NWOFHM #11 - Pulled Pork Fuckery

The intent of Jussi Lehtisalo with this New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal scene he gave birth to was to create an artificial and totally insane metal scene in his native city of Pori. Tractor Pulling just like Krypt Axeripper, Pharaoh Overlord, Arkhamin Kirjasto, Motorspandex, Aktor or Steel Mammoth (all reviewed by yours truly) bring his heavy metal vision to life in a completely batshit insane way.

Tractor Pulling is mostly comparable to Krypt Axeripper (also released in 2007) as they have similar eccentric heavy riffs and almost has the same vocal delivery. Jussi’s voice here is rougher around the edges and it’s also reflected within the compositions. The two compositions of this single are doomier and heavier overall. They’re also a bit more longer than those on Mechanical Witch. You’ll have to check both “projects” and compare them with each-others.

The guitars are raw, almost rooted in thrash/speed metal, the drums is fast but kept simple and the guitar leads have this quasi melodic surf rock quality to them. This is traditional metal played by someone who distanced himself from any of the obvious, popular influences or staples of the genre. It takes a really talented mad genius to make this alien kind of metal while keeping things oddly familiar at the same time. Be ready.

Rivette – In Vertigo (2016) / 85%

NWOFHM #10: Uno, dos, tres... catorce

I'm at a place called Vertigo! It’s everything I wish I didn’t know

This power trio from Finland plays an addictive form of heavy metal combining extraneous rock elements and it was one of my highlights of late 2016. I’m not totally sure this is an accurate portrayal but the first thought I had during my initial listening session was that Rivette was a heavy metal version of Dire Straits. This was perhaps due to the pop hooks combined with heavy guitar acrobatics but I still think this is a funny summary of their sound.

Their style of riffing is peculiar and it’s hard to compare them to contemporary metal bands since they don’t really fit within any scenes. Perhaps they could fit in the made up and weird as fuck New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal and that’s why Jussi Lehtisalo, owner of Ektro Records and creator of this scene signed them. Rivette are able to mix the uplifting feel of early NWOBHM (see the likes of Trespass) with a bunch of other influences like AOR, classic rock, 80s alternative rock and even 70s progressive rock. Esa (guitar, vocals) reminds me a lot of Peter Gabriel/Phish (I believe they’re the same person) and it’s super interesting to hear those sort of vocals in a heavy metal/hard rock setting. Listen to the final track of the record to hear this vocal approach, it's awesome.

While there’s certainly metal riffs in there, it doesn’t really feel metal most of the time. The EP has this smooth, lush feel and it’s quite impressive considering there’s no keyboards and it’s just three dudes trying their best to beat Rush at their own game (hint: nobody can.) The best quality the trio has is their ear for emotional and super catchy melodies. Just with the first minute of “Outrun the Night”, I was hooked and pleased. While their songs aren’t quite long (the longest is 6 minutes), they use some instrumental passages to their advantage and they do it well. They let the songs breathe and only “Arms of Lightning” is a straight up bulldozing rocker. Fun guitar leads, thick but pleasing bass licks and speedy drums is what you get with Rivette.

They’re at their best when they focus on their introspective side (like the title track) and go beyond heavy metal and I think their potential is tremendous. This is a rock solid debut extended play that I’ve been spinning a lot since early December and if you want originality in your traditional metal, they would certainly work for you.

Rivette on Bandcamp

Abbot – Between Our Past and Future Lives (2014) / 87%

NWOFHM #9: Fly, on your way, like a butterfly!

After three excellent singles, Abbot from Pori, Finland (home of Jussi Lehtisalo and his New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal), released their first full length almost exactly one year ago and it's pretty damn cool. The quartet is certainly a peculiar beast and another strong player in the superb Finnish doom (well, they're barely doom but they still count!) scene. Definitely in the same vein as some of Lehtisalo's projects (similar to Pharaoh Overlord's trad metal albums or the rockier stuff Circle stuff), I really liked this weird record decorated with a glorious butterfly (I still don't understand the reference... if there's one!).

Just imagine if Neil Young went to Finland, stayed there for twenty years and decided that doom, stoner metal and southern rock were cool things instead of doing yet another Bob Dylan or Gordon Lightfoot homage recorded in a telephone booth by Jack White and you aren't too far from the actual truth given to you by Abbot. Their music is rooted in southern tinged doom but there's a big classic rock influence here, I'm sure your uncle who's into Lynyrd Skynyrd would like this record! While probably not as adventurous as some of their previous singles like “Into the Light” and its harmonica introduction or the long winded power of “Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson”, the album is weird in its own way with its mix of slower, blues tracks like the superb “Mr. Prowler Man” and speedier metal tracks like “Moonsnake Child”. It's something special but it remains surprisingly quite authentic and vintage and wouldn't sound out of place on a lineup with Kadavar. I do think they're better than most of the current vintage fad though since they have those bonkers elements often found in the Finland scene that I really cherish.

They also possess this sort of garage/alternative rock influence (not too far from Dinosaur Jr.) and that's adding another layer to their nuts salad. They have this sort of tangle fun found in late 80s college rock and this combined with their southern doom basis creates one hell of a mix. There's also a lot of sleaze and grease on Between... like on the cool “Grave Encounters” that makes you feel like you're in the bayou but in reality, you're naked in a sauna with four overgrown Finnish toddlers drinking endless bottles of Karhu. Jakonen's vocals have this nasal quality and I bet he plays Dylan and Young covers when he's with his dad or something. His delivery fits the huge bluesy guitar of Jussi Jokinen (apparently not the hockey player currently playing for the Florida Panthers) who's bludgeoning your skull with thick fuzzy riffs and feelsy solos without compromises. The album is a bit short (33 minutes) and 1 or 2 doomier and slower tracks would had been nice but the soulful closer “Keep On Moving” does the job wonderfully. I'd probably kill a bunch of butterflies to be able to see this band live, it's just really good music transcending generational gaps and it delivers on all front.

Abbot on Facebook 

Legionnaire – The Enigma of Time (2015) / 75%

Raw true traditional metal recorded in a sauna.

This young quarter from Finland is quite charming, they play an enduring form of heavy metal that's always fun to hear. Pure heavy metal is seeing a resurgence in this country with bands such as Lord First and Mausoleum Gate. Legionnaire follows in their footsteps but they don't have all the elements to step into greatness just yet.

The Enigma of Time is their second demo and it's following last year's self titled effort. While still recorded in their rehearsal room, this one has a better production but we're still a long way from a truly professional endeavor from these guys. That's a good thing since every band should take the time to work on their craft and songwriting. We see bands burning themselves with their first full length while a bunch of demos could have solidified the identity of their sound.

I can safely see a solidification with their sophomore demo, the sound is tighter and the tempo is faster, I think this was sort of an issue with the debut since the songs were asking for it but it wasn't a skill that they had acquired yet. The vocals were pretty terrible but in a appealing and likable sort of way, I think what improved here is the sense of delivery and the superior vocal melodies they used. There's many heavy metal bands that aren't centered around the vocals and they should be one of them, they even included a pretty cool instrumental track (named after a star system) on this demo.

The vocals are mostly buried underneath the mix but I really dig the approach here, it's simply fun, timeless traditional metal did with a lot of passion and care. They're not powerful but they do the job, many NWOBHM bands didn't have great vocalists (see Angel Witch!) and they had to rely on their other skills to get their point across.

The sound is also more epic and it's getting classier, they're still an apprentice to the masters and there's absolutely nothing wrong with this, quite the opposite in fact. The dual guitars are firmly in place and that's a positive aspect. Disciples of the Murray/Smith or the Mike Scalzi schools of leads and there's no better education than those. To put it bluntly, Legionnaire's leads are fucking awesome and the best thing about the band, it drives their music and they're a more than valuable counterpart to their competent but middle of the road riffs.

Thematically, it's simple fantasy stuff and we've all read these sort of lyrics before but who the hell cares? I mean, I watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy each fucking year and I never got bored by the swords and sorcery genre and if you are, you probably lie to yourself by telling everyone that you're a grown up now and that you pay taxes.

These guys truly dig Liege Lord, Maiden and Brocas helm and so should you. There's always something in the beer in Finland that gives the band a quirky identity and it's the case here too, it's hard to describe though. I guess I'll need to travel there and get drunk in a sauna with the dudes to truly understand their ways.

Join the legion, it will be fun and you'll be able to see these guys improve an already very enjoyable heavy metal sound. If raw heavy metal is your thing, then check these fellows, order a tape, smash a beer can and punch a djent fan in the arse.

Special mention to the badass logo and the cool lo-fi but evocative cover art illustrating the first track “The Guardian”. Also pretty cool that they're the first metal band to use the Legionnaire moniker.

Free download on Bandcamp and/or cheap tape

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Circle - Sunrise (2002) / 95%

NWOFHM #8: Skulls, swords and masterful sauna fuckery

The band has a highly varied and large discography but the release of a surprising death metal album in 2013 (Incarnation) played entirely by session members. Nonetheless the metal factor was already present throughout many of their previous releases such as Tulikoira (2005), Katapult (2007), Hollywood (2008), Rautatie (2010) but was never totally and fully explored until recently.

Circle are truly an interesting entity, formed in the early 1990s by Jussi Lehtisalo and it's been his main creative focus since then. If you've been following this series of reviews (that's probably not the case!), you're aware that this eccentric Finn has been producing a wide catalog of music, often under the NWOFHM (New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal) banner. Bands with weird monikers like Krypt Axeripper, Steel Mamoth, Pharaoh Overlord, Aktor or Arkhamin Kirjasto became staples of my musical diet and I felt ready to tackle the main course, the legendary Circle.

Sunrise was definitely one of these “almost” metal albums, it's an amalgamation of many genres into one potent but very rewarding experience. I liked all the Circle albums I checked, there's so many that I haven't heard them all yet but there's always a will to experiment and go forward while maintaining an unparalleled atmospheric approach. Their usual sound is a mix of droney experimental rock either instrumental or with unorthodox vocals. An album like Mountain (2005) is a great example of tenebrous drone/experimental/post rock with its two sinuous and long tracks. Sunrise has some of this cuisine on its menu but it's also incorporating a lot of rock and some metal influences. Almost a decade before Pharaoh Overlord's Out of Darkness, there's certainly some similarity between these two. Repetitiveness is one of Circle's main tool and they use it well for metallic and rock songs like the opener “Nopeuskuningas”. It's almost kraut metal as the main heavy and catchy riff is repeated endlessly while these insane vocals are unleashed and then, a psychedelic solo appears and tries to make its way through the might of THE riff for almost three minutes and finally succeeds. The song structures are out there and interesting enough and despite the repetitiveness, it's never boring or too much as the songs are not that long (except that final drone track). They know when to change the tempos and when to incorporate well thought moments of colorful joy (just like the glorious artwork)

The musicianship, like on every Circle album, is impressive and complex in its apparent simplicity. Lehtisalo's leadership is always felt throughout his bass playing (he probably plays the guitar on this album too, the credits are unclear about what each member is playing). It's at its core a prog rock/krautrock record so the guitar, both electric and acoustic, are the focus here but there's also some other instruments like the violin (track 6) and some electronic overtones that are included. Concerning the electronic side of their music, it's nothing compared to some of their other albums like 2011's Infektio.

Get ready to travel everywhere with this album, the second song is some sort of proggy folk pop in Finnish (well, in fact, the whole album is and that's wonderful) and as far as I know (I know nothing about that), it's influenced by native Finnish music. It sounds a bit like the Nordic Canadian music the Innu people make (check out track 4 for another example). This seems to be a mess on paper, right? Well, no it's not, even though the album is fairly diverse and goes from metallic hard rockish drone kraut experimental rock to atmospheric folky and sometimes joyful territories. It's highly condensed and has an extraordinary vision of how it should be, of how it should be constructed and how it should sound.

Sunrise is pretty much a timeless record as it's taking a metallic sort of 70s hard rock, some stoner rock and they threw it in a huge blender with krautrock and a bunch of psychedelic rock. It's timeless because it's still undeniably an oeuvre of its time and that's probably due to the idiosyncratic nature of Finland's musical scene, it doesn't try to be original, it simply is, effortlessly. With the use of clean but highly emphasized vocals, a given for Jussi Lehtisalo's projects, the band goes deeper and deeper into mad realms of genius artistry. I mean, the band was never quite accessible but this album is probably one of their most “gettable” as it's tight and catchy. It's a good way to get into them, I'd say.

Mix Led Zeppelin, Can and Finland and you'll get Circle, one of Earth's best and most original bands. Sunrise is a memorable album and the one I picked as my first review but you can't hardly go wrong with any of 'em.

While I'm the sauna, start your Circle exploration without me, you'll get lost but that's part of the process.

Circle on Facebook

Interview with Jussi Lehtisalo (Circle, Arkhamin Kirjasto, Steel Mammoth, Krypt Axeripper and more)

Jussi Lehtisalo is the leader and the only constant of the seminal experimental rock band Circle from Finland. Outside of this long running project (almost forty albums under the moniker), he's in plenty of interesting and oddly named bands like Krypt Axeripper, Steel Mammoth, Motorspandex or Arkhamin Kirjasto and is also the man behind the eclectic Ektro Records label. He's one of my favourite musicians and interviewing him was an opportunity I couldn't ignore. I reviewed some of his projects and I have so much ask to ask him! Tag along!

METANTOINE'S MAGICKAL REALM: I hope it's nice in Pori right now? I have a friend who's visiting Helsinki at the moment and he enjoys the Finnish sauna experience. I hope I'm not disturbing you with these questions!

JUSSI LEHTISALO: Pori is a quiet small town in Finland’s west coast. It’s active just for ten days a year during the world-renowned jazz festivals. I’ve witnessed for example Urban Sax and McCoy Tyner, so there’s definitely great things going on in there. You’re not disturbing me at all. I’m touched when someone is interested about things up here in the north.

MMR: The recent Circle situation is pretty confusing, the project changed its name to Falcon (ex-Circle) and released an excellent AOR/hard rock album but also kept the Circle name and released an album called Incantation which was basically a doom/death metal record featuring the entire lineup of Pori based death metal band Stench of Decay. But now, the true Circle resurfaced with your usual experimental blend with Leviathan. Care to explain all these lineup changes?

JUSSI: In short, it’s a brand research. Which is more important, a work of art or people behind it? Are artists free or slaves to their brand?

MMR: Circle is well known for its constant experimentation and its huge discography. What are for you the most important albums this project has created? Is there some experimentation that you thought worked better than others? I can think of the acoustic elements in the latest album Leviathan, the drone of Mountain or the heavy metal/glam or the psychedelic rock/proto metal of Sunrise.

If you were to meet someone who never heard Circle, what would be the first album you'll show to him/her?

JUSSI: Circle’s records are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and the whole picture unfolds only as the pieces don’t get together smoothly. I’m intrigued by the sober plunge of Miljard and the shapelessness of Infektio, as well as the versatility of Manner and the agility of Leviatan. I recommend people attend Circle concerts in a happy frame of mind.

MMR: You worked with Bruce Duff from Jesters of Destiny in Circle (Hollywood) and Pharaoh Overlord (the excellent album Out of Darkness) and your label recently re-released their cult classic album. Considering this, with what other veteran musicians would you like to work with?

JUSSI: Here’s a few of my favourite musicians: Mark Shelton (Manilla Road), Jimmy Page, Christian Vander (Magma), Mark Lanegan, Kaija Saariaho, Läjä Äijälä, Jaki Liebezeit, Robert Hampson... Circle is a dream group for me, so things are looking very good.

MMR:-You released a single with Chris Black (Dawnbringer, High Spirits, Pharaoh...) under the name Aktor (I really liked it!) How did you manage to form a band with him? It's mainly a long distance project, right? And also, can you tell me about the upcoming album for this project. It will still have the awesome Blue Öyster Cult influences, I hope? I met Black at a High Spirits event and he said he's writing the lyrics so I guess you compose the music?

JUSSI: It’s been really great and easy to work with Chris. Aktor’s forthcoming album is in the home stretch now, and it’s going to be brilliant. On the other hand, I’ve always thought the records I’ve made have been suberb, but that’s gone unnoticed by the wider audiences. The riffs on the Aktor album are at times a bit weird, but I hope it meanders somewhere between Jesters of Destiny, Molly Hatchet and Angel Rat era Voivod.

MMR: I'm a big fan of all your heavy metal projects such as Krypt Axeripper, Motorspandex or Steel Mammoth. There are many similarities between them, and I like the fact that they all have their own names, but why is that so important to you? I mean Tractor Pulling is pretty damn similar to Krypt!

JUSSI: I wanted to build a whole NWOFHM scene, but I was pretty much the only one who got excited by the idea, so I decided to start 10–20 different bands. The bands sound alike to some extent because I’ve done all the riffs at least for Krypt Axeripper, Mercedes Hell, Tractor Pulling, and Motorspandex. I have in my drawer new EPs of almost all of the abovementioned bands, but I’ve been wise enough not to release them.

MMR:Arkhamin Kirjasto explored a more extreme side of metal with its groovy death metal sound. What influenced this project?

JUSSI: Metallica’s Kill em´ All, Xysma, Morbid Angel, Kiss, Iron Maiden, Slauter Xstroyes, Otis Reaper...

MMR: I always liked the NWOFHM (New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal) tag, I believe it was your idea, am I right? I like the tongue in cheek feel it has and like the NWOBHM tag, it includes a wide variety of your ideas and sounds. Can you talk a bit about that?

JUSSI: With Tractor Pulling, I did my best to make music like Antiseen and Accept. Krypt Axeripper was meant to sound like Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol and Cloven Hoof. Motorspandex was influenced by Brocas Helm and Rudimentary Peni. With Mercedes Hell, I dreamt of crossbreeding Satan and newer Darkthrone, but as I’m such a helpless heavy guitarist and singer the influences may not always be audible. But nowadays I’ve developed into an outstanding riff machine, so it was worthwhile to do these experiments.

FAST QUESTIONS

Favorite Finnish meal that everyone should know about: reindeer meat, mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam.

Favorite beer: BrewDog Dead Pony Club.

A beer to try!

Favorite movie(s): Satantango (Bela Tar), Holy Mountain (Alejandro Jodorowsky), Pierrot le fou (Jean-Luc Godard).

Favorite rock album of all time: Jesters of Destiny’s Fun at the Funeral.

Favorite metal album of all time: Iron Maiden’s Powerslave.

Favorite Finnish hockey player (Teemu Selänne!!!???): Tapio Levo, Veli-Pekka Ketola, Mika Niemi.

Jesters of Destiny – Fun at the Funeral (1986) / 95%

NWOFHM #7: SPECIAL ISSUE – Will Ferrell

Tony's notes: This review concerns the remastered reissue that includes seven excellent bonus songs that would had been on the next album and a cool cover of Black Sabbath's Electric Funeral. It's the mandatory version, I would say.

The year: 1986. Many metal bands were releasing their magnum opuses and the genre really started to diversify and started to explore many different horizons, sometimes extreme, sometimes estranged ones. Jesters of Destiny were a beast that was way too adventurous for its time or at least were not commercial enough for a label like Metal Blade that dropped the band after its debut album. Due to today's genre specialization, they could perhaps find their crowd, albeit a limited one. I can live with this marginalization, not everyone is destined to like everything. This band is definitely something else. Something great!

This album was reissued by Ektro Records, hence catching my attention since I follow the deeds of this label very closely. Jussi Lehtisalo, the man behind Ektro must be a huge fan of this defunct band since Bruce Duff (bass, vocals) contributed to some of his projects like Pharaoh Overlord's Out of Darkness and the excellent Circle album Hollywood. Both men surely share a liking for intricate, unorthodox music and it's undeniable that Lehtisalo was influenced by the album's vision.

Many sources say that the band invented the so called “alternative metal” genre and while you can feel a similarity with bands like Primus or even Faith No More, I feel it's a bit misguided to use such tag. Their sound, even if I do fancy classification and I'm sometimes compulsive about it, is truly hard to pinpoint. There's many distinct stuff on here, there's instrumental tracks like the superb “Love Theme From Jesters on Parade” or the sample heavy closer “Ray's Theme”. The old school punk approach of “Incubus” is immediately followed by a poppy song called “Happy Times” that is as good as any of The Cure's strongest material and also reminds me of Dire Straits! That's certainly not for the young man who can't get enough of Masters of Puppets' apparent subtlety back in the day.

The diversity of the album has a rock solid direction, it's a true monument to songwriting. It has the efficacy of Tom Waits' greatest albums, an album like Rain Dogs  shines throughout its overture to musicality. Bruce Duff and Ray Violet (guitars, keyboards), the only two members that survived during the short existence of the band truly knew how to mix things up. Some glam here, some post punk/alternative rock there, some psychedelic kraut up your ass, some AOR and finally, the reason we're here: the heavy metal riffs and leads. All the components are all brothers and sisters on “Fun at the Funeral” and they all live in harmony.

Simply with the keyboard overture of the first track “Diggin' That Grave” and the heavy riff that follows, you immediately know how a psychedelic heavy metal band would sound. It's approaching a mix of the catchier side of NWOBHM mixed with psychedelia, it's almost as if The Flaming Lips decided to get drunk as fuck, stop their funny shenanigans and write metal songs.
 
The main element that makes this band so enjoyable is Bruce Duff's vocals. His delivery is pretty damn awesome and it has a wide appeal. He can play with his high voice like a theatre actor and he's interesting. He has a sort of classic rock flair and his choruses, sometimes idioyncratic like the self loathing “I Hate Bruce” or the genius “Crimson Umbrella”, are very catchy. Even though he's a clean vocalist with no roughness in his voice, it's not always quite accessible since he's using some weird vocal patterns mixed with the pop choruses.

Musically, it's pretty unique, they don't sound like anyone else. Nonetheless, you can spot some influences like Sabbath or Deep Purple but with the weirdness meter pushed to the maximum. They have a rich sound that is out of time and soft piano melodies are intertwined with hard rockin' heavy riffs. Loud bass, subtle riffs that don't always rely on their heavyness to mark the imagination, it's often about energy and fun. A sort of dark brooding attraction. It's not quite fast, not slow either, favoring a mid paced groovy approach. Judging by the bonus tracks like “House on the Hill”, they were going in a heavier direction.

Apparently Jesters of Destiny will release a new album soon, it will be quite interesting to see what they can do almost thirty years after this one. This is a classic album that everyone who's interested in unconventional music should check out.

Buy their stuff on Ektro Records.

Aktor - I Am the Psychic Wars (2013) | 90%

A reference to Circle's "Katapult" album maybe?

NWOFHM #6 : Films Aktors Guild 

Thanks to my metal god friend Azmodes for the vinyl rip of this release, I owe you big time. NWOFHM is a term coined by Lehtisalo during his career, it's to reflect his love for metal and his country, Finland.

"As the wind blows my breath away, are you listening to me?"

Formed by one of my favourite musical heroes around, Jussi Lehtisalo and, to my surprise, the American extraordinary gentleman Chris Maycock (aka Professor Black of Dawnbringer, High Spirits, Pharaoh). Aktor is another weird Finnish project created by the Circle leader that will probably, to my consternation, go unnoticed. 

Maycock is bringing his awesome and fun voice to Lehtisalo's idiosyncratic song writing  What we have here is a perfect mix of High Spirits (a very pleasant band) with the insane experimental heavy metal approach developed in Krypt Axeripper, a project that if you didn't know yet, I totally adore. While the American is not known for his powerful voice (he's a composer more than everything else), I think he's a very nice addition here. His soft and easy listening voice fits quite well with the great riffs and he's able to transpose the weird vocal lines into something truly tangible.  The choruses are fun and the lyrics are super good and totally understandable.

Their first release akin to another metal project of the crazy Finn called Tractor Pulling, is a short single with two songs but goddamn, I think I pressed the repeat button forty times since I first got it. Perhaps this length seems a bit restrictive in terms of what you can achieve musically but under the flair of these seasoned musicians, it doesn't really matter. It's a great release and one of the best metal releases the Finnish psych/experimental guru has done.

The single is mixing melodic heavy metal with the usual weird leads that you can hear in most NWOFHM with an healthy dose of AOR and hard rock à la Blue Oyster Cult (hence the title of the release, I hope you guys got it before I told you!). Both songs, the title track and “Buried by the Sea” (which is maybe a following to Krypt Axeripper's “Sacrifice the Sea”?) are short three minutes and a half tracks, they're both very catchy with undeniable and mesmerizing hooks. There’s an added poppier sound here thanks to the sufficient amount of keyboards giving an “heavy prog”  or almost electro vibe perspective and the clean vocal delivery of the Professor. It’s more accessible than bands like Motorspandex or Arkhamin Kirjasto, it’s still eccentric but it’s maybe not as bizarre as some other projects. It's a bit similar to the new incarnation of Circle called Falcon which also released their debut in 2013 but Aktor is actually a full blown metal band

This single is highly recommended for fans of traditional metal with a personal and interesting touch. It's very melodic and has nice classic and glam rock influences. Aktor is one of the best collaborations I heard recently and it was a pleasant to hear these two seasoned and respected musicians play together. Lehtisalo proves once again that he's a true underrated metal warrior by delivering yet another solid release. I can't dislike anything that emanates from his creative and joyful mind. Spend seven minutes in good company!

Listen to the whole single here uploaded by yours truly.

Buy the single on Ektro Records