Album Review: Circle Of Contempt - 'Artifacts In Motion'

Circle of Contempt are one of the latest and greatest signings to bolster the increasingly strong Sumerian Records roster sitting well alongside peers Stray the Path, Born of Osiris and Veil of Maya. Artifacts in Motions marks their first full length record and release through a major label.

Being isolated in Finland has obviously helped the band avoid any great confrontations with the Deathcore phenomenon sweeping across America at the moment, permitting them to write an album reasonably free of any outside influences making it possible to stand on its own two feet.

Circle Of Contempt have found a perfect niche for themselves as they have the technical chops to write songs that will appeal to even the most agnostic metal head while developing groove sections and harmonies that will make it listenable to your average punter simultaneously (see ball breaking track Pendulum Swing for a polyrhythm feast). The more I listened to the album from start to finish the harder it was to point out weak sections or songs on Artifacts in Motion.

The only weakness that became apparent is the tangents some songs break off into which end up sounding like a Meshuggah b-side .The production quality is also substantially better than any other Sumerian release, record which is surprising taking into account this is their debut release and the band are significantly younger than all of their label mates.

Each song is structured with great precision and combines the unrelenting heaviness of bands like Born of Osiris with the subtle melodies present on the later Misery Signals releases. This formula is implemented perfectly on the last track of the album titled Scour the Sharpside with the background synth and vocal melodies making the track sound larger than life.

This was by far one of my favourite releases for 2009 and considering all the band members are under the age of 20, you would be cream crackers to give Artifacts in Motion a miss.

1. Color Lines

2. Nothing Imminent

3. Artifacts In Motion

4. Concealed

5. Remnants Left

6. C.O.C.

7. Prelude For The Implication

8. The Pendulum Swing

9. A Day For Night

10. Zerohour

11. Scour The Sharpside