CIRCLE OF OUROBORUS: "Adamantine Discipline and Laissez-faire Yantra"

Last year was hectic in Circle of Ouroborus' release schedule: not only did the two full-lengths The Lost Entrance of the Just and Abrahadabra (both presented gorgeously on vinyl) come out and complete the trilogy of similarly stylized albums, but there were also various minor releases both on tape and seven inch. So for such a rigorous fan as me there was a lot to listen to, but that wasn't all: on the last day of the year, Adamantine Discipline and Laissez-Faire Yantra appeared and symbolically came full circle by providing a compilation of new and old songs: a good starting point for the new year by showcasing previously unreleased material from old days, as well as a handful of songs from upcoming releases. And as the notes in the inlay of this tape suggest, there's a lot to come out of this year.

The first side comprises the five new songs that we're probably going to hear soon on their respective albums or mini-albums. It all starts with the two-minute "Peloton" (from Tarpeeton MLP) which will be warmly welcomed by fans of the band's acoustic output: this is a pure neofolk song featuring a more refined sound than the previous acoustic ventures such as Hiljaiset Sanat or even Cast to the Pits. This is followed by "Puutarha" (from Alttarimyllyt LP), a song that could've been placed on Armon Keitaalla due to its very similar production and style: a harsh yet melodic piece of catchy melodies and good atmosphere. The follow-up "Murtunut valo" (future release unknown) is most likely the weirdest piece on the tape, being such a muddy, chanting convulsion. Growls, moans, a disturbing melody. You could maybe think of "Black Hole Womb" for some reference. Further on, "Synnit pois" brings memories of Crooked Necks because of its complete distortionless. It's not acoustic, no: electric yet delicate riffing with drums and clean vocals. "Antaa kaaoksen tanssia" returns to the vicious sound of the second track – this could've appeared on some of the raw demo tapes of last year.

Turning to side B, we've got the leftover songs that haven't seen the light of the day before. I would guess that the starter "Auringon paljastama" is nonetheless a rather fresh track because it sounds exactly like CoO did in 2012; next up is "An Old Wheel" which is executed with the fairylike, ethereal soundscape of Eleven Fingers, a really grabbing tune that makes me wonder why it was never released in the first place. "Candlewhite Room" goes way back in time to the days of Shores, including Klemi's different kind of clean singing than nowadays. "A Moment" I would place to the times of Islands and Tree of Knowledge, but this is just guessing, of course. The brief "Ajatustenlukua" returns to the so-called 2012 sound of harshness and, in fact, this might be one of the most evil tracks the band has done so far.

I generally wouldn't do this kind of track-by-track overviews but keeping in mind the nature of this release (a wild compilation of material spanning perhaps six, seven years), I see it fit. In a nutshell, the tape has something for everyone who likes even some 'style' of the band's, be it the Joy Division influenced early days, the calmful folk, or what ever. Adamantine Discipline and Laissez-faire Yantra (laissez-faire indeed; this band has always done as they will) is not a necessary purchase for a casual listener but all the hardcore listeners better have a look at this to find out what once was & what is to come.

4.5 / 5

CIRCLE OF OUROBORUS: "Abrahadabra"

Ever since 2007 or 2008, Circle of Ouroborus has kept me under its curse with a plethora of more and more brilliant releases under their moniker. I'm not even going to go into details of which album is the best and so on, but to make a general distinction between the various styles they play, it would be something like this: there's a few (entirely or semi-) acoustic folk albums, then there's the crunching, harsh demo tape sounding releases, and then there's the fuzzy, ethereal albums that wander in some other dimensions with synth-like guitars and Klemi's weeping clean vocals.

Abrahadabra belongs to the third category, and in some respect could also be seen as the third installment into the series of "ethereal" albums, starting with Eleven Fingers and continuing with The Lost Entrance of the Just – but just to make clear, the buzzy and flowing atmosphere has been there since the band's first steps already.

And what comes to this album's music, it's as splendid as before. The scheme is very similar to the previous two full-lengths: almost indecipherable synthwalls of guitars providing the mellow background for the unpolished and heavy drumming, and most importantly for the lead melodies that are an essential part of Circle of Ouroborus' sound nowadays. The general mood of the album is strongly inclined to melancholy, but there are a couple of hopeful tunes such as "Like Silent Meadows", and then some pure hate-filled riffs like the one that begins "These Days and Years to Kill".

Is there, then, truly unforgettable melody making on Abrahadabra? Something as deeply cutting as Moonflares' "Walk Through Me"? Oh yes. It's not like every fourtyfive minutes of the LP were pure splendor melody-wise, but I think that e.g. "Conspiracy", "Breathing Slowly" and "Dementia Praecox" deserve their place in the hall of the greatest CoO riffs. And, in fact, there's not a single track I'd skip while listening to the album, unlike Eleven Fingers' "Staining the Paper to Create", for example.

Lyrically, Abrahadabra dwells in hefty despair: "Because in the end there are no reasons / There are no aeons, no seasons / Just the hollow hole, hard to fill / Just these days and years to kill". But in spite of the apparent hopelessness, Klemi has never gone astray from the occult aspect of it all. The album's title already paints rather deep ideas of the otherworldly – and the cover art is a rather clear example as well. Song-wise I tend to think that "Six Hands" covers the album's occult side the strongest, though my ideas can be totally wrong. But I sense a strong connection between the word abrahadabra and this song: when the word abrahadabra is sorted out into vowels and consonants, we get 5 + 6 = the five-pointed pentagram (Microcosm) and the six-pointed hexagram (Macrocosm). These I find to be the "Two hearts of duality – the keys to infinity" and, as it is, abrahadabra (and the significant number 11) symbolises the accomplishment of the Great Work.

Like every previous album of the band, also Abrahadabra took a rather long time to open. On the first rounds there was almost nothing that stuck to my head, but now a day rarely passes when I wouldn't listen to its catchy melodies and great atmospheres. Needless to say, this is a strong addition to the band's evergrowing discography, and should not be missed. Just give it a little time. When viewing my score it is to be remembered that I'm a hopeless CoO fanatic and the rating should be regarded as such – those who hate Klemi's atonal singing and all the other plain weird aspects therein won't find anything here that would change their opinion.

4.5 / 5