Hailing from The Netherlands, Insurrection is a band that meshes classic melodic death metal and modern day thrash metal in a very enjoyable way. With the bands second release and first full length album, “Circles of Despair”, one of the major take-aways from this album is their diversity in writing. Is it absolutely ground breaking and progressive? Not entirely. Are they incorporating their ideas in refreshing way? Absolutely.
Circles of Despair combines harsh vocal lines, reminiscent of that of melodic death metal legends At The Gates with melodic yet aggressive guitar riffing and bass lines that are accompanied by bone crushing blast beats and double bass sections. A good example of this fierceness is the opening track, Enigma Machine. If speed and intensity aren’t quite your thing, fear not, more melodic heading-banging tunes such as Comrades in White and The Deeper Depths certainly have you covered.
As a musician, I would have to say that the guitar work on this album is exceptional. It is not simply flashy leads and arpeggios. While there is no doubt in guitarist Martin Hutton and Armand Venema ability to do these things, what stands out to me the most are the way the pieces are written and the use of melodic leads to accompany the rhythm. The flipside is that you also have face-melting riffs and solos that lend a hand to that diversity in writing that we talked about earlier.
Towards the end of the album lies the track “Spiraling Down”, a dark, ominous acoustic-based interlude that features some synth work and is that cello I hear? Yes. This track plays perfectly into my personal favorite and somewhat of a title track, “On Circles of Despair”. On Circles of Despair, for me, is the perfect culminating song to summarize this album as it features elements of black metal, familiar melodic riffing, perfectly placed blast beats and guitar leads that help facilitate a great atmosphere.
I could truly see myself at an Insurrection show sometime in the future, embracing some of the cathartic moments that Circles of Despair has to offer.
Reviewed by Ian
Rating: 7/10
Release date: August 30, 2019
Label: Big Bad Wolf/Headbangers Records
Tracklist
01 – Enigma Machine – 4.52
02 – Non Existent Fall – 3.37
03 – Futile Existence – 2.47
04 – Comrades In White – 4.52
05 – The Deeper Depths – 5.53
06 – Origin – 4.44
07 – Dawn Of Defeat – 3.57
08 – Deity – 5.40
09 – Spiralling Down – 2.13
10 – …On Circles Of Despair – 3.50
Line-up:
Pieter Oevering – Vocals/Bass
Marten Hutten – Guitars/Vocals
Armand Venema – Guitars
Douwe Talma – Drums