Circles of Namibia - Mountain - Song Review - Instrumental Progressive Metal from Seoul, South Korea
Today we are featuring a promising instrumental progressive metal project, Circles of Namibia, the brainchild of Adam Driskell, an American musician living in Seoul, South Korea. I reviewed a song from their debut album, Mountain, along with its character, style, story, potential, and more.
Circles of Namibia is a promising instrumental progressive / djent metal band I discovered a month ago with their latest album, Where it All Began, which was released on August 19, 2021. Now, please give the song "Mountain" a listen while reading the rest of the article.
As I mentioned earlier, I came across Circles of Namibia about a month ago, and I've been listening to their songs since then, especially "Mountain." I must admit that this song stands out with its intelligently written composition above everything else. In a world that seems to be going mad, some people find their influences in very specific places, just like this one.
The song has a complex structure, accompanied by intricate instrumentation. The sentences are long, predominantly structured with jazz chords, and layered with guitars, keys, bass, and drums. I can confidently say that each instrument has a distinct role, none of them can be considered less important.
The overall mood of the song is also ambiguous. The first half of the song carries a sense of mystery, evoking images of old detective scenes in my mind as I listen carefully. After leaving this mood behind, the song gradually increases in tempo and leaves you with a sense of confusion. It's neither bad nor good; it simply is what it is. The song is under an undefinable influence, at least to me. Admittedly, this isn't the type of music I typically listen to. There's a specific exotic flavor here, undeniably innovative.
Lastly, "Mountain" is an impressive debut from a one-man project band like Circles of Namibia. Hands down. The band exhibits the potential to become a giant in their distinct field, and you easily get this impression while listening to their music.
On the flip side, I believe there are a few weaknesses that need to be addressed. First and foremost, I'm not entirely satisfied with the overall performance, as it sounded too computerized to my ears, particularly in the lead guitar parts. The song could definitely benefit from a bit more personality, which is somewhat lacking. I'm unable to discern the kind of guitar player within Circles of Namibia; they should be playing more than just the right notes with the right timing.
Moreover, the specific style of music presented here is quite unusual to my ears, as I mentioned earlier. This is not a weakness per se, but it does highlight the fact that this music can be challenging to listen to in general. The mood and instrumentation are two strong pillars of this song, serving the same purpose. It carries a rather futuristic and sci-fi quality, which is distinct from traditional metal, like a band such as Animals as Leaders or Tesseract. These bands are doing an impressive job and have amassed a dedicated fanbase, which represents the potential audience for Circles of Namibia.
Lastly, there is a lack of personality in the mixing. Unfortunately, I couldn't sense Circles of Namibia's character fully due to the mix. While I don't typically listen to extreme progressive bands, this mix felt strangely familiar to me. There are numerous new progressive/metalcore/deathcore bands out there, and many of them adopt a similar character in their music. They sound modern, futuristic, with heavy reverbs, robotic elements, and excessive dynamic range compression. There's no room to breathe; everything is at maximum volume and often feels artificial. In this regard, "Mountain" should not be categorized with them. The band would benefit from injecting more personality into their future music.
When considering all of this, I'd like to say that I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to Circles of Namibia. The band displays immense potential that will undoubtedly keep people engaged with their upcoming work. Despite highlighting a few weaknesses, I'll certainly be one of their followers.
Please go ahead and check out the links below if you'd like to find out more about the artist/band, follow them on social media, subscribe to their channels to show your support, and stay updated on their upcoming releases.
In conclusion, the Metalhead Community Team congratulates Circles of Namibia for their impressive debut, "Mountain," and wishes them the very best in their future careers. Thank you for reading.
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