At any given time, there are always a select number of albums out there that are certainly getting a bit of attention, but not nearly enough. Whether it’s in death metal, black, doom, or literally anywhere else throughout the underground, there is always burgeoning talent that only a few people are lucky enough to come across be it from the thrill of the hunt or through word of mouth. With their latest effort, Cirkeln has certainly made enough of a splash to get the attention of many throughout the scene, yet to take the adventure through the record is to realize that the attention certainly has not been enough.

When we get a band like this that does stand out, it’s always fascinating to see just how they go about that. For some, they achieve it through overwhelming intensity that draws plenty of eyes to the music in question while some go all-in trying to craft something that few others have attempted. In the case of what Cirkeln has brought to the table for “The Primitive Covenant”, it was surely clear from the first moment of crafting this record that Cirkeln sought to bring forth an experience that took every possible aspect of their influences and their own personality into consideration in order to make something that was wholly and uniquely their own. For the entirety of these eight tracks, Cirkeln accomplishes that many times over. Deliciously diverse with no two songs sounding the same and undeniable mastery in every given minute, “The Primitive Covenant” has so much to offer should you simply take that first step into the dark enchanted woods within which Cirkeln holds complete dominion. Perfectly deadly in their sense of melody as they are unrelenting with a dynamic intensity that is surgically calculated in each given minute, Cirkeln does nothing but deliver the goods for the whole of “The Primitive Covenant”.

Where many would be refined in one direction of the style, Cirkeln has made it clear that their mastery over black metal has many branching paths all of which lead to equally great and compelling destinations whose visages are nothing to scoff at. Overflowing with competency and a real spectaclele to behold, “The Primitive Convenant” is destined to be amongst the best yet largely underrated efforts spawned throughout the underground as the year comes to a close while those who have come before such a creation should consider themselves lucky.

LISTEN to “The Primitive Covenant” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Cirkeln on Facebook here.