GOLEM / VESILIIRTO

This Circle album includes two different entities. Golem is recorded live from club in Helsinki, Finland. Vesiliirto (=aquaplaning) is recorded in the studio. Originally released by small Finnish label as a double vinyl. Ektro record released this as cd in 2013. In cd-version there is added one song into both entieties, also Lähetys has enlargened from three minutes to over 20 minutes, name is changed Skanner / Lähetys.

Most of Golem is sound collage. When first "Salamander Sword" lasts over 18 minutes with noise and shouts and really little happenings, I can imagine that there has been at least some people that has decided to change the club in the middle of Circle´s performance. In cd comes next "Matka" (=a trip) that starts with Mika´s electric piano and vocals. The song reminds "Alta Rautatammien" from Guillotine-album, but text is totally different. Next is "Destination Thunder" which is again cacophony & shoutings. I am glad it´s quite short. Again in "True Incubus From Beyond" Mika starts to sing and play electric piano, but in the middle the song changes into sound collage. The Next "At War With Mercy" is little bit more interesting with it´s uptempo drums and shamanistic voices. It reminds finnish shamanistic rock band Sielun Veljet in it´s begin. But again the song is too long. The interesting part of this entity is encore song "Forbidden Steel Patriot". It´s quite soft Mikas telling a story about the fox in Finnish (I believe he made the story at the same moment when performing).

Studio album starts with "Korahteleva Haapa" (=wheezing aspen). It has a lots in common with the avantgarde of "Guillotine"-album (it could be recorded in the same sessions, because there is partly same engineer in these albums). Next "Tuliset Miekat Käsissä" (=fiery swords in hands) is mixing sixties psychedelia and spacerock in a very great way. In the end it changes quite free jazz. "Kavaljeeri" (=escort) is an addition in cd-version and could be named tuliset miekat käsissä part 2 because it continues quite in the same mood. "Neljä Kolkkaa" (=four corners) is also sound collage, but much more interesting than anything in Golem. Next "Haulikko ja Kivääri" (=shotgun and rifle) is also a great mix of psychedelia and spacerock. But the best comes into end: 20 minutes Skanner / Lähetys (=sending) reminds the long entities of Amon Düül 2 in their first three albums. In the end this quite jazzy piece also changes into sound collage. Hard to understand why they release in the first place only three minutes in the end of this great piece and instead release that dull live almost fully.

So this album is Circle at most experimental. I can recommend specially the Vesiliirto-part all who loves Guillotine. Golem has too less substance and too much noise. The name describes album really well, it really is a creature made just mud. When knowing Circle shows are really performances, the gig could have been a lot better when you saw them playing. I would have given Vesiliirto four stars, even five, but because I would have given Golem only two stars, so it´s three.