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Rock ‘n’ Doom With Magic Circle And High Reeper

April 1, 2019 by A.S. Van Dorston

After a long four-year wait, Magic Circle’s third album is finally here. What’s the big deal? It’s not like there’s been a doom metal shortage. Every year hundreds of doom albums released that cover every possible permutation of the genre, from traditional to funeral, prog, sludge, stoner, and hybrids like death doom and doomgaze. Magic Circle are a big deal because while their roots in the classic Sabbath boilerplate tinged with proto-metal era Deep Purple and Led Zep may seem ordinary, no one pulls it off as well as them. The production remains raw and in the red, like you’re witnessing a basement show, but with stadium-ready musicians, and a vocalist that pins you against the wall with his intensity.

On Departed Souls, the band delves into psychedelia and prog — there’s even a mellotron (or synth programmed to sound like a mellotron) and tablas on the trippy “A Day Will Dawn Without Nightmares.” Many prog doom bands lean toward a more polished, lush production. However, Magic Circle are made up of hardcore punk veterans (The Rival Mob, Mind Eraser, Boston Strangler) who may have started this as a side gig and remain busy with a wide variety of projects (including recently Sumerlands and Pagan Altar). Ultimately they give the impression that in their heart of hearts, metal is king, and it’s edges should remain rough and frayed. But there’s no obvious signs of hardcore influence, no screaming. While there’s plenty of singers heavily influenced by Ozzy and Robert, few can draw on both Ozzy’s timbre and Plant’s range and power like Brendan Radigan. I also hear a touch of Chris Cornell, while others might cite some NWOBHM era wailers. Radigan is the magic weapon that edges Magic Circle to the top over favorites like Pallbearer and labelmates Khemmis and Spirit Adrift.

The band are also masters of balancing swing and dynamics with the heavy, something bands like Saint Vitus, The Obsessed and Candlemass sometimes struggled with, which  leaves some unfinished business, an area with plenty more to explore. Some people will have no interest in anything that references sounds and production from the 70s and 80s, and that’s okay. To my ears, the more extreme spectrum of contemporary metal is simply derivative of other sounds from a variety of eras, and aren’t inherently more original. That’s an argument for another time, but Magic Circle scratches an itch that no other band quite reaches.

“Nightland” is a blast, changing between furious rave-ups and a hymn-like vocal bridge.  Departed Souls isn’t perfect. After the fantastic soulful slow-burner “Gone Again” complete with harmonized chorus and Fender Rhodes keyboard, the 1:19 psych teaser “Bird City Blues” feels like it should lead into something other than “Hypnotized,” which is a slight letdown as an album closer. It should be noted that the synths, Rhodes and tablas are all courtesy of their newest member, primarily guitarist Renato Montenegro. It looks like they have more than one secret weapon. One more killer track would have been welcome (I bet Renato has something in the bag), but the band is pretty consistent about keeping their albums at a succinct 45 minutes or less. So overall it may not surpass Journey Blind, but right now Departed Souls looks like a contender for Fester’s Lucky 13.

Back in 2017 when I was starting to jones for more Magic Circle, and wistfully looking back at albums like the defunct Green & Wood’s Devil’s Plan (2011), Philadelphia’s High Reeper’s self-released debut album made a brief appearance on Bandcamp before disappearing until an official release was scheduled the next year on Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds. I burned a disc immediately and it enjoyed heavy rotation on a roadtrip through the deserts and mountains of Nevada and Utah. The loose rock ‘n’ doom vibe contained just the right amount of crunchy biker hard rock, proto-metal and garage doom. Not so much stoner to my ears, but interpretations of these tags vary. Either way I was looking forward to catching them live. That still hasn’t happened, as they haven’t done a proper U.S. tour, instead spending time in Europe, where bands like High Reeper are better appreciated. A second album is more than welcome.

Zach Thomas can’t quite wail like Radigan, but his keening voice can cut through the din of guitars, which is a strength in light of how many bands bury the vocals. Like the debut, Higher Reeper maintains the quality proportion of riffs and chugs, especially up front with “Buried Alive” and “Bring The Dead,” while the floaty “Apocalypse Hymn” in the middle, lifts the set to a higher altitude.

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