Callenish Circle is a band who do not hide their influences from the Swedish scene and In Flames in particular but they are not a straight off copy. Their melodies are more in the Iron Maiden vein while In Flames relied more on folk music touches in their early days. Callenish Circle have a wider range of influences and frontman Patrick Savelkoul varies between more traditional melodeath vocals but also a more aggressive and brutal growl. This creates a nice contrast and makes the vocal approach interesting. The song "Broken" off "Graceful... Yet Forbidding" also has a guest contribution from female vocalist Nienke de Jong (Autumn, Her EnchantmenT) which feels a little out of place though and doesn't add anything.

The album "Graceful... Yet Forbidding" and the "Escape" EP contains pretty traditional melodic death metal with choppy guitar riffs, slower atmospheric sections and some beautiful melodies. The earlier material found on the second disc is however rawer and slower in general, reminding me quite a lot of Amorphis but with a less aggressive production. In their early days Callenish Circle were more of a melodic, up-tempo doom / death band than they are today. I must say that the vocals were better back then but musically they still had some things to learn. "Forbidden Empathy" displays the history and evolution of the Dutch band very nicely and should most definitely be in your record collection if you're a fan. Myself I appreciate their two Metal Blade releases more but this is far from bad. Favorite picks: "Forgotten", "Silent Tears", "Slough Of Despond".

written by Vincent Eldefors

Playing time: 76.42