'Fourth Circle' is a French symphonic metal band that I discovered with their latest album 'Worlds' released in April 2020 but which already has almost 10 years of existence with two studio recordings 'Lifetimes' in 2013 and 'Elements' in 2016. With the same line up as for the previous opus, they offer us a symphonic metal in line with the major formations of the genre with names of 'Delain' and 'Within Temptation' that came to my mind because the singer 'Audrey Adornato' has intonations from 'Charlotte Wessels' or 'Sharon den Adel' from time to time.
With 14 compositions for more than an hour of listening, they have added to this opus a 21-minute audio book, judiciously declined in English and French which will certainly delight fans and which tells us about story of the spiritual search of a female character in an indefinite time and space that she discovers throughout history. Each composition is therefore in line with a chapter of the story, providing details in the narration. Musically, the whole is relatively epic and from the instrumental introduction 'Prologue', keyboards with large reinforcements of sampled orchestra instruments are omnipresent and the first titles 'Awake and Lost' and 'Worlds' offer us lines easy to access melodies. The rest is like this beginning, and, even if certain compositions remain in the same schemas (for example the refrain of 'Survive' resembles that of 'Worlds'), the whole is pleasant to listen with for example the energetic 'The Truth' or the powerful and melodic mid-tempo 'Nothing' and quieter breaks like 'Feeling' or the beautiful piano/voice ballad 'Who Am I?' allow to vary the moods and the two tracks that make only one 'Rising Tension' and 'Battle and Forgiveness' end the album on an epic and powerful note with remarkable instrumental arrangements.
In summary, the French of 'Fourth Circle' release an album full of good surprises and 'Worlds' is tailor-made for all fans of symphonic metal who appreciate formations like 'Delain', 'Within Temptation', 'Sirenia' or 'Xandria'... | |
