Circle (Amorphis album)
| Circle | ||||
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| Studio album by Amorphis | ||||
| Released | 17 April 2013 (JP) 19 April 2013 (EU) 22 April 2013 (UK) 30 April 2013 (US) |
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| Recorded | 10 September 2012-? | |||
| Studio | Petrax Studio, Hollola, Finland 5K Studios, Helsinki, Finland |
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| Genre | Progressive metal, folk metal, melodic death metal | |||
| Length | 46:22 71:21 (with bonus tracks) |
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| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Peter Tägtgren | |||
| Amorphis chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Circle | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Decibel Magazine |   |
| Outburn | (9/10) |
Circle is the eleventh studio album by Finnish heavy metal band Amorphis, released on 17 April 2013, through Victor Entertainment and on 19 April 2013, through Nuclear Blast. Recorded at Petrax Studio in Hollola and at 5K Studios in Helsinki, it is the first Amorphis album since Far from the Sun (2003) not to be produced by Marco Hietala, or to be based on the Finnish national epic Kalevala. Instead, Circle was produced by Peter Tägtgren and focuses on an original story penned by lyricist Pekka Kainulainen.
In August 2012, Amorphis announced that they were going to start recording a new album the following month.Circle was recorded at Petrax Studio in Hollola, Finland, and at 5K Studios in Helsinki, Finland.Peter Tägtgren, who had previously worked with Children of Bodom, Celtic Frost and Dimmu Borgir, among others, produced and mixed the album. As Tomi Koivusaari observed, the band was initially surprised by the up-front position that Tägtgren gave to the guitars relative to the keyboards. Bassist Niclas Etelävuori used a five string bass on Circle, which was tuned a whole step down. Regarding the writing and recording process, guitarist Esa Holopainen stated:
Koivusaari further explained that the band needed to make a change to the recording process to maintain its inspiration. The band chose a "peaceful place" in the countryside to record, which, Koivusaari felt, led to the distinctive atmosphere.
Lyrics were once again written by Pekka Kainulainen, who has worked with Amorphis since 2007's Silent Waters. Up to this point all of Kainulainen's lyrics had been based on the Finnish national epic Kalevala, but on Circle they focus on an original concept. Kainulainen later gave a short summary of the album's concept:
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