"Circle are a very productive Finnish band that play psychedelic rock. While most of their music is built of repetition, the band have been branching out into more freeform space rock territory and just full on fuck you in the head music. This record is one of those. The LP features two long trip out songs recorded live in May 2004 and exclusive to this 500 copy vinyl only release. "Empire" is a strange improvised track and the lyrics are in English (quite rare for Circle). Mika Rätto sounds really different when he vocalizes in English. After the mostly acoustic beginning the electric fuzzed out distortion guitar slowly works its way to the front of the mix and the groove begins and the vocals fade away. A menacing bass bubbles up from the bottom of the sound. It starts to loop out of control and Mika powers back to the front of the mix. It is really interesting the way the sound evolves and is mixed up and down during the psychedelic journey. This track is a trip for sure and speeds up quite fast at the end and has a great organ solo. Intense! "Dragon" is the other side of the record and is a bit like a raga with tabla like drums, spaced out vocals and a droning organ. Some acoustic guitar and bass layer into the sound as the acid trip takes hold. Sounds like a really bad trip for someone or a really strange time. Far out!"

AURAL INNOVATIONS

"I've been wanting to hear Circle for a long, long time, and hearing Empire now leaves me wanting to track down everything else they've ever released as soon as possible - it's nothing short of amazing. Two long (22/23 minute) tracks, recorded live in Finland early this year, introduce Circle as one of those rare bands who seem to combine effortlessly many aspects of the music I love. A (presumably) semi-improvisational style, played on traditional 'rock' instruments, mixes the laid-back rhythms and strange vocal stylings of early-70s Can with a heavy abstract psychedelic feel. Relentlessly repetitive melodies swell and build from delicate beginnings into intense, cloying chunks of sound. Circle seem to slot into a group of bands I'm slowly becoming more familiar with, as I discover whole new worlds of sound experimentation - Double Leopards, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Dead C, etc. It's exhilarating and exciting to find vast, previously uncharted areas of wonderful music! Then again, it's hard on the wallet too..."

DISKANT