Apoch's Metal Review - Martyr: Circle of 8 CD Review

Discography	Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed.
Full-Length(s):	For the Universe (1984) • Darkness at Time's Edge (1995) • Circle of 8 (2011)
EP(s):	Fear (2009)
Demo(s):	If It's Too Loud You're Too Old (1982) • Metal Torture (1983) • The Last One to Run (1986) • Raise this Heaven (1986) Coming on to Me (1987) • Love ont he Line (1988)

Review

Martyr is yet another band in the long list of disbanded groups reforming in today's Metal scene. Originally formed back in 1982, the group has issued a number of demo recordings before finally issuing the cult favorites For the Universe and Darkness at Time's Edge, the first of the two being reissued with the groups reunion EP, Fear back in 2009. Two years later after their many reunion shows, the group returns with a line-up that best represents their 1982 formation, and issue their third full-length effort, Circle of 8, roughly twenty six years later, reaffirming their brand of melodic Heavy, Power, and Speed Metal. But, is it too late for this group to make a thunderous comeback/follow-up release, or do they still have what it takes to bring their early sound to more modern ears?

One thing that definitely works in favor of the group is the early audio quality the album has. Circle of 8 feels like it stepped right out of the late eighties, early nineties, but just feels a bit more crisp then usual while still having that slightly analog and dirty sound to it. This really helps to capture the twanging bass and crushing guitars that really give off a strong authoritive, commanding feel to the music at times, while also establishing a catchy and somewhat melodic sound to the group's more Power Metal oriented material. The drums here also capture that audio quality well with loud crashing cymbols and matching tight snares with a deep bass-driven thud to the kicks that help fuel a commanding sense despite what the atmosphere the guitars give off happens to be, and works well no matter what. The clean vocals here are not the worst, but definitely can be a bit dismissable at times. The heavier material here works well with these vocals, which often are altered enough to match the environment of the music, but when trying to harmonize in some of the more melodic elements, they can sound absolutely horrible and tone deaf, such as during the chorus of "D.I.," sadly giving the album one of it's very few drawbacks.

Actually, when it boils down to the song "D.I.," you can't really help but feel a bit unimpressed by the song, even from the start. The haunting beginning with distorted layered vocals feels a bit too much, and due to that aforementioned tone-deaf issue, it becomes a little grating. However, much of the music that comes in after that is heavy and catching with material as commanding as the more intimidating tracks that follow, such as "Art of Desception." However, the main verses here are not that strong because they don't quite match the traditional clean singing with their march-like sound that comes through a bit hollow due to that. "D.I." is far from a bad song, it just doesn't match what the vocalist does is all, and had they been a little harsher to match the darker tone of the song, it would be a lot better. The song does it's job of getting you ready for what's to come though, and some of the stand out moments of the song, like the guitar solo, pounding marching bridges, and the built up section at the end that leads into the final chorus are phenomenal and brace the listener for the intensity Martyr still bring to the table. But even this track doesn't make you aware of exactly how well the vocals and music can work together on the later tracks.

While "D.I." may have been a bit of a let down simply due to the band's material not working well between two crucial element of the group, Martyr pick themselves right up and unleash plenty of headbang mandatory cuts short after, and later on down the road. "Art of Desception" features a commanding performance from the band with vocals that have that slightly more powerful and energetic performance "D.I." lacks, creating a generally harshing environment for the song that goes straight for the juggular with an impressive guitar solo and a nice range in the vocals against the Heavy Metal and Thrash Metal hybrid found here. "Afterlife" can also be summed up this way, though not quite as intense, though will still leave you banging your head right along, and simply shouldn't be overlooked for any reason. "All Warriors Blood" makes for an interesting Metal ride, starting out rather slow with a crawling, bludgeoning pace and sound that you can't help but immediately find awkward given the clean singing performance, but it grows on you as you contrinue through, realizing it helps to create a desolate, unforgiving atmosphere that makes the song even more bone-jarring and enjoyable as it gradually picks up into a more traditional Heavy Metal offering that doesn't quite feel as crushing as it's start, but still retains that creepier, desperate vibe it started out with.

And that makes for one of the more entertaining elements of Circle of 8. Martyr brings in a great deal of range to the music they present the listener. Sure the more intense tracks like "Art of Desception" are immediate attention grabbers that you'll bang your head along to instinctively, but it's impossible to deny the impact soem of the slower material makes here, much like the outlined "All Warriors Blood," and the less haunting "The Uninvited" which sets up a strong groove to the music that is nothing too original and may come off more like something you heard on a Pantera album at this point in the game, but it's catchier, slightly more upbeat sound with a decent amount of aggression that lines the melodic backdrop of the music works well to create a safer-sounding track that's still highly enjoyable and will find you coming back for more later on despite whatever mood you may be in. But it's "Fake" that shows that even at a more mid-tempo pace like "Scene of Hell" that the band can still create some crushing material with a lot more aggression then some of the faster tracks can even possess. The song's material is strong, but the chorus feels more intimidating compared to even "Afterlife," and it's really worth taking note of when working with the already hard-hitting material present. The album ends with "Speed of Samurai," but a re-recorded version of their earlier song. The track sounds great with the way the audio quality is, and the band's general intensity is still present, making this tight cult classic a strong re-recording that fans of the original material so long ago will absolutely love to hear as a standard track here, even though not part of the initial new eleven songs recorded for this release.

There really isn't much to say negatively about Circle of 8. The album's material never feels like filler, but can come off like it just missed it's mark, such was the case with "D.I." and the vocals not really fitting the music. "Scene of Hell" does end up being another track that feels a little less then it could have been, but it was more an overall issue from the band and not just illfitting vocals. The track itself goes as a more mid-tempo pace, and again seems to play it a bit safe. The material is not bad, but it just feels a bit restrained and generic for the band, especially the stronger performances on many of the tracks before and after. But, like "D.I.," it's still an alright track and far from anything filler. This does cause the album to kind of go into a bit of a slump, though "Justified Killing" is still one of the better tracks to close the effort. "Locked," however, does end up feeling a bit more like filler, not really having much of a solid atmosphere, though it's clear the band is trying. The performance itself is not boring, but not too long after the start of the song you feel you got the point and just want to move on.

Martyr do a fantastic job here, though at time it does feel like they play it safe here and there, especially with the vocals. Hearng high felsetto's and rhaspier Trash-angry vocals from time to time feels more like a tease since much of the album is just clean singing that often suits the intense, commanding music, and even the more upbeat tracks well. Circle of 8 does end up having it's flaws, and surprisingly it's between the rocky start and the rather generic though not-quite-filler material outside of one song near the end that really shows the band's strengths, which is typically the other way around for acts that put out albums that reach for or surpass the one hour mark. But even with that said, it's only a small handful of songs that seem to hold the release back, and even if the band dropped them in the end you're still looking at forty plus minutes of solid material, and even a few of the weaker tracks here are still worth checking out. For a roughly twenty six year wait, Martyr reaffirm to their fans that they haven't lost their edge, and put out a strong reunion full-length effort that, while may not have been well worth such a long wait, is still an album any self-respecting fan of Metal will easily embrace and get lost in.

Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Metal Blade Records.

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