Customer Reviews

My Passion // Your Pain

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since I bought My Passion Your Pain, Callenish Circle has quickly become one of my favorite bands. I just seem to be playing it more and more.

Everybody feels the need to say that this has been done before. It fits into an existing genre, so yes, obviously something similar has been done before. If it hadn't, it would have created it's own genre. Get over it.

Even those who have something against this album and band are admitting that this is quality work. Personally, I get something from this album that I don't get from Slaughter of the Soul. Not to knock Slaughter of the Soul at all, I love that album, but it's something different.

Many albums these days are ok. Some are good. A few are great. This one is a must own. Detractors will continue to call it unoriginal, but in the end, what matters most is HOW THE ALBUM SOUNDS. This album sounds amazing. End of story.

Callenish Circle is one of those bands that most metal fans will say "Who??" about when asked about them. This is not because they lack talent or intensity. They just happen to be a band that has not gotten much, if any, publicity from the metal press. After all, who would think a bunch of Dutch guys can throw down some brutal melodic death?
I've been listening since "Graceful... yet forbidding". I happened upon Callenish Circle because I am half Dutch myself and was looking to find Dutch metal bands. And what a find I made....
Anyway on to this album. My Passion Your Pain intensifies Callenish Circle's sound tenfold. In this latest offering, they strip away the American Pantera-esque sound in favor of a purely aggresive Scandinavian tone remnicient of At the Gates. The black metal vocals are still key in driving the razor sharp ultra-melodic rythyms found in nearly every track. One listen to "My Hate Unfolds" will sum up what these guys are all about. It is refreshing to see a band that keeps it's head low and cranks out crushingly brutal and catchy melodic death while all the other players on the field are subcuming to what record companies are pushing for. (With the notable exception of Dark Tranquillity) Fans of the genre will love this album. A no-brainer.

Let's just say I'm "THE" super digital music pirate. This album was the first time I've bought a CD in a looooong time. This album was so good when I downloaded it, I decided to pay these guys back for all they have given me. This album is "THAT" good. Forsaken is a very powerful song, the riffs are insane... This is their best album yet, they just get better and better... I just had to buy the actual CD!

Callenish Circle has become one of my favorite melodic death metal bands ever. This album was the first I ever heard by them, and I just finished listening to it about 10 minutes ago.

On first listen, they reminded me a lot of Nightrage's sound, except with darker vocals & even keyboards. Even before I heard the first ballad on the album, I knew there was going to be one. This album isn't ultra-fast on every song, but nevertheless, it packs a huge punch.

I highly recommend this album to any fans of melodic death metal. Right now I'm listening to their newest release, Pitch.Black.Effect, and so far it's better than this album.

This album doesn't differ a whole lot from their previous "Flesh_Power_Dominion" album apart
from better production and a slightly more aggressive sound. There's a couple slight cosmetic
touches like an industrial/techno intro here and there and more death metal backup vocals than
previously but other than that this is largely an extension of the same speed/thrash metal they
popularized on their last record.

That's not to say you're fine just listening to their last album. Like their last record, this thing is full
of solid speed metal riffing almost from start to finish. The only time it slows down is for the
couple power ballad type songs that frankly I could do without. I'm sure they're meant to break up
the pace so this record doesn't get monotonous but they could accomplish the same thing with
mid-paced breakdowns like they do on "Dwelling In Disdain" and almost every other cut. It also
doesn't help that one of these ballad type songs clocks in at over seven minutes but I
digress...let's focus on the strengths.

Most of these songs follow a pretty similar pattern...ultra tight old school speed metal riffing
heavily influenced by early thrash punctuated by tasteful leads that are reminiscent of "And
Justice For All" period Metallica. If that sounds like they are a throwback to the glory days of
thrash/speed metal then you'd be right. There's no crazy time changes, over the top drumming or
metalcore mosh parts, just good clean metal sung by a guy that could fill in for Kreator any day.
That's not to say this album lacks any of the dynamism of their peers or eschews more modern
metal songwriting techniques like aggressive double bass drumming or more melodic
Gothenburg style riffs. Songs like "My Hate Unfolds" and "This Translucent Path" blend that
stepped up double bass aggression and melody with an old school German thrash sound to
powerful affect.

For fans of early thrash and speed metal like Kreator, Sodom and pre-Black album Metallica you
really can't go wrong with this release. It's a perfect blend of the straightforward fury of early
German thrash with the power, structure and solos of classic speed metal delivered in a more
scathing style than any of those pioneers could probably imagine.

Check out more reviews at ohboydestroy.

I agree that this is not the most original Melodic Death Metal bands, but it is ironically one of the best outside of Sweden or Finland. This CD is quite amazing, and is better than the last In Flames and Soilwork releases. It sounds like a combination between The Haunted and Arch Enemy. They are a promising band. I like how fast the music is compared to some other Melodic Death Metal bands. Let's hope that these Dutch troopers can make a name for themselves. This CD is worth getting for those who enjoy the Gothenburg sound. Hopefully, they will continue on their path to greatness.

If you have any experience with the underground (read: real) metal scene, you have heard this album before. Many, many times. Period. The production is fantastic, the music is executed without a flaw, and yet there is very little to get excited about here. If you are new to the death/thrash scene, this is a wonderful album. If, like me, you've been into this kind of metal for a long time, you will probably shake your head and reach for Slaughter of the Soul.

As originally written (by me) for RoyalCarnage.com:

CALLENISH CIRCLE is a band that never really got a fair shake, that never gained even half the recognition of many of their peers in the melodic death metal world. Which is a shame, because more often than not, CALLENISH play circles around the bigger names in the genre. And yes, you know who I'm talking about. Most people, even in the "scene," don't realize that vocalist Patrick Savelkoul and the boys have roots dating back to 1992; in fact, it arguably wasn't until they signed with Metal Blade and released Flesh_Power_Dominion in early 2002 that metalheads on every continent began to sit up and take notice. CALLENISH takes all the momentum from their major metal label debut and harnesses it, creating the 10 nuggets of thrashtastic death metal you're now reading about.

Concentrating on rhythm and melody fused regularly and consistently with chug-a-lug riffing and extremely aggressive vocals, My Passion // Your Pain pulls no punches. It will leave you aching yet still begging for more. More pain. And well, uh, more passion as well. Pretty aptly titled album, no? But I digress. The album is remarkably consistent through and through, and delves nicely into many side or sub-genres of melodic death metal. There's something for everyone here (except maybe the necrokult black metal troo grim warriors), from lightning-quick IRON MAIDEN-style leads ("Forsaken") to mid-paced, riff-heavy groove a la AMON AMARTH ("What Could Have Been...") to rhythms galore Swedish-styled thrash ("This Truculent Path"). Unlike other bands who branch out from a distinct sound or style, CALLENISH seems as comfortable with style as they do with any other style. A metal chameleon if you will! Much of the credit for their varied take on modern death/thrash belongs with guitarists Ronny Tyssen and Remy Dieteren, who handle the rhythm/melody and leads, respectively. Meanwhile, Gavin Harte, drums, and Rene Rokx, bass, create the thick, vibrant backdrop for the metal world CALLENISH lives in.

While the album is far from entirely original, CALLENISH CIRCLE mix it up enough to stay interesting long after the first (or even fifteenth) listen. If your metal cravings desire brutal melodic death metal along the lines of AMON AMARTH or GOD DETHRONED, then pick this one up. If your metal cravings desire guitar-heavy modern thrash a la AT THE GATES or CARNAL FORGE, then pick this one up. If your metal cravings enjoy balls-to-the-wall aggression with just the right touch of industrial electronics (think DARK TRANQUILLITY), then pick this one up. If your metal cravings desire a slickly-produced, 40+-minute burst of aggression (with yet another Niklas Sundin art-laden cover), then pick this one up. If you like metal, pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.

What an album! Calling it a masterpiece would not do this album justice. This blows flesh_power_dominion out of the water. Flesh power was the best cd I had. Now it is this one. Every song is mindblowing. I wish they would tour the U.S. If you like melodic metal get this album, you wont be sorry!

These guys take the great old In Flames sound (see 'Whoracle' and 'Colony') and MASTERED it. The production, riffs, and vocals are all perfect. What is original any more? It's all about the songwriting. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this CD. It is a shame that they did not get more popular.