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Circle of Silence are a German band who have been around for eight years and produced four albums, yet they have remained below the radar. I had heard of this band, but never actually heard their stuff. One look at the cover and you expect some kind of Primal Fear-styled Teutonic crunching, and that's not far from the mark.

Circle of Silence have a big, booming sound, with big guitars and a first-rate production job. They have that heaviness and propulsive sound I associate with German bands like Mystic Prophecy or Primal Fear. Vocalist Niklas Keim has a smoother, less aggressive approach than the standard, and he injects a good bit of hookiness. Other times the band gets intensely heavy and Keim is more than able to keep up. He has his limits as a singer, but enthusiasm is not one of them. From the powerful opener "Blood of Enemies" there is not really a dull moment on here. There are no real A-Grade songs, but this album is really consistent and keeps the energy level up all the way through. Fans of straight-up Heavy Metal like Iron Fire or Emerald will love the fuck out of this. A tremendously enjoyable album.