Chuck Schuldiner Project

Monday, December 3, 2018

Stellar Circuits - Ways We Haunt


I don't write about a lot of prog on this blog, but every once in a while something slips through that I find truly inspiring or interesting. Such is the case with Stellar Circuits and their new record Ways We Haunt. This is a powerful ad dynamic record full of interesting ideas and moods that make for some truly compelling, very different and wonderfully driving listening. Spiralling and powerful, Stellar Circuits pays tribute to traditional prog tropes without ever falling victim to them, and it makes for potent art.

The balance of dark and light seems to be a key focus of the work of Stellar Circuits. The powerful, almost swaggering guitars come in tightly controlled and closely balanced against the refined and thrilling assault of the elegant guitar sounds. Meanwhile the futuristic synths and imagery that surround the record makes for a really exciting sonic painting that allows you to dig in deep to the record and get a sense of where the artists were hoping to come from. This is a majestic listen and one that sweeps elegantly from peak to peak, an authoritative statement on the status of progressive metal in 2018.

With influences from across the board (I think I can even identify hints of pop punk in there?) and the skill to pull all of it off with aplomb, Stellar Circuits is the kind of band that you are going to get completely lost in. Shimmering and pretty whilst unafraid to dump into decidedly girthy and crunchy riffage, Stellar Circuits use Ways We Haunt as a sort of exercise in sonic balance. They demand a lot of the listener, but they also give a lot. It's a release that shows a band with a ton of potential getting ready to reach the next level and I am thrilled.

Find them on Facebook! 
https://www.facebook.com/stellarcircuits/

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