Circle of Dawn - Savonian Supremacy

The spearhead of Savonian black metal, Circle of Dawn, made it clear already on their debut (Northern Savonian Black Metal, 2017) that Savonia had arrived — and arrived hard. Despite their stern image, the band’s music occasionally turns into downright delicate atmospheric contemplation, and they have not shied away from such moments on their second full-length either.

This compact six-track effort once again refuses to abandon the band’s sources of humor, allowing their distinctive Savonian character to run wild, albeit with a suitable degree of restraint. Under the watchful eye of Pekka Siitoin (!), there are no lyrics or otherwise particularly meaningful information to be found, so the music speaks its plain and unadorned language through the instruments.

What makes the band particularly strange and exceptional is the combination of almost hooligan-like racket, roaring vocals and a certain fuck-you attitude with melodic riffing, elements of folk music and more delicate ambient passages. Some of the keyboard-driven sections even give a strong nod to the dungeon synth sounds of the ’90s.

It is precisely the band’s highly original approach that makes them interesting. At the same time, however, honesty demands admitting that all these ingredients could have been put together much more effectively. While none of the individual shortcomings or flaws are particularly serious, there are surprisingly many of them scattered across the album.

After several listens, the album’s biggest weakness turns out to be its rather spineless sound. Whether viewed from the perspective of rawer black metal or extreme metal in general, the guitars simply lack punch, and this becomes even more apparent during the melodic sections.

In the mix, the guitars seem to have been left buried beneath everything else. On the other hand, some of the more melodic riffs are hardly anything to write home about — the middle section of Haunebu Division Savonian, for instance. When someone is then loudly bellowing about an iron eagle while the bloated bass guitar is brought to the fore, the whole thing only becomes more unintentionally hilarious.

The second, and more substantial, source of complaint is the vocal department, which is highly inconsistent. The chanting vocals seem to go wherever they please, while the somewhat theatrical roaring sits rather awkwardly with this kind of music. The growls themselves are perfectly decent, but there simply aren’t enough of them on the album.

There are some tasty ideas here as well, and at their best the band shines in the folk-inflected sections and more melodic moments, aside from the individual exceptions mentioned above. The ambient nature of the final track feels somewhat disconnected from the rest of the album, even though I do enjoy the atmosphere it creates.

Savonian Supremacy is a highly uneven album, but at least it is a 100-percent unique release. It sounds like nothing else I have come across, and that alone is a certain achievement. Circle of Dawn are a uniquely strange and different Savonian band, and getting inside their world may require a larger dose of Puijo than is realistically available anywhere outside Savonia.

Track list:
1. Yksin aikaa vastaan, yksin-maailmaa vastaan
2. Ähläms
3. Herää, Suomen kansa!
4. Hyperborea
5. Haunebu Division Savonia
6. Ariosophy Meditation

Links:
https://vk.com/circleofdawn
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Circle_of_Dawn/3540404933