Battle Beast's 'Circus of Doom' - Album Review

Looking back at my review of the Finnish power metal act Battle Beast's fifth studio album No More Hollywood Endings (which can be read here), I think that it is fair to say that I had mixed feelings about the 2019 release. Whilst Battle Beast have always been a power metal band, they have always included plenty of melodic hard rock and AOR elements in their sound. The heaviness has always come first, but big pop melodies have also been a key component of Battle Beast's sound. No More Hollywood Endings changed this somewhat. The band's 2019 effort was easily their least-heavy album to date, and it found the band at something of a crossroads. Having survived the departure of their original main songwriter Anton Kabanen in 2015 and proved that life without him was rosy on 2017's excellent Bringer of Pain (which I reviewed here), I feel like No More Hollywood Endings was very much the band trying to shake off all of the vestiges of Kabanen's sound and truly become their own band. At times, the album was more of an AOR album than a power metal one - and many fans struggled to adapt to this more laid back and poppy Battle Beast. There were a handful of songs that sounded like the Battle Beast of old, but on many of the tracks the heaviness was stripped away - and my initial view was that the album was quite tepid. It did grow on me over time, however, and the songs sounded great live when I saw the band live later in 2019, but it is certainly not as good as Bringer of Pain for me - and it is not an album that I have returned to that often. I feel that the band were caught between wanting to establish a new, poppier identity and sticking to what they knew. It felt like that band's heart was not really in either direction, either, and as such No More Hollywood Endings suffered. Three years on, however, and it seems that Battle Beast have decided that they want to remain a power metal band - and their newly-released sixth album Circus of Doom is a big step up from No More Hollywood Endings - from a cohesion perspective anyway. No More Hollywood Endings still has some very good songs on it despite my issues with it, but Circus of Doom feels a lot more like the band have settled on the path which they wish to take. It is much closer to Bringer of Pain in sound, with fast-paced power metal dominating the album. There are still plenty of pop hooks and synths to be found throughout, but there is a heaviness and a sense of urgency that was missing last time. Despite the album sounding very much like a classic Battle Beast album, however, there are a few tweaks to the band's core sound. The band have never gone for a symphonic sound in a big way, but Circus of Doom certainly flirts with that style. This is certainly not a symphonic metal album, but there is a grandness to some of the songs here which is generally lacking from the band's core sound. The big melodies are still here however, and the vocal performance throughout from frontwoman Noora Louhimo is as powerful as ever.

Given the album's title, too, it should not come as a surprise that some of the songs here have something of a theatrical quality. The album opens in this fashion, with the title track containing plenty of vaudevillian melodies. It starts slowly with a gentle melody, but the song soon becomes a great mid-paced rocker. There is heavier stuff to come, but the song's grooves, circus-esque melodies, and crunchy riffing certainly allow the album to open with a bang. It is also a song that showcases the album's grandness. Instead of focusing on synths throughout, keyboardist Janne Björkroth bulks out the verses with a mix of ringing piano chords and sweeping string patches - with the latter in particular also boosting the overall sound of the chorus. A gothic choir helps out Louhimo during choruses, and the song is one of the biggest-sounding from a dense arrangement perspective that the band has written to date. The mid-paced crunching riffing allows the keyboards to add this theatrical depth, but the song still sounds like classic Battle Beast - just with a newfound symphonic sheen. Wings of Light is more typical of the band's core sound, however. The song is a bit more upbeat than Circus of Doom, with Janne's synths backing the opening guitar riffing nicely - before totally taking over during the verses. The guitars are largely absent from the verses, with Eero Sipilä's bass instead providing the main groove - while Janne's symphonic keyboard flourishes add melody. This song is probably the most overtly symphonic metal piece that the band have written, and the verses in particular really remind me of Nightwish's recent singles. The arrangement is very similar, and even the bass groove throughout has shades of Tuomas Holopainen's songwriting style. The symphonic metal style suits Battle Beast, and it certainly allows Louhimo to shine vocally. She never attempts to sing in a more operatic manner, but her powerful voice soars atop the string-fuelled song. A couple of great guitar solos, presumably from Joona Björkroth, add some metal virtuosity to the song too - and the track is an album highlight as a result. Master of Illusion has a somewhat symphonic sound too, but the guitars play a much bigger role this time. Despite the presence of strings during the song's intro, it is the duelling guitars of Joona and Juuso Soinio that provide the main hooks early on. The two guitarists often lock together throughout the track to conjure up some excellent harmony guitar leads - and the ever-presence of the lead guitar stops the symphonic elements dominating. The melodies are much more classic Battle Beast in tone, however, with Louhimo's vocal hooks sounding very familiar - while drummer Pyry Vikki lays down a stomping beat. Songs like this filled Bringer of Pain, and it great to hear the band sounding so crunchy again.

Where Angels Fear to Fly is similar, and again opens with some soaring guitar leads. Despite the symphonic trappings throughout the album, the emphasis placed on guitar leads and solos sets Battle Beast apart from most symphonic metal bands - who generally tend to use the guitar as a purely rhythmic instrument. There are, of course, moments when Battle Beast do the same, but generally the guitar is much more important to the band's sound. It contributes to their signature crunch, and the lead work throughout is always strong. There are still a lot of keyboards to be found here too, however, but this time Janne opts for more synth-esque sounds. As such, the song sounds much less symphonic - although there are moments that return to some of the crazy circus-esque melodies from the opening number. These sections include some of Louhimo's most unhinged vocals on the album, and it is great to hear her really letting rip. Eye of the Storm opens with a twinkly keyboard melody, but the song soon morphs into another classic-sounding Battle Beast track - albeit with some of the symphonic sounds reinstated. The verses again have that Nightwish vibe, with a strutting groove and occasional keyboard flourishes, but it mostly just sounds like Battle Beast - especially when the chorus kicks in. Battle Beast's choruses generally have a pretty distinctive sound, and Eye of the Storm is arguably a quintessential example of it. It has the somewhat danceable groove that the band have become known for, thanks to Vikki's pulsing beats, with Louhimo's fast-paced, catchy vocal melodies. The song will certainly become an earworm as a result - and a shredding guitar solo fits in naturally with the song's upbeat vibe. My overall favourite track here, however, might well be Russian Roulette. It is classic Battle Beast from top to bottom, and it is packed full of great grooves - which are certainly very danceable. The chorus is very poppy, with gated drums and a dancefloor groove - which Louhimo perfectly sings atop, while she is backed by some of the returning circus melodies from a couple of the album's previous songs. The songs reminds me a little of Dancing With the Beast from Bringer of Pain, but amped up to meet the band's typical heaviness. The grooves of the former song remain, however, and there is certainly something very club-esque about the track - which is what helps the melodies to sound as big as they do. Freedom tones down the danceable grooves, but it ups the pace overall. At first it seems as if the song will be a slower cut, with a sombre guitar lead kicking things off, but soon Vikki starts to lay into his bass drums and the track becomes a Judas Priest-esque ripper with fast paced riffing and some of Louhimo's grittiest vocals on the album. She has such a versatile voice, but she perhaps sounds at her best when she goes for a slightly gruffer approach to suit the band's heavier side. She is always impressive when she sings, however, and she is a big part of what helps the band's appeal to endure.

The Road to Avalon gets its groove back, as well as reinstating some of the symphonic trappings from the album's earlier moments. The song opens with a flurry of shredded guitar leads, but the track is generally a crunchy mid-paced rocker with a great groove. There is a synth-led beat that is constantly plugging away behind the song, and it helps to give the piece a real dancefloor sound. Some of the other songs here are more overtly groove-laden, but this song has a constant buzz about it that will certainly get crowds moving if the band choose to play it live. It is blessed with a great power metal-esque chorus too, and one of the album's best instrumental sections that sees keyboard and guitar solos interweaving with each other to create lots of great harmony runs. Armageddon is much heavier, and is another song with those Nightwish-esque verses that the band have introduced on this album. It starts with twinkling keyboards and Louhimo's frantic vocals, but a big guitar riff sets the tone for the song's general heaviness. There is an ever-present crunch throughout the song, and Louhimo again goes for her gritty vocal approach. There are even backing vocal-esque sections that sound like she is growling somewhat. It is not exactly a full-on growl, but these sections are certainly very throaty - and help to add an extra edge to the song. It is another track that is sure to go down well live thanks to its energy and riff-based structure. The album comes to a close with Place That We Call Home, which is actually one of the album's fastest tracks. Vikki uses his double bass drums pretty much throughout the song, and gives the track an urgency that is largely missing from the album. The symphonic sound is back too, and the piece is really grand thanks to the string-fuelled depth throughout. These strings replace Janne's typical synths, but his keyboards still play across the guitars nicely to create those classic Battle Beast melodies. Given that it is the album's last song, the band clearly wanted to make it sound big, and everything within seems to take things up a notch. The guitar solo seems grander than usual, with less focus on shredding and more focus on statement melodies, while the choruses are backed by choirs and strings in a big way - which suits Louhimo's powerful vocal display perfectly. It ends the album on a high, and reaffirms the fact that the band seem to have decided what sort of band they want to be. Circus of Doom as a whole does that, however, and the AOR side of the band is rarely on show here. Some of the vocal melodies have that vibe, but generally this is a relatively heavy album that focuses on riffing and gritty vocal melodies. It sounds like the Battle Beast of old as a result, and it is sure to be a popular one with the fans following the relatively lukewarm reception that No More Hollywood Endings received.

The album was released on 21st January 2022 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Eye of the Storm.