This was an idea that crept into my head back in late 2022, but it’s an idea that I feel is ripe to pick. Whenever I finish a year, I never really talk about the albums I listened to in that respective time. Save for my honorable mention & no. 1 album review, I never look at the records from my top 5 albums of that year, but it ends today! Starting in April, and going some time into May, I will be looking at the releases from the previous year, and saving my traditional honorable mention & no. 1 album reviews for November like always. Kicking things off was an album I severely underestimated. It opened 2022, and took me completely by surprise once I sat down to give it a listen, upon with it cautiously restored my faith in a band I hold close to my heart. So, grab you ticket to the bigtop, don’t stare at the clown right next to your seat, and get ready for my review of Battle Beast’s oddly titled Circus Of Doom. Let’s begin!
Background
Despite the criticism’s directed towards No More Hollywood Endings, Battle Beast continued to move forward with their career, managing to do a pretty good job getting their name out some more. Then 2020 came in all of it’s unholy glory, and we all know too well what that plagued year was like. However, even a world-traveled plague couldn’t keep these Finns down, and on the 4th of October, 2021, the band announced that they had a 6th studio album coming down the pipe. Just a couple short months later, on the 21st of January in 2022, Circus Of Doom was released.
Basic Description
The “Lost” Battle Beast album.
I must confess, when I heard the first singles that were released, I wasn’t exactly excited. No More Hollywood Endings was still somewhat fresh in my mind. Though said singles weren’t of an awful quality like almost everything off of that record, they were leaning in that direction. Then I listened to the whole thing, and my opinion changed massively. My doubt was practically dissolved by the time I was done, and was replaced with a kind of cautious optimism that makes me kind of excited for whatever the band was going to do next. As I listened to Circus Of Doom, I was reminded of Battle Beast’s first 3 releases when Anton Kabanen. I was reminded of a period in their career when they weren’t seemingly trying to erase his presence, and by extent erasing their past. Because of that, it’s the reason why I consider it the “Lost” Battle Beast album. It feels like an album they made when Anton was there, but for some reason they didn’t release it.
Best Track
Like I said when I updated the Battle Beast/Beast In Black overview, Russian Roulette was a killer track upon my first listen, and still is over a year later. It’s got great instrumentation, wonderful vocals from Noora, a nice mid-pace for the tracks run time, and just an awesome atmosphere. This is the kind of song you’d hear in a back alley bar, and it’s filled with some scruffy looking people. Despite it’s name, there’s no suicidal allegory, as it feels like the kind of tune you’d be hearing in the bar as a gunfight (Or Martial Arts fight) is going down, and you managed to take out a bad guy or two.
Russian Roulette
Worst Track
Also like I said when I updated the overview, Circus Of Doom’s only fault lies with the energy of the opening tracks. Again, nothing on this album is bad, but the first 2 to maybe 3 tracks don’t quite have as much energy as all of the others. These 2 to 3 tune definitely have some oomph & headbanging energy behind their notes, but the don’t quite make as much of an impact in my opinion.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Circus Of Doom
Overall Impression & Rating
Circus Of Doom really feels like the band turned things around after what they released back in 2019. Though the beginning few tracks don’t have as much steam as everything else, the overall package is wonderful, and feels like Battle Beast might be returning to their roots off of their first 3 releases. I can only say that if you felt disillusioned by what No More Hollywood Endings was, then you will like what Circus Of Doom is.
Circus Of Doom gets an 8.5 out of 10.
And that was my review of Circus Of Doom, and the start of looking at the best albums of 2022. It was refreshing to hear a band that took a bad sharp turn, and correct themselves just as sharply. If they managed to recover this fast, then maybe they’ll keep going strong. So, we got one of the next releases to cover, and it just so happens to be one that tied with these Finnish beauties. See you soon!
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