CIRKELN is a melodic black metal band from Stockholm, Sweden who formed in 2019. In such a short time, they have been prolific—-”The Primitive Covenant” is their third full length album. They have also released a demon and an EP. It is actually a one man project. I have to admit this album is quite the surprise for me. I’ve never heard of this band;project before so I had no idea what to expect. Although the band is definitely based upon black metal, they have am unique vibe and atmosphere that includes the incorporation of more traditional, old school heavy metal sounds. But the song writing is so good, the styles blend together perfectly—it is more of a true combination of genres rather than the songs switching back and forth between styles over and over again.

The album opens with “Garden of Thorns,” and within thirty seconds there is an insanely catchy galloping rhythm. Soon after, blackened tone riffs and vocals come in, fully displaying the project's style. The guitars are catchy as hell and memorable–but every instrument, and the vocals, display a penchant for top tier songwriting. .This song is nearly seven and a half minutes long but is blazes through and what feels like a much slower period, but that just proves how good it is. This is an album that embraces it’s many faces. “Ensam I Natt,” is a black metal barn burner that barrels through at just under two minutes. But in this short frame, a ton of lead guitar and groove is thrown in. Tight bass, drums, and energetic vocals round this short but blistering adventure. Apparently it is a cover but I've never heard the original so I can't compare.

“Defiled and Satanized” takes a similar furious path but soon the song opens up with a traditional approach that I just can’t get out of my head. The guitar is clever and could fit right in with any album from the 80’s metal scene. At the halfway mark, the band slows it down to a crushing crawl before clean vocals and riffs for days lead into a melodic passage with a emotive solo to finish out the song. “As I Lay Waiting,” is another banger with a underground feel to it, mostly due to the vocals which are laced with some echo but not an over amount. A thrash metal passage finds its way into the first quarter of the song before the band rocks out hard with balls out riffs. My whole body was moving while jamming this beast of a song.

“The Death of Thy Father,” grabbed me immediately with melodies that transition to a biting guitar solo. The mid paced rhythm of the song finds a sweet spot that allows the guitars to drop in and out with various styles of leads. This song has a very strong heavy metal feel to it but it’s also blackened as hell. I loved being surprised by how good an album is, especially when I don’t know the band and it's this late in the year. “The Primitive Covenant” is a very impressive album and it will appeal to a wide range of metalheads. This is definitely one of the freshest sounding albums I’ve heard in this last half of the year.