Circle Of Contempt is a five-piece progressive deathcore band from Finland. They formed in 2006 and have since self-released an EP in 2008 (Color Lines) and a full-length album in 2009 (Artifacts In Motion) through Sumerian Records. Their latest effort, an EP entitled Entwine The Threads, was released on December 11th, 2012.
First, let’s start with the vocals. About a year ago, Circle Of Contempt’s original vocalist (Riku Haavisto) left the band. Shortly after, Denis Hautaniemi assumed the role of lead vocalist. Denis’ vocals are pretty beastly, but they fail to impress and stand out as much as the vocals heard on Artifacts In Motion. The range isn’t quite as broad, which causes Denis to become slightly monotonous, and there are no more clean vocals. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed after my first playthrough of Entwine The Threads because I hoping for at least one or two cleanly sung verses or choruses to spice things up.
Moving onto the guitars, this would be a fantastic progressive-core release with a bit less chugging. Everything would be fine and dandy if one of the guitarists was always (or usually) bringing some melody to the table, but the only track that features an abundance of melody that really stands out is “To Entitle Vacancy”. There are melodic leads, groovy riffs, and mini captivating solos scattered throughout Entwine The Threads, but Circle Of Contempt would benefit from adding even more to songs like “Entwine The Threads” and “Dare To Defy”.
Next, the bass – or lack thereof. I listened to this EP several times and rarely did I even notice any bass at all. Everything else in the mix seems to be much more audible, while the bass drifts off in the background. This seems to be a reoccurring theme in metal releases and I’ve come to let it slide because I almost expect it now.
Last, but most certainly not least, the drumming and “extras”. The drumming on Entwine The Threads is spectacular, that’s all there is to it. The drummer displays a lot of solid technique over the course of the nearly 20-minute long Entwine The Threads and every single note he plays on the kit sounds extremely crisp. Another thing that really impressed me was the use of synth. Synth can be heard on a few tracks, most notably “Dare To Defy”, and it fits perfectly every time it’s utilized.
All-in-all, I was fairly impressed with Circle Of Contempt’s sophomore Sumerian release. The EP starts off a little slow with the title track, but it picks up as it goes along and by the time you’re a minute into it, you’ll probably be bobbing your head (at the very least). As previously mentioned, my favourite track is “To Entitle Vacany” because there is just so much going on in that song and I’m sure that most listeners will feel the same way. The other tracks are all very strong, but aside from “To Entitle Vacany”, nothing is extraordinary. 
Links: Facebook
