Circle Of Bards

Tales

Written by: PP on 17/07/2011 16:56:46

Circle of Bards are an acoustic folk rock unit from Poland who spend their time exploring celtic themes. Consequently, they've earned a reputation within the review corps for being a band designed for people who enjoy live role-playing games pretending to be medieval bards, troubadours, knights and all that stuff. I wouldn't limit their appeal to just that niché, but then again their folksy take on the theme on "Tales" may be a bit too much for some people.

Circle Of Bards tackle their chosen musical theme through acoustically driven guitar melodies complemented by clean, occasionally poppy vocals. It can be argued that the songs recall the acoustic songs by Blind Guardian and definitely those celtic themed songs by Blackmore's Night, but I can also hear influence from all-acoustic progressive rock act Weh in the mix too, although where Weh sound like they're exploring the Scandinavian beautiful nature landscapes, Circle Of Bards sound like they're straight out of the Schwarzwald forest in Germany.

On some tracks, such as "Bridges We Shall Pass" and on the Polish "Teczowy Most", they have some success in crafting good folk/celtic/singer-songwriter melodies that sound interesting. But in reality, the instrumentals might as well be minimalistic as they are non-essential in what Circle Of Bards are aiming for here. The lyrics focus around celtic legends and are very clearly the focal point of the release. And here's the problem: if you're like me, who can't for the love of god muster any kind of interest in medieval themes whether in movies, music or TV series, there's very little on "Tales" to interest you. In fact, you'll most likely find it a rather boring, though not necessary bad, release.

6

Download: Bridges We Shall Pass, Teczowy Most
For the fans of: Blackmore's Night, acoustic Blind Guardian songs, Weh
Listen: Myspace

Release date 21.02.2011
Electrum Production

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