Connect the Circle – Wolf in the Sky

Who doesn’t enjoy a good story about potential extinction? Norwegian progressive metal band Connect the Circle have a new album that tells the tale of such a situation. The cataclysmic events recounted in “Wolf in the Sky” relate to a volcanic eruption in 536 AD and the subsequent consequences. The band formed in 2018 and have been very busy since. To say they are prolific is somewhat of an understatement as this album is their fourth in just seven years.

Two short tracks serve to set the scene for this story of the struggle to survive in the face of adversity. The opener ‘Outbreak’ is a stirring, optimistic instrumental that culminates in the thunderous cacophony of the volcano erupting. This classical sounding orchestral overture is followed by ‘Wolf in the Sky Pt 1’ which switches the mood to plaintive. It’s a gentle acoustic song that introduces the vocals of Arild Fevang who sings of the confusion in the aftermath of the eruption. The song title obviously refers to the ash cloud as depicted in the dramatic cover artwork.

The album and storyline continue with ‘A Sun Without Brightness’ which is a longer and heavier chapter. As the volcano continues to spew out ash, the weather changes and survival becomes harder. The primitive minds struggle to understand what is happening to them, adding to the fear. Believing that this is the work of their angry gods, they turn to ways of appeasement.  Giving up one’s possessions seems the only answer, and this episode is told in ‘Sacrifice’. The track is punchy and optimistic sounding, punctuated by dramatic chords and gothic keyboards.

The seasons then seem to blend into one which is unfortunately, winter. This further downturn in conditions is spelt out in the track ‘Never Ending Winter’ and its accompanying video. Expect mournful verses with catchy chorus lines all interwoven in complex riffs and a varied structure.

There is a guest drummer for the whole album, and it is none other than fellow countryman Baard Kolstad from Leprous. It would seem he is much in demand, and with the record label being The Norwegian Sound it makes it totally Norwegian.

The next track ‘Plague’ tells you how things are going; not well. The increasingly desperate lyrics are delivered between sharp riffs and shifts in tempo becoming more urgent sounding towards the end of the song. It’s one of the longer numbers on the album at 8 ½ minutes.

Shorter and more upbeat comes ‘On the Run’, the title speaks for itself as the story nears its conclusion. Guitarist Kenneth Brastad provides a scorching solo which adds to the feeling of exodus.

With just two tracks to go and things look better in ‘Wolf in the Sky pt 2’ with the sun reappearing. This paves the way for the last and longest track. The finale is ‘Hundred Years of Silence’ which is a mere 9 ½ minutes long and entirely instrumental. Taking up almost 20% of the album it is the most varied and pleasing track for me.

This is a band I haven’t come across before, but I’m glad I have now. I’m going to investigate their other albums because I feel that I might have missed out. It will be interesting to see what comes next because they have a penchant for telling stories in detail both lyrically and musically.

Track-list:

1. Outbreak
2. Wolf in the Sky pt 1
3. A Sun Without Brightness
4. Sacrifice
5. Never Ending Winter
6. Plague
7. On the Run
8. Wolf in the Sky pt 2
9. Hundred Years of Silence