Band:	Circle Of Ouroborus
Album:	The Final Egg
Style:	Experimental black metal
Release date:	June 2013

01. Closing The Door
02. Moon Beams And Wood Beams
03. The Surface The Deep
04. Current
05. Sleepless
06. Still Life
07. The Misery Of The Everlasting

One of the unquestionable strengths of black metal in its modern incarnation has to lie in the fact that so many of its bands refuse to allow any rigid set of guidelines to dictate what the genre should be. What was once one of the most aggressive and frightening branches of metal has now begun to expand well beyond its previous confines, incorporating a vast array of outside influences stretching from the accessible to the utterly bizarre. Finland's Circle Of Ouroborus have made use of a bit of both, creating an atmosphere of hypnotism that sees its continuation with this year's latest installation in their entrancing saga.

The Final Egg more or less follows up on Circle Of Ouroborus' pre-established formula: a thick, hazy layer of ambience, simple (yet effective) drumming, and a production technique that somewhat buries the vocals in the mix, effectively giving them a more mysterious vibe by being partially smothered by the instrumentation. Unlike the band's previous effort, Eleven Fingers, which sounded more ominous and imposing, here the music overall comes across as a little "brighter," with more melody than before that almost seems a bit shoegaze-ish at points, especially on opener "Closing The Door."

Black metal moments on The Final Egg are very subtle, such as the shrieks on "Moon Beams And Wood Beams," or "Still Life," and these elements come across much more so in Circle Of Ouroborus' musical delivery than in their vocal delivery. Indeed, although a bit relaxed, many of the melodies sound quite fitting for your typical atmospheric BM album, especially on "The Surface The Deep" and "Sleepless." This is quite the interesting method, because it still gives The Final Egg its black metal aesthetic, but with a very distinct, nuanced type of delivery.

With The Final Egg effort, Circle Of Ouroborus serve up (as they have in the past) a very "less is more" type of formula. The musical design is pretty minimalist, and at times one may find themselves wanting more out of it, perhaps a guitar lead or two, or some more black metal shrieks. But somehow, in a weird mindfuck sort of way, the band's 2013 effort feels complete in its lackings, as though any extra additions to it would change the album in a way that simply wouldn't make it work as effectively. Experimental black metal, shoegaze, or whatever you'd like to call them, with The Final Egg Circle Of Ouroborus have delivered another solid effort, continuing to add to the growing trend in their country's metal underground for haunting atmospheres and unorthodox song structures.