Review Summary: With our voices in harmony, the offering, of a crow quilled threnody.
If you have not heard of Circle Takes The Square, you should be slapped twice across the face. They have one of the most unique sounds I ever heard, and it's a sound that no other band has. They play a mixture of hardcore and chaotic emo, something I like to call 'Experimental Chaotic Screamo.' Circle Takes The Square create an album that is a mixture of aggressive noise and beautiful melodies, as well packing so much emotion into their music and lyrics as well. They create a masterpiece that's sound has not been heard in the music business lately. Their music is made even more beautiful because of the comparison of Drew Speziale's vocals to Kathy Coppola's vocals, which feature and contrast on most of the songs. Circle Takes The Square take a lot of influence from other bands similar to themselves such as Pg.99 and Saetia, and this album is proof of that. They may not be as brutal as Pg.99, but they mix hardcore and emo perfectly.
The lyrics on the album are incredible, some of the best lyrics I've ever seen. The majority of them are so deep and hard to understand the true meaning behind them all. The album revolves around the protagonist, a suicidal man who jumps from the roof of a building. But, when he does so, he regrets it. He then arrives at heaven, realizing it's not all it's hyped up to be. God is very demanding and controls the people there. The protagonist then devises a plan to overthrow god in order to make heaven peaceful. The plan is successful, but he becomes just like god, controlling and demanding. Altogether, I think the lyrics work very well as a story and more bands should do this. You could say that this album is one long poem... Only one hundred times more awesome than a regular poem.
Circle Takes The Square's song structure and technicality are amazing. Drew's guitar work sounds inspired by 80's thrash, whilst the drumming sits at the other end of the scale, resembling some of the main aspects of grind. Caleb Collins is easily one of the most underrated drummers in the history of the world. As usual, the bass lingers in the background like most other albums, but the quiet interludes show the complexity of it. The main highlight of the album's instrumentation for me and many others is the vocal work. As mentioned above, the two vocalists contrast regularly and harmonize perfectly. Drew has performed some of the best vocal work he ever will on any album. The vocal work is undeniably some of the best you will find in the genre.
On average, each song lasts 6 - 7 minutes, except for the last two tracks which clock in at over nine and a half minutes and just over eight minutes respectively. This may be off putting to some, but all the tracks sound so great and this length is perfect. Emo-Violence is a genre that gets thrown around a lot and every song on
As The Roots Undo is the perfect definition of it. Whether it's the quiet interludes of tracks like
In The Nervous Light Of Sunday or be it the full on brutality of
The Same Shade As Concrete, each track is stunning.
This album contains some of the best, most accessible Chaotic Emo to ever be recorded and it certainly lives up to the hype. Whether you're a fan of Pg.99 or I Would Set Myself On Fire For You, this album is worthy of your attention. You may, eventually, get sick of this album after listening to it over 1,038 times but, you can only get sick of it after you've analyzed every little bit of detail on it. It's an incredible album, it really is.
As The Roots Undo lives up to all expectation, and even defines a genre. Circle Takes The Square, I salute you.
