Album Review: "World Within the World" by Grave Circles

Label: Schattenkult Produktionen
Genre: Black Metal
Length: 47:24
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Grave Circles is a Ukrainian black metal band founded in 2016. After a debut EP Tome I (2017), followed by their debut album Tome II (2019), the band followed up with a second EP Pestilence and Death in 2022. In April 2025, the band made a comeback with an intense and terrifying second album entitled World Within the World, released via the German label Schattenkult Produktionen in digipak CD format. It was through this work that I discovered the merciless, esoteric world of Grave Circles.

Featuring eight tracks totalling 47 minutes and 24 seconds, World Within the World is a monolith of abrasive, direct and uncompromising black metal. Cutting guitars lacerate the sound space, supported by monumental drums and angry, strident vocals. Variations in tempo are frequent, and the addition of discreet but sinister keyboards intensifies the noxious atmosphere (on the first track). Although some passages offer a semblance of instrumental respite, the oppressive sound and dark atmosphere remain omnipresent, sometimes flirting with ritualistic tones.

Among the most memorable moments is the transition at 1:59 into the opening track Feral Instinct, which plunges the listener into a dark, angry spiral. At 3:07, the riffs become heavier, accentuating the darkness of an already suffocating composition. On The Last of Us, the band strike with a blistering intensity from the outset. At 0:57, a break occurs: the vocals roar with power, the drums go wild, between frenetic blast beats and cutting riffs. The passage from 4:14 onwards is particularly irresistible. Yielding to the Embrace of the Ground immediately sets a heavy pace, with furious vocals and a heartfelt acceleration at 1:03. The majestic solo at 4:16 stands out as one of the album's technical highlights. The Die is Cast stands out as the most complex piece on the album: changes of rhythm, elaborate arrangements, melodies hidden in the apparent chaos... it's all there. The vocals here are incredibly effective, and the ritualistic passage at 5:41 with its cavernous chants intensifies the track's occult depth. This track has definitely made my annual black metal playlist (Black Metal - Serial List 2025)

On Antithesis, it's the vocal performance that impresses with its violence and provocation. At 1:41, classic black metal riffs burst forth with power, a strong reference to the roots of the genre. The moment at 3:25, which plunges the listener into abysmal darkness before the infernal revival of the instruments, is truly freezing in its effectiveness. Mournful Will Be That Day of Doom stands out for its mournful, funereal atmosphere, reinforced by martial drums and a composition that reaches a climax at 5:51. The Wavering Radiant, the shortest track on the record, condenses all the band's rage into a crushing format, with choked, suffocating vocals. One More Drop, the final and longest track, opens with sharp, deafening guitars. It's the second most accomplished track in terms of construction: nuanced transitions, a gradual build-up of tension, and an anguished finale carried by uncompromising vocals. At 5:29, a more melodic and twisted sequence emerges, like a last bitter breath that concludes the album in abyss.

My favourites tracks are: Yielding to the Embrace of the Ground, The Die is Cast, Antithesis, and One More Drop.

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