Artist: Circle of Bards
Title: Tales
Type: Album
Label: Electrum Production

First off, this is not a metal album. It’s not folk metal, folk tinged metal, or any form of metal. It’s a folk album. If you are a pure metal warrior who bleeds mercury, shites steel, and whose hand are permanently twisted into the horns, do not read on, it’s not for you. If, however, you have a wider range of tastes, and are willing to allow your stereo to have the occasional acoustic output, read on.

Hailing from Poland, Circle of Bards is the one man project of Mariusz Migalka, performing all writing duties, vocals, lead and rhythm guitar duties, and even providing the album’s art, the additional musicians who provide flutes, strings, and percussion being listed as “guests” on the sleeve. In terms of musical delivery, his sound has a distinctly Celtic sound to some of the tracks, layering up traditional percussive beats and occasionally Clannad like vocal harmonies. Mariusz’s lyrics, sung with a clean clear delivery, are peppered through with mystic references, sometimes sounding as if he’s singing from a Dungeons and Dragons rule book, all magical warriors and mystic quests. Sadly this can make tracks like ‘My Magic Song’ and ‘Fighting the Dragons’ sound almost cliqued and a bit samey. This may be a consequence of writing and singing in English, a language that is not his own, as those tracks in his native Polish are imbued with far greater passion and seem to play more easily. ‘Czarne Smoki’ (Black Dragons) and ‘Teczowy Most’ (Rainbow Bridge) have a natural sound and flow to the singing that is obvious in the more powerful vocal delivery.

‘Tales’ is a mellow and relaxing 34 minutes of medieval tinged acoustic folk, and should your music collection contain examples of Blackmore’s Nights or early Jethro Tull, this would make a worthy addition.

http://www.myspace.com/circleofbards
http://www.circleofbards.pl