“ a forty-two minute barrage of apocalyptic sonic bliss.. it's conceptual, rewarding listening that leaves me in awe after every play ”
5/5 - Real Groove Magazine
2007 has been a busy year for Battle Circus. Since seeing in the New Year performing in front of an 800-strong crowd on Great Barrier Island, the Auckland band has played their first international shows in Melbourne clubs; travelled to Taiwan for a main stage performance at the country's infamous Spring Scream Festival; returned to Australia for a full tour supporting art-rock vanguards The Red Paintings; and somehow found the time to complete their debut album, "The Half-Light Symphony".
With recording commencing in November 2006, the band have been steadily nurturing and evolving the record with producer David Holmes (Jakob, Gramsci, New Way Home), and the result is the sound of a band with the utmost conviction for their art.
Unashamedly grandiose in its scale, dramatic in its delivery, and profound in its depiction of mankind’s evolution through a shattered post-nuclear world, this album is a symphony in every sense of the word. Its four movements guide the listener through a veritable cinematic journey - fusing ferocious guitars, soaring piano, intricate rhythms, stirring string arrangements and eerie subterranean soundscapes, before finally reaching a sensational climax at the close of the fourth movement.
The explosive lead single "Love In A Fallout Shelter" packs three and a half minutes of the second movement into a powerhouse of texture and sound. From the hypnotic, pulsing opening synth to its fierce buzz-saw guitars and driving distorted bassline to its final crashing chords, it is undoubtedly the most dynamic Battle Circus song to hit the radio yet, and has crashed into the 95bFM Top 10.
While firmly entrenched in its narrative concept, The Half-Light Symphony is a bold statement of intent. This is the sound of a band staking its claim on music that is brash and unpredictable, technically compelling, and never ceases to captivate the listener’s imagination.
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