Not to be confused with the Belgian band by the same name (and a couple of acts from other countries), this now possibly defunct band from Finland was founded in 1991 in the town of Pori, and throughout the years went through a series of line-up changes, making bassist/ guitarist Jussi Lehtisalo the only constant member.
In essence Circle is/was an experimental Rock act, which depending on the album got the band classified into the sub-genres Progressive Rock, Krautrock, Ambient, Speed-Kraut, Avant-Rock, and on a couple of albums found the band defining its music as New Wave Of Finnish Heavy Metal. Over the years, the at times prolific band has had quite a few releases, these including 14 exclusive singles (among which split releases with Psychoplasma, DisCo, and Acid Mothers Temple), an EP, 14 live albums (with 2006's Arkades containing exclusive material not found on any studio album), two soundtracks, and 25 studio albums! They have released through several labels, including Bad Vugum (beginning years), Fourth Dimension, Metamorphos, Super Metsä (mainly live albums), Belgium's Conspiracy (2011's Infektio), Hydra Head (2012's Manner LP), No Quarter, and several other labels. Since 2000, the band has also regularly released albums through Finnish label Ektro Records, and those have, in recent times even taken the trouble to re-release some of the band's older material (including debut and sophomore album Meronia and Zopalki, originally released in 1004 and 1996).
Since the band's 2003 album Guillotine, the band's line-up got some stability with the core of Lehtisalo, Mika Rättö, Tomi Leppänen and Janne Westerlund, and since 2009 Julius and Pekka Jääskaläinen have also played on every album. During the band's lifetime, its members have frequently been involved in side projects. Lethisalo (with Leppänen and Westerlund) was active with Pharaoh Overlord, and also performed & recorded as a duo with Rättö, and as a trio with Kauko Röyhkä (in 2012 he also got into a venture named Split Cranium, with Aaron Turner of Isis fame). Side-projects with other Circle members include Aaviko, Dokter Kettu, Ektroverde, K-X-P, Lusiferiinin Armosta, Plain Ride and steel Mammoth, amongst others. (info taken & re-written from the band's page on Wikipedia)
As mentioned in the first paragraph, there's some confusion as to Circle's current activities. In an announcement placed on the band's website (www.) circlefinland.com concerning the first release (a single off a forthcoming full-length) under the bandname of Falcon (ex-Circle), the guys talk about having leased the Circle brand to a group of musicians who will create new albums under that name in the future, claiming that working under that brand had become too much of a job...and go on by stating that the lease contract would dissolve at the end of 2013, which would return the Circle brand to Falcon, who may then continue under the name Circle (ex-Falcon). Confusing? Try this for size : during the rest of 2013 all of Circle's booked concerts will be performed by Circle's longstanding line-up! Sounds like someone is trying to pull a fast one on the lot of us, and the Falcon (ex-Circle) brand seems to me like an excuse for the band members to split from their usual brand of music, and have an excuse for playing a more straight-forward Rock....hah! Well, future will tell (hopefully we get to review the Falcon (ex-Circle) full-length as well)!
Meanwhile, we still have to concentrate on Circle's latest release, a soundtrack used in the short film Six Day Run, relating to an annual running event dating back to the 1870's. Competitors had to run around on a one-mile paved loop in a park accumulating as many miles as possible, with a minimum of sleep. The film was shot by Finnish filmmaker Mika Taanila (whose work ranges from visual art and documentaries, to experimental films which have a recurring theme of utopias, scientific progress, failures and man-machines – his films have been screened at over 300 festivals, and Six Day Run was premiered on Jan. 24, 2013 at the 42nd Rotterdam International Film event) during 2012's The Self-Transcendence Six Day Race in Flushing Meadows, Corona Park (Queens, New York). The soundtrack that goes with the film, is instrumental, and stylistically showing a lot of repetition passages, is perhaps best described as Krautrock. For your audio introduction to the band, check out the band's official website, click on some links and such...be prepared to be surprised in the diverse offering! Meanwhile, I've found a new favorite band!