Welcome to the Absurd Circus | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 22 January 2021 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 60:19 | |||
Label | Frontiers | |||
Producer | Simone Mularoni | |||
Labyrinth chronology | ||||
|
Welcome to the Absurd Circus is the ninth album by Italian power metal band Labyrinth, released on 22 January 2021 via Frontiers Records. [2] It is their first album with drummer Mattia Peruzzi.
It was announced in October 2020. [3] [4] On 3 November 2020, the video for "The Absurd Circus" was released. [2] [5] On 1 December 2020, "Live Today" was streamed. [6] On the day of the album's release, "Sleepwalker" was streamed. [7]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metal Hammer Italia | 85/100 [1] |
Writing for Metal Hammer Italia, Gianfranco Monese said that the album, as the title suggests, is "a work where the band's trademark is mixed with extravagance, where the songs contain colorful solutions in order to play and sing the illogic of delicate times like these that have in the Coronavirus the icing on the cake". He also thought the album is more guitar-oriented than its predecessor, albeit "in step with the times". [1]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Absurd Circus" | 6:18 |
2. | "Live Today" | 5:40 |
3. | "One More Last Chance" | 6:12 |
4. | "As Long As It Lasts" | 5:18 |
5. | "Den of Snakes" | 6:34 |
6. | "Word's Minefield" | 5:12 |
7. | "The Unexpected" | 5:06 |
8. | "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" (Ultravox cover) | 4:41 |
9. | "Sleepwalker" | 4:25 |
10. | "A Reason to Survive" | 4:30 |
11. | "Finally Free" | 6:23 |
Total length: | 60:19 |
Labyrinth
Additional contributors
Labyrinth is an Italian power metal band formed in 1994 in Massa, Tuscany. The band underwent a change in style and themes after the departure of Olaf Thorsen in 2002.
John James Sykes was an English guitarist, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums.
Fleshgod Apocalypse is an Italian symphonic death metal band. Formed in 2007, the group resides in Perugia and are currently signed to Nuclear Blast.
Comeblack is a compilation of songs recorded by German hard rock band Scorpions; and is intended as a comeback album, following their farewell tour. Released after the successful 2010's Sting in the Tail, half of the album features re-recorded versions of their own classic songs and the other half cover versions of 1960s and early 1970s popular rock songs. It was announced on 3 October 2011, with a planned global release date of 4 November and a US release on 24 January 2012. Comeblack was also released for streaming online by AOL Music on 23 January 2012. The album was released by Sony Music Entertainment and available in both CD and vinyl formats.
Bloody Hammers is an American heavy metal band, founded in 2010 by Anders Manga in Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States. Manga is the primary producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. Bloody Hammers' music straddles a range of genres including gothic metal, doom metal, and stoner rock. The touring band features a revolving lineup with Manga and keyboardist Devallia being the only permanent live members. Devallia also contributes keyboard parts to recordings and is sometimes credited as a co-producer.
Winter Thrice is the tenth studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. This is the only album to feature drummer Baard Kolstad and the last to feature longtime members Vintersorg and Jens F. Ryland.
Sons of Apollo was an American progressive metal supergroup formed in 2017 and composed of drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist Billy Sheehan, keyboardist Derek Sherinian, vocalist Jeff Scott Soto, and guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.
The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze is the third studio album by German sludge metal band Mantar, which was released by Nuclear Blast on 24 August 2018. The album also was released in Russia, Japan and South Africa.
Architecture of a God is Italian power metal band Labyrinth's eighth album, released on 21 April 2017 via Frontiers Records. It is their first album since 2010's Return to Heaven Denied Pt. II: "A Midnight Autumn's Dream", marking their longest non-album gap.
Alessandro Del Vecchio is an Italian musician, singer, record producer and songwriter. He is a current member of hard and heavy bands Edge of Forever, Hardline, Jørn Lande and Vanden Plas.
Wind Rose is an Italian power metal band founded in 2009 in Pisa, Tuscany by singer Francesco Cavalieri, guitarist Claudio Falconcini and keyboardist Federico Meranda. The band has released six studio albums, most recently Trollslayer in October 2024. The band play primarily a combination of power metal and folk metal accompanied by orchestration and vocal harmonies, with lyrical themes inspired by the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially Tolkien's Dwarves, from which the band also gets their aesthetic; because of this, the band's sound has been referred to as dwarven metal.
Transitus is the tenth studio album by the Dutch progressive rock/metal band Ayreon. It was released on 25 September 2020. The album is accompanied by a 25 page comic book, not included with CD or vinyl, and illustrated by Felix Vega.
Endless Twilight of Codependent Love is the seventh studio album by Icelandic post-metal band Sólstafir. It was released on November 6, 2020 through the record label Season of Mist, and streamed two days early on YouTube. The album cover is a reproduction of a painting by Johann Baptist Zwecker of the Lady of the Mountain, the female personification of Iceland.
Lione/Conti is a collaborative album by Italian power metal singers Fabio Lione and Alessandro Conti under the moniker Lione/Conti. It was released through Frontiers Records on 26 January 2018. The project was conceived by Frontiers's president Serafino Perugino, who was willing to create an Italian version of the label's Allen/Lande partnership. The album was written and produced by Simone Mularoni (DGM).
Heart Healer is the first studio album by metal opera project Heart Healer, formed by Swedish multi-instrumentalist Magnus Karlsson, released on 12 March 2021 via Frontiers Records.
To the Power of Eight is the eighth studio album by German a cappella metal band Van Canto, released on June 4, 2021, via Napalm. It features the band's former lead singer Dennis "Sly" Schunke as guest vocalist on all tracks.
Hällas are a Swedish progressive rock band formed in 2011 in Jönköping, Småland, by Jesper Nodbrant, Tommy Alexandersson and Kasper Eriksson. Currently based in Linköping, Östergötland, they play a blend of progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal inspired by 1970s bands, resulting in a genre that they call "adventure rock".
Glory for Salvation is the thirteenth studio album by Italian symphonic power metal band Rhapsody of Fire. It was released on 26 November 2021 via AFM Records.
Troika is a collaborative album by progressive rock/metal musicians Nick D'Virgilio, Neal Morse and Ross Jennings under the moniker D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings. It was released through InsideOut Music on February 25, 2022.
The Awakening is the thirteenth studio album by American power metal band Kamelot. The album was released on March 17, 2023, via Napalm Records. It is the band's first studio album in five years, following 2018's The Shadow Theory, making this the longest gap between two studio albums by Kamelot.