Fires In The Distance – Circadian Promise

Written by on 11-06-2026 at 23:30.

With the rainy weather of the past two weeks (in The Netherlands), a crackling fire nearby wouldn’t be a bad thing. This time, however, we have to make do with some flames far away. That said, Fires In The Distance is uniquely capable of warming the listener to the core of their soul with its musical interpretation and stoking the inner fire. In keeping with tradition, we had to wait another three years for new material. Once again, on this new album, Circadian Promise – just like on the two previous full-lengths – we get six sparkling tracks with a nicely drawn-out character. We do, however, welcome a newcomer in the form of vocalist and guitarist Brendan Hayter. You may know him from various black-metal-inspired projects and perhaps best of all from Obsidian Tongue, where he also handles both the microphone and the guitar. The intriguing atmospheric black metal is characterized by a strong drive for experimentation, supported by his vicious screeching vocals and sparse, clear additions. All of this stands in stark contrast to the mournful and drawn-out guitar melodies, with which Fires In The Distance primarily leans on the melodic death and doom intensity of Swedish and Finnish bands. Let’s dive right in to see how this turns out.

As mentioned, Fires In The Distance delivers melodic death-doom at its finest. After all, this genre is primarily about conveying musical melancholy and heart-wrenching sorrow. And this band from Connecticut happens to be a master of just that. The recipe is incredibly simple, but as is often the case, you only need a few quality ingredients to present an exceptionally flavorful dish. In this case, the basic elements consist of compelling guitar melodies, thundering riffs, and a grand atmospheric backdrop. With this, Fires In The Distance hardly deviates from the musical blueprint of their two previous full-length albums, yet still manages to earn the label “improved recipe.” This time around, the album has taken on a (if only slightly) darker tone. This is occasionally audible in the dark orchestration (To You, Author Of My Fade and Once The Silence Takes Your Place), but certainly also in the brutal closing track Agonal Dreaming. In addition, the vocal change has already been mentioned. The deep death growls of predecessor Kristian Grimaldi blended perfectly with the haunting music, creating a perfect symbiosis. Brendan Hayter’s raspy grunts are slightly higher in pitch, though he occasionally manages to add extra depth to them. Of course, it is primarily his compelling clean vocal lines that contribute to the depth of the songs. These are deployed at strategic moments to add even more emotional weight to the – already very grand – atmosphere and music. This makes it feel as though it could never have been any other way.

As mentioned, the songs have a drawn-out quality. In other words, Fires In The Distance takes its time to really establish the atmosphere. It could be labeled as tedious or repetitive, but the fact that the melodies and riffs are given time to really sink in is actually one of its strengths. The album opens with Of Radiance And Levitation, which revolves primarily around those signature warm guitar lines, making it a delight to drift away to. Equally distinctive is the atmospheric interlude midway through the track, where dreamy keyboard work lets your thoughts float to distant places. The warm, clear vocals further complete the soul-healing experience. The nearly nine minutes fly by in an instant. To You, Author Of My Fade largely draws from the same melodic well, but gains a vicious edge thanks to the previously mentioned dark tones and a faster tempo from the rhythm section. As the song nears its end and pulls out all the stops with a frenzied blackened passage, the circle is complete. If the title didn’t already give it away, Lightless Days Of A Songless Bird unfolds as a compelling death-doom track. The tempo slows down considerably, with Hayter’s slow, rumbling scream serving as the ultimate companion to the mournful guitar lines. Perfect music to completely drown out all the misery around you, even if only for a moment.

At five minutes, By This Time Tomorrow is the shortest track on the album, but it’s also the least memorable. This is very much in line with the previous three songs and it doesn’t really stick. Once The Silence Takes Your Place, on the other hand, does offer that desired departure by creating a completely different atmosphere with double bass drums, chopping riffs, and melancholic orchestration. The playful atmospheric passage just past the halfway point signals a dynamic shift in the song with slightly progressive guitar work. The closing track, Agonal Dreaming, maintains the momentum well by alternating the familiar melodic guitar work with pounding thunderous riffs and gritty, screeching tremolos. What a delightful display of brutal force! Thus, the album builds to a climax at the end with the final two tracks and concludes very convincingly.

With their new album Circadian Promise, Fires In The Distance once again stokes the flames of melancholy. We hear a band that continues to refine its unique sound and, above all, understands where its true strength lies: namely, in producing compelling and captivating melodic death metal. While the band certainly isn’t reinventing the wheel here, they execute it with such craftsmanship that we have no reason to take issue with it. In fact, this is already one of the strongest albums in the genre set to be released this year.

Score:

87/100

Label:

Prosthetic Recods, 2026

Tracklisting:

  1. Of Radiance And Levitation
  2. To You, Author Of My Fade
  3. Lightless Days Of A Songless Bird
  4. By This Time Tomorrow
  5. Once The Silence Takes Your Place
  6. Agonal Dreaming

Line-up:

  • Brendan Hayter – Zang, gitaar
  • Yegor Savonin – Gitaar, zang
  • Craig Breitsprecher – Basgitaar
  • Jordan Rippe – Drums

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