It is uncommon for contemporary music to be considered "high art." Most popular musicians are constrained to the boundaries of thought provided by their respective genre.
Two bands, Circle Takes the Square and Fear Before the March of Flames, performing at The Buffalo Icon on Saturday night, aim to change that.
Both Circle Takes the Square and Fear Before the March of Flames deliver a brand of cutting-edge hardcore every bit as artful as it is gut-wrenchingly brutal.
Circle Takes the Square is a thrash act formed in Savannah, Georgia. They are quickly becoming one of metal's most promising young bands, due to their crafted, experimental sound.
"None of us are from Savannah, but we all went to college there," said Drew Speziale, the band's vocalist and guitarist, who recently graduated from Savannah College of Art Design with his bandmates.
Speziale shares vocal duties with bassist Kathy Coppala. By contrasting aggressively their guttural shrieks with flatly delivered spoken segments, Circle Takes the Square has created a unique style to emphasize their surreal sound.
Circle Takes the Square picks up where other progressive hardcore acts like The Dillinger Escape Plan and Candiria have left off. According to Speziale, however, many of the foremost influences for their debut album, 2003's "As the Roots Undo," are not musical.
"I read a lot, so this album does have a lot of literary influences. John Gardner's novel 'Grendel' was a big influence. (The novel's main character) Grendel has a really objective view of the world around him. On the album's lyrics, I tried to take a similar view. T.S. Elliot was another huge literary influence."
Speziale's lyrics reflect an appreciation of literature. While his lyrics may send readers to the dictionary, the poetic quality and surreal expression in the band's libretto make active interpretation well worth the effort.
The members of Circle Takes the Square enjoy pursuing other creative endeavors such as film, computer art and pictorial art when they're not touring or recording. Speziale himself is responsible for the visually appealing cover art that graces "As the Roots Undo."
"We've been touring a lot since we graduated last year. After this tour we're all going to just chill out and really focus on writing. Hopefully we'll have enough new songs for another album by the end of the year," Speziale said.
In addition to "As the Roots Undo," Circle Takes the Square has made a self-titled EP and split a seven-inch single with recently defunct pioneering metal act Page 99.
"Page 99 was a huge influence on us and the entire metal scene. With them, it was a timing issue. They broke up right before this explosion of popularity that hardcore has recently had," Speziale said.
Additionally, Circle Takes the Square plans to record a song for a compilation put out by Exotic Records, a Maryland-based label.
Saturday's headliner, Fear Before the March of Flames, takes a similar artistic approach to their music. Their album, ironically titled "Art Damage," tightened their complex sound, contrasting melodic guitar parts laced with occasional breakdowns.
"I haven't met (Fear Before) yet, but what they seem to be about is similar to what we're about as a band, taking a creative, artistic approach to playing contemporary hardcore," Speziale said of his soon-to-be tourmates.
The doors open at 7 p.m. at The Buffalo Icon Saturday night. Circle Takes the Square and Fear Before the March of Flames will be performing with Fire When Ready, Transistor Transistor, The Decline and Inferis. Tickets are $8 at the door.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
