Atomic Rooster - Circle The Sun
Atomic Rooster was originally formed in 1969 by organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer (both members of the final lineup of The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown). The band was active from 1969 to 1975 and then again from 1980 to 1985 and went through several lineup changes over that time, with notable members including Chris Farlowe, Ginger Baker, John McCoy and Bernie Torme. During this time, Crane was the only constant member before sadly passing away in 1989. Then in 2016, with Crane’s widow giving permission to use the name, Steve Bolton (a member in 1971 and 1972) and Pete French (a member in 1971) brought the band back to life with a new line-up. Since then, the band has gone through several more member changes and now with the lineup consisting of Bolton, Adrian Gautrey, Shugg Millidge and Paul Everett (due to his inability to keep up with their touring, French left the band in late 2023), they have released Circle The Sun, their first album since 1983. Driven largely by Gautrey’s organ, the album does the band’s name proud, bringing to mind the classic Atomic Rooster sound, but with a modern-day edge. They waste no time showing this with opener “Fly Or Die,” a high energy, fuzzed out, blues-tinged rocker. The title track is up next and follows a similar path but with a bit of a chugging, funk swagger. The hypnotic “Never 2 Lose” is a slower track, that is darker and a bit ominous with great swirling keyboards, while “Follow Me” with its twisting and turning tempo shifts takes things in more of a prog rock direction. “Rebel Devil” and “First Impression” (check out the keys on this one) are straight-up classic rock tunes that are a couple of the more hook-heavy tracks here. “No More,” meshing goth and psychedelia, and the slower “Pillow” (with a powerful vocal performance that is somewhat reminiscent of Mark Lanegan) are darker and heavier with a sound that harkens back a little to their Death Walks Behind You album. “Last Night” finds them sliding sideways into some slinky soulful funk rock that really showcases Gautrey’s versatility on the keys and brings us to the rollicking closer “Blow That Mind." Circle The Sun is a welcome return for Atomic Rooster and hopefully not the last we will hear from the band.
