Fires In The Distance Circadian Promise Review
Fires In The Distance
Circadian Promise
Prosthetic Records
2026
If you’d told me earlier this year that I’d be listening to, and reviewing, a Melodic Death Metal album from Prosthetic Records, I would’ve laughed. It’s not my preferred brand of tunage, and when I think of Prosthetic Records, “melodic” is about the last word that comes to mind. The label has built its reputation on releasing some of the nastiest Metal around for years. Alas, here we are.
Today’s album comes from Connecticut’s Fires In The Distance and is entitled “Circadian Promise”. I’d never heard of the band before this promo landed in my inbox. Based solely on the PR sheet, I probably would have forwarded it to one of my cohorts. However, something about the way it was written piqued my interest enough to give it a chance.
Now that we’ve established, I don’t know much about the band, let’s wade a little deeper into the murk. “Circadian Promise” is the band’s third release, and notably, it’s the first to feature clean vocals. Apparently, a new vocalist has joined the lineup, and that addition has had a significant impact on the band’s sound. While Fires In The Distance are billed as Melodic Death Metal, the clean singing pushes much of this material closer to the UK Doom scene of the 1990s. At least, that’s what I hear. There are shades of Paradise Lost, Katatonia, and My Dying Bride throughout, albeit with less of the crushing melancholy that defined those bands.
Sure, there are plenty of growls, blast beats, and the usual Death Metal trappings, but this album is absolutely drenched in Doom atmosphere. Layered orchestration, tasteful string arrangements, and numerous restrained passages give the record a sense of depth and melancholy that feels far removed from modern Melodic Death Metal trends. In fact, fans of the classic Peaceville Records era could be forgiven for thinking this was the label’s latest signing.
This isn’t the kind of album I reach for every day. Still, it’s exceptionally well written and taps into a sound that takes me back to a simpler era. I can’t comment on how it compares to the band’s previous releases, but I can say this: “Circadian Promise” succeeds on its own terms. Whether you hear Melodic Death Metal or a modern take on ’90s Doom Metal, the result is the same - a strong album that serves both the band and Prosthetic Records well. Give it a spin when you get the chance.
Standouts – “Of Radiance And Levitation”, “By This Time Tomorrow” and “Once The Silence Takes Your Place”.