If you like Amorphis, Swallow The Sun, Insomnium, etc, then the third album from Fires In The Distance, the impressive quartet from Newington, Connecticut, should right up your street. Six songs that stretch over close to 50 minutes means long epic pieces that provide ample opportunity to flex both the mind and body. The latter is in some of the dynamic musicianship on offer, the former in some of the subject matter to which the band connect.
Fires In The Distance – Circadian Promise
Release Date: 12 June 2026
Words: Paul Hutchings
“Our music comes from raw feeling,” said founding guitarist and songwriter Yegor Savonin. “Each new record depicts a different experience and time period in our lives, with which the sound and atmospherics evolve and reflect this as well.”
It really is an album to immerse yourself in, and I probably have not given myself enough time to really get deeply involved. However, there is no problem enjoying the quality here on the behemoth of a collection of tracks.
Mid-album sees Lightless Days Of A Songless Bird, a gargantuan piece that has a title which fits the genre so well, but which is so well balanced that you cannot help but play it over again. Huge riffs, melancholic passages and epically soaring soundscapes all wrapped up in a majestic nine minutes. A huge song amongst a collection of massive tracks indeed.
Utilising keyboards and synths to add texture and layers to their songs, Fires In The Distance’s sound is refreshing in the world of Melodic Death Metal.
“This album is a little bit darker than the others,” explains Yegor Savonin. “It delves into the concept of spiritual death and losing your soul while still living and explores the existential concepts of accepting and coming to terms with and embracing the bleaker side of realities which we will all face at one point or another.”
By This Time Tomorrow sees guest Johan Reinholdz, of Dark Tranquillity / Andromeda, provide some searing lead work on a track that also has an unusual change of tempo mid-song.
A personal song to Savonin, it resonates deeply. “It’s essentially about a grieving process and letting go of something that was a huge part of your life. Also, understanding that sometimes, when you’re completely broken, shattered, no one’s gonna be there for you, not because of apathy but circumstance. Accepting that, being okay with it, and moving on.”
Guttural vocals dominate, but the cleans take on a huge part of the freshness here. Once The Silence Takes Your Place is a case in point, with the delivery of new vocalist Brendan Hayter (guitar/additional lyrics) and bassist Craig Breitsprecher (backing vocals) raging over the delicate melodies that cascade across the dynamic passages. It’s all anchored by Jordan Rippe’s solid drumming.
This is not a jolly record. “Circadian Promise ruminates on mental health, existentialism in the form of mortality salience, and perseverance, but this time with a focus on seeking acceptance of the inevitable (including aging and death among the “circadian promises” of the title). Yet there’s a sense of optimism, albeit challenging, in its quest for solace through realism”.
Aided by a clean production from longtime producer Dave Kaminsky and Randy Slaugh, this is a bleak yet uplifting release that should propel Fires In The Distance to the next level.
With touring planned, they are a band to keep an eye and an ear out for as the year pans out.
Fires In The Distance release Circadian Promise on 12 June 2026 via Prosthetic Records. For more details, reach out to the band on Bandcamp.
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