Meronia is the debut album by Finnish experimental rock

Experimental rock

Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....

 band Circle

Circle (band)

Circle is an experimental rock band, founded in Pori, Finland in 1991. Their eclectic style is "ever changing, ever Circular", classified into genres such as progressive, Krautrock, ambient, heavy metal, speed-kraut, and avant-rock, among others...

.

First released on CD and LP in 1994 by Bad Vugum, it was later re-released by Ektro Records

Ektro Records

Ektro Records is an independent label based in Pori, Finland. It is operated by Jussi Lehtisalo who also plays on many of the label's releases. Ektro also operate three smaller imprints, Super Metsä and Full Contact and casette-only Ruton music.Releases:...

 in 2007. The album introduced the world to Circle's tight krautrock

Krautrock

Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...

-influenced sound, notably referencing the motorik rhythm of Neu!

Neu!

Neu! was a German band formed by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother after their split from Kraftwerk in the early 1970s...

. Although the sound is heavy, the band were yet to overtly reference their love for heavy metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 as they would on future releases.

Of the members in the band at the time of the recording, only founding member Jussi Lehtisalo

Jussi Lehtisalo

Jussi Lehtisalo Jussi Lehtisalo Jussi Lehtisalo (born 1973 is a Finnish bassist. In 1991 he founded Circle, a prolific band drawing influences from heavy metal and krautrock to develop a style of repetitive experimental rock...

 is still in the band, although current guitarist Janne Westerlund contributes to the sleevenotes, commenting on the intensity of Circle's live performances contemporaneous with the original release of the album.

Some sources claim the that the album's lyrics are sung in a made up language, Meronian. If this is true, it predates Hopelandic, the language invented by Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...

, by several years.

Track List:


1. Ed-Visio (4:14)

2. Curwen (4:46)

3. Wherever Particular People Congregate (2:30)

4. Meronia (8:04)

5. DNA (5:13)

6. Hypto (6:48)

7. Nude (5:34)

8. Colere (3:36)

9. Staalo (6:58)

10. Kyberia (3:46)

11. Gravion (4:23)

12. Ferrous (4:14)

13. Scoop (7:00)

14. Merid (2:53)

15. Espirites (3:51)


Personnel:


J. Ahtiainen

T. Elo

P. Hagner

J-P. Hietaniemi

J. Lehtisalo

M. Päivistö