Circle

With a history spanning thirty-five years and a staggering back catalogue of genre-defying albums, shows, collabs and a plethora of side projects. Circle are among the most prolific experimental rock outfits out there. Since their first incarnation in Pori, Finland, in the early 90's, Circle have relentlessly stepped into unmarked territories of avant rock, transforming their oeuvre to respond to the demands of their ever-vibrant calling. The band’s eccentric explorations have ventured into terrains of Stooges-esque swagger, trance-inducing kraut rock mantras, beautiful electronic ambience, psychedelic rock noodling, arena storming AOR weirdness, 70s prog rock extravagance, glam pop pomp, and of course their core sound, heavy metal, not to mention other peculiar and daring sounds that simply cannot be pigeon-holed.

In recent years, Circle has joined forces with the Geordie troubadour Richard Dawson with whom they released the album Henki, receiving rave reviews across the board. The most recent milestone in the Circle saga was an art exhibition at Pori Art Museum in 2025, in which the group took their craft to a completely new domain. The mixed-media piece PISTE combined architectural sculpture as well as conceptual and performance arts with music and poetry to critical acclaim. 

"The world's best band - all categories." Dagens Nyheter

Circle is a Finnish experimental rock band formed in Pori in 1991. Their eclectic, ever-changing style has been associated with genres such as krautrock, heavy metal, progressive rock, and ambient. On some albums they have defined themselves as New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal (NWOFHM).

Circle was formed in 1992 by bassist and singer Jussi Lehtisalo, the only member who has been in the band throughout its career. Circle's krautrock-style debut album Meronia was released in 1994 and featured lyrics in a made-up language. A trio of albums, Andexelt (1999), Prospekt (2000), and Taantumus (2001), brought them international attention. Since recording 2002's Sunrise, the core line-up has consisted of Lehtisalo with keyboard player and singer Mika Rättö, drummer Tomi Leppänen, and guitarist Janne Westerlund, playing more heavy metal-oriented music though continuously influenced by krautrock band Faust. Since 2009, Julius Jääskeläinen and Pekka Jääskeläinen have appeared on all recordings by the band. Circle members have participated in a great number of side projects and split-offs, including stoner rock spin-off Pharaoh Overlord.

Whilst recording the album Miljard in 2006 the band was filmed by Esko Lönnberg, and the resulting movie, Saturnus Reality released as a DVD, by No Quarter Records (2007). Lönnberg's attempt to make the film itself became the subject of another movie, The Man With The Video Camera, filmed by Petri Hagner, which has also been released as a DVD by Fonal Records (2010). The band are also closely associated with the filmmaker Mika Taanila: in 2011, they provided a live soundtrack to his 1998 silent film Pori (released as an album, Suur-Pori); and in 2012 recorded several new tracks for Six Day Run, also released subsequently as an album.

In 2011, Circle/Pharaoh Overlord were artists-in-residence at Dutch rock festival Roadburn Festival. The group made its 32nd full-length album, Terminal, available for streaming on SoundCloud shortly before its official release on Southern Lord Records on 23 June 2017.

In November 2021, Circle released Henki, a collaborative album made with English musician Richard Dawson, on Weird World (an imprint of Domino Recording Company).