Throughout much of Guillotine, Finland's premiere drone-rock ensemble severs itself from the hard riffs and stoic repetition that have defined its approach since its 1991 inception. But while the beast has been figuratively beheaded, it certainly hasn't been tamed; the gripping, avant-metal excursions of recent efforts such as 2002's Sunrise have given way to equally daring, neoprimitive tangles of low-fidelity clutter, grating tape-speed manipulation and the sometimes marvelous, sometimes irksome (but always eccentric) vocal chatter of keyboardist/percussionist Mika R�tt�, guitarist Janne Westerlund and bassist/leader Jussi Lehtisalo.

The disc opens innocuously enough with �Mets�n Henget� � 10:34 of controlled, Fender Rhodes-led lilt, carried by a percolating �70s-prog rhythm and sprinkled with queer, operatic whimsy. The song nicely typifies the lighter side of Circle's trademark m.o., albeit with increased dynamics and a sprightlier stride. But from the first sickly notes of the subsequent �Harva Maa,� the record begins its steep descent into wobbly, freeform lunacy.