Circle of the Brave is the fourth release and second full-length album of Thomas Nyholm.
Being the work of one man, one could expect some musical lacks from the main performing source. Most one-man band protagonists have a specialty and need to have guests perfom the instruments they don't master. This isn't the case with Damnation Army, as Thomas plays everything, showing overall skills. I think it is what impresses me most in this release.

The fact that Damnation Army doesn't depend on performances from outside might contribute to giving to the music its sufficient, yet at some point slightly locked character. The mood doesn't evolve through the record, so it is more a collection of well performed songs than a musical journey. Mind you, the riffing-style is well-defined, there is a reasonable unity in the compositions, and with a bit more energetic mix, Circle of the Brave could be mistaken as the work of a whole band.

This Dan Swanö signature record is another representant of the melodic genre Swedes are so well-known for.