About Circa 1996
Why 1996? "That's when the problems began," or so says the project's frontman, guitarist, and progenitor Alex Waters. And thus, just like its main member, Circa 1996 was born.
After a short-lived stint as the axeman in a Midwest deathcore outfit called "Trendk!ller," a two-album run with the Viking metal ensemble Winterblade, and a brief foray into indie music under his own name, Waters formulated Circa 1996 over the course of a few metal-infused recordings in 2024. When the band finally had enough material to shop around demos, it underwent massive stylistic changes and eventually took on the artistic vision we can hear today.
After the surprise release of their debut EP, How Can I Lose What I Never Had? on Black Friday 2025, the project has since performed live, given lectures of dubious relevance, and added two more items to their discography.
On 26 March, 2026, the group's first and thus far only full-length release, The Signal Cycle, was unveiled.
Since then, most of the discussion surrounding the act has been less about the music, and more about the cult of personality Waters and his complicated internal mythos have developed. Multiple reviews point to the project's sense of tragedy, transcendence, and philosophy as an unusual blend for the alternative-metal genre.
Recently, after months of speculation, Waters confirmed that another album, titled Love, and Other Vices is set to release, "either late 2026 or early '27."
About this Archive
Just like you, I stumbled into Circa 1996 accidentally, and have made it a mission to properly chronicle it while I'm able. On behalf of those who believe there is something beyond just music within these creations, I've spent as much time as a gainfully-employed person can, asking and attempting to answer the dual questions of both who is Circa 1996, and more importantly, what it is.
Your humble archivist,
La Rosa
Gallery
Waters, seen with a signed guitar by the members of Three Days Grace, at a radio station event with 94.3 KILO in Colorado Springs.
A promotional image of Waters, tied to one of his previous projects: the Norfolk, VA-based Viking-metal outfit, Winterblade. Likely taken in 2020.
Waters and an unknown bandmate, performing live in Boston, MA (performance date unknown).
Waters and another unidentified bandmate performing in Salem, MA, possibly around the time "Vibr8" was first written, around 2016. It is believed that the venue, where this performance was held, no longer exists.