Being the fan of melodic metal that I really am, I feel obliged to start this review off with a confession – I’ve never been an admirer of Savatage, and it kind of hurts me since albums like “Hall Of The Mountain King”, “Gutter Ballet” and “Streets – A Rock Opera” are often regarded as masterpieces. This band is to me one big blackout, sadly enough. I’ve listened to songs sporadically but nothing has ever made much sense to me. Maybe I haven’t given Savatage the time needed? That may very well be the case, at least I’m man enough to admit it.
I’ve also given some solo material of Savatage colleagues John Oliva and Chris Caffery a chance, without getting anything in return. This is why it feels so strange to sit here and enjoy almost every single track off the sophomore release from former Savatage frontman Zachary Stevens’ musical outlet Circle II Circle, knowing that the album features songwriting credits from the two previously mentioned musicians. What can I say? One never ceases to be amazed.
Describing music can be a hard task from time to time when you have to take many different angles into consideration, but I have to give Circle II Circle some credits for making my job very easy this time around. “The Middle Of Nowhere” is made up of progressive metal with quite a few nods towards hard rock (or is it the other way around?) and that’s all there is to it. Does that sound boring to you? I can assure you it’s not. There are only a few songs here that are lesser flattering. The lion’s share consists of musical paintings that are both demanding and rewarding.
“In This Life” with its acoustic beginning carries a very sombre atmosphere, where Zachary gets the opportunity to show the emotional side of his voice. The gentleness is later on followed by some heavy guitar work which changes the mood of the song completely, making “In This Life” an almost full-fledged track. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that such a strong number has been given the opening spot. “All That Remains” on the other hand is probably the most well-known song of the album as it has been released as an EP, and also the reason for me purchasing “The Middle Of Nowhere”. The hit song off the disc, if you will, with catchy verses and great arrangements. Another tune that impresses me is “Cynical Ride”. Broodling verses, solid guitar work, an uplifting chorus and superb vocals by Zachary are four factors that make this song special to me.
Another aspect that I come to think about when I listen to this album is that Circle II Circle should be happy for having such a competent record company like AFM Records backing it up. I mean, the music here is very good but it’s hardly anything special nor groundbreaking. Stuff like this has been done before (Savatage anyone?) and stuff like this will be done in the future as well. Another contributing factor that makes me forget about the existence of this disc at times is the somewhat muddy production. Although the music is pretty basic from time to time I still think that the CD would have benefited from a richer production. Maybe a switch of studio would do the trick?
Other than those minor objections I can’t think of much else to complain about. Not all songs are splendid, but all of them do contain both melody and heaviness – all except “Lost” which is an acoustic ballad. A not utterly exciting one to tell the truth. Anyway, if you’re a fan of the band whose name I’ve mentioned too many times already in this review you’re most likely acquainted with Circle II Circle by now. But if you for some reasons aren’t, buy this album and redeem yourself.
Peter Eliasson
