Circle II Circle is the new band of
Zak Stevens, also known as the former singer of my favourite US Metal band,
Savatage. I am one of those, who have always thought that Jon Oliva is the perfect voice for
Savatage. When Zak took over the vocals in that band, I was naturally quite skeptical at the beginning, but through time he proved his worth to the band, and I got to revere his vocals as well. Obviously his voice is fantastic, smooth and contains both power and melody, but in my opinion, and even though he turned out to be awesome in
Savatage, he was never able to give the songs as much character as Jon.
So now Zak has left
Savatage and formed his own band,
Circle II Circle. The link to
Savatage is very apparant on this release, with Jon Oliva being involved in the writing and production, and
Chris Caffery co-writing three songs too. Any fan of newer
Savatage will feel right at home here. Not to say that
Circle II Circle is a
Savatage clone band, far from it. Zak succeeds in taking what he gave to
Savatage with him, and uses his talent to create a great mix of Hard Rocking Metal, with a very special atmosphere.
Circle II Circle is nowhere near as symphonic as the later Zak-era
Savatage albums, and the
Savatage album this one bears the most resemblance to must be Handful of rain.
This review is based on a promo release of the album. Unfortunately the promo is using a new "copyright protection scheme", where all the songs are merged together to form one huge track. This means that each song fades into the next and so on.
In my ears Zak has never sounded better than he does on this album. His singing is close to perfect throughout. Since his
Savatage days his voice has developed to be a little deeper. Whether the music demands melody, harmony, aggression, power, or just soft silky emotion, he delivers. It is all sung with that special feeling and emotion, like we know Zak from
Savatage. Good thing then, that he is also surrounded by obviously talented musicians. They are able to lay the necessary tight foundation for his voice to work it's magic.
Matt La Porte and
John Werner on guitars,
John Zahner on keyboards,
Kevin Rothney on bass and
Christopher Kinder on the drums, all manage to give the songs something extra, with many small touches in the music, that show themselves more and more with each listen.
Out of reach is co-written by
Chris Caffery. A heavy and powerful opener that sets the album of to a flying start. Zak shows the powerful side of his voice here, and it shows that his voice has grown since his time in
Savatage. He seems to effortlessly sing everything. A good opener with some excellent harmonies in the chorus. The drums help give the song a great heavy drive.
Sea of white is also co-written by
Chris Caffery. This is a heavy mid-tempo song, that has an almost dream-like quality to it. I think it's the relaxed and groovy bass playing that does it. This atmosphere reminds me a little of the feeling from John West's solo album Earth Maker.
Into the wind showcases the real strength of
Circle II Circle. The way it changes pace and atmosphere several times is really excellent. The song starts out with a slow atmospheric verse, before the chorus hits you hard, with power and emotion. The brilliant and tight chorus where all the instruments work together is just amazing.
With
Watching in Silence the quality raises another level. Everything works in this song, with a great melody and build-up to the chorus. This is also where I start getting a "Handful of Rain'ish" feeling, but it doesn't really matter, as long as the song is this good.
The high quality continues with fantastic songs like
Face to Face, a song about coming to terms with yourself. This one has another brilliant chorus, and a very fitting guitar solo. The excellent final track
Field of sorrow underlines the special atmosphere, that runs through all the songs, and the ending part finishes the album in true
Savatage style!
Only a couple of songs feel a little "less good".
Lies and
The Circle are the ones that don't hit straight home with me. Still fine songs, but they are a little too straightforward, and need some better melodies to really hold my attention.
I also have to mention one of my favourites,
Walls. A ballad with a lot of power, both in the lyrics and the music. When the chorus hits me, I can't help it, I just have to stand up and sing along... There is something life affirming about this song, and the way Zak sings here, is some of the best on the album.
The production is very good, and helps give the album it's special sound and atmosphere. Sometimes I feel that the guitar is pushed too far back in the mix though.
I would have liked some of the songs to have been a little longer, maybe to make room for some more guitar solos. The existing guitar solos are great, but they feel a little short and compact sometimes. Actually most of the songs feel very compact, but that may be just because I'm basing this on the promo, which is in fact one huge 41 minute song...
All the instruments are played extremely well. Like I mentioned there are a myriad of little touches in both guitar, bass and drums, that start showing themselves with each listen, and this helps the album grow every time I hear it. I'd heard that Jon Oliva would sing on some songs, but that is unfortunately not the case. I'm only able to hear his ominous voice in the background of
Forgiven.
With this album we are treated to some fantastic songs with memorable melodies, and Zak's unique voice really rules the show. The album still grows on me with each listen, and now I'm just waiting for the limited edition of the album (Released April 28) to arrive at my doorstep. I'm sure it won't leave my Jukebox any time soon. A must buy for any
Savatage fan, but I would imagine that every fan of Heavy Rock and Metal will find something to like here. There is nothing quite like it out there at the moment.
I also have a feeling that many of these songs will work excellent in a live situation. Wacken, here I come...
Written by
Steen Thursday, April 24, 2003
Show all reviews by SteenRatingsSteen: 8/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
This article has been shown 3722 times. Go to the
complete list.
