Artist: Circle II Circle
Label: AFM Records
Release: 2003
Zak Stevens, former vocalist of Savatage, has formed his own band called Circle II Circle. Their musical direction points straight at the unmistakable Savatage sound, drawing on the roots of traditional American-flavored power metal, whose godfathers were none other than early-eighties Savatage. A Savatage sound? No surprise, considering that two Savatage members, guitarist Chris Caffery and His Excellency, the brilliant Jon Oliva, both wrote and played (!) on Zak’s record, even though neither of them is an actual member of Circle II Circle.
So the compositions, paired with Zak’s unique and expressive singing, invite stylistic and atmospheric comparisons with what Savatage were in 1993-1997 and, in many ways, still are today. You’ll hear the direct similarities in some of the transitions in the opener Out Of Reach, while tracks like Watching In Silence, Forgiven, Walls, or the epically drawn-out closer F.O.S. (Fields Of Sorrow) follow Savatage arrangement for arrangement, all the way through. The first song with an exceptionally well-written and expressive chorus that will crawl under your skin right away is undoubtedly Into The Wind, which captures a sad, ambient “feel” extremely convincingly. The atmosphere it conjures is soaked through with melancholy. The songs are tailor-made for Zak, and they let the singer’s exceptional qualities shine to the max. The tracks are almost entirely mid-tempo. They’re built on a massive wall of “let it ring” (open) guitar riffs, cranked up to the maximum in the production and pushed (just like with Savatage) right up front. With added keyboard arrangements that mostly lean on the sound of a classic piano, the sonic backdrop is filled out nicely and the ambient mood is superb. The Circle is a slightly faster stroll with a great solo spot from Chris Caffery in the middle. To lift the dynamics of the songs, the guys tastefully added harmonized three-part guitar melodies and “sprinkled” them all over the record, in more than one transition too. And who’s Zak’s co-producer in coaxing out those well-known sonic tricks? Jon Oliva, naturally.
Circle II Circle is a band whose existence will make especially fans of Stevens’ vocal performance happy, plus all the inconsolable Savatage devotees who crave anything that smells even a little like the arrangements of modern Savatage (say, from the album “Edge Of Thorns” onward). Circle II Circle are a band of excellent musicians (the instrumental lineup is the same as Savatage’s during Zak’s era). Generally speaking, though, Circle II Circle amount to nothing more than Savatage’s younger twin, which leaves the whole thing with a rather bitter aftertaste. So anyone who knows the Savatage sound won’t be getting any special thrills or reaching higher spiritual states of consciousness while tuning into the vibrations Circle II Circle’s sounds create. In short, an excellent Savatage copy serves up a heaping helping of excellent singing, excellent playing, and nice, coherent melodies. But searching for something truly unique in Circle II Circle is, this time around, pure science fiction.
Lineup
Zak Stevens – vocals
Matt LaPorte – guitar
John Zahner – keyboards
Kevin Rothney – bass guitar
Chris Kinder – drums
Production
Zak Stevens, Jim Morris & Jon Oliva
Track list
1. Out Of Reach
2. Sea Of White
3. Into The Wind
4. Watching In Silence
5. Forgiven
6. Lies
7. Face To Face
8. Walls
9. The Circle
10. Fields Of Sorrow
Album length: 45:52
