WATCHING IN SILENCE
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this
CIRCLE II CIRCLE CD because I've always found Zak Stevens' vocal style to be a bit over-dramatic. His last few releases with SAVATAGE pretty much nailed the coffin shut for those guys, so I was expecting this to be of the same caliber.
I was wrong.
Somehow, along the way, either my tastes changed, or Zak learned how to pen a tune, because this new release is brimming with some excellent, old-school metal songs, complete with huge chorus', great guitar playing and lots of emotion. The opening track 'Out of Reach' is a slamming, Euro-metal gem that instantly grabs you and stays with you through the entire track. I have to say this disc has A LOT to offer for die-hard metal fans and fans of Stevens' voice, but there is a slight modern edge to some of the tracks, particularly 'Sea of White' with it's anthemic IRON MAIDEN-esque chorus and melodic bridge which begs for repeated listenings. The stand out track on this disc has to be 'Walls', an absolutely beautiful, bombastic ballad which could easily sit in any one of the Broadway masterpieces. I was moved beyond words at the lyrics and the emotional delivery of this song and have rarely heard a band compose something
of this caliber.
If you are into metal, or simply need to find something 'new', seek this one out, it won't disappoint.
