This is Circle II Circle's
seventh album since 2003 and 'Seasons Will Fall' is
the name of this brand new disc. Finally an album
that maybe will change my perception of this band.
From an average metal in the middle of the road
without something new on the musical horizon, to a
nice mix of catchy metal tunes that feel
refreshing. More stable songs with powerful vocals
from Zak Stevens and with the two guitarists (Bill
Hudson and Christian Wentz) it's well outside the
previous comfort zone. The connection with the
old great metal band Savatage is obvious, because
Zak was the lead singer in Savatage between 1992–2000 and
many old fans are still waiting for the reunion,
but Jon Oliva prioritises his own metal project Jon
Oliva's Pain.
However, 'Circle II Cirlce' has hidden some golden
gems in this candy box that I appreciate a lot.
'Epiphany' is a nine minutes long epic song with
strong melodies and nice guitars. I put 'End
of Emotion' in my save folder - a very tasteful
song. 'Dreams that Never Die' is a half progressive,
half power metal track that is heavy as a lead ball.
It seem that they managed to find new shades on the colour palette to paint with and the musical picture
is more vivid. Like in the title song 'Seasons Will
Fall', which is a stiff hard down-tempo song with
stunning vocals. 'Never Gonna Stop' is a old school
metal song with shining guitars. The darkest song is
probably 'Isolation' and it is one of the strongest
tracks on the entire disc. In the strong ballads
'Sweet Despair' and 'Only Yesterday' Zak takes the
opportunity to show his wide vocal register.
Overall is this a positive surprise for me and Circle II Circle
has found the right path to re-attract old and new
fans. Not the best album this month, but a really
good one...
Line-up:
Zak Stevens - Vocals
Mitch Stewart - Bass, Vocals
Bill Hudson - Guitar, Vocals
Christian Wentz - Guitar, Vocals
Henning Wanner - Keyboards, Vocals
Adam Sagan - Drums