Power of Metal.dk Review

Circle II Circle
Seasons Will Fall
Rating
Style: Power Metal
Release date: 25 January , 2013
Playing time: 67:42
 


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     


Tracklist
01. Diamond Blade
02.
Without a Sound
03.
Killing Death
04.
Epiphany
05.
End of Emotion
06.
Dreams that Never Die
07.
Seasons Will Fall
08.
Never Gonna Stop
09.
Isolation
10.
Sweet Despair
11.
Downshot
12. Only Yesterday
Label: Edel Germany
Distribution: Playground Music (Scandinavia)
Artwork rating: 75/100
Reviewed by: Patrik Skoglund
Date: 23 February, 2013
Website: circle2circle.net/eng/ Info - W E T - Rise Up