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May 17, 2012 |
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CIRCLE II CIRCLE - The Middle Of Nowhere
AFM Records (2005) |
8/10 |
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01. In This Life
02. All That Remains
03. Open Season
04. Holding On
05. Cynical Ride
06. Hollow
07. Psycho Motor
08. Faces In The Dark
09. The Middle Of Nowhere
10. Lost (Live) (Bonus Track)
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Most anybody bred and fed on the screamin' Heavy Metal of the '80s inevitably had a heavy helping of SAVATAGE in their diet, and those of us who indulged quickly became spoiled, fat and happy with every quality album they threw on our plate. And so, in 1992 when the news that SAVATAGE's highly talented lead larynx and group co-founder Jon Oliva had relinquished vocal duties to a virtually unknown singer from South Carolina by the name of Zak Stevens, many of us contemplated a hunger strike in protest. But along came "Edge Of Thorns" in all its power and epic beauty, simultaneously presenting one of SAVATAGE's best albums ever and instantly qualifying the young Zak Stevens as a bonafide metal talent and an extremely worthy predecessor to Oliva.
Over the next 8 years Zak was a dominating presence on 4 SAVATAGE albums, his vocal talent increasing at exponential rates and his dedication to Heavy Metal cementing him as an iconic cornerstone for the metal community. With a quiet exit from SAVATAGE in 2000, he spent the next three years away from the public eye, devoting time to his family while working towards a triumphant return with the ideal outlet for his impressive vocal talent: CIRCLE II CIRCLE. Aided on the songwriting front by his musical brothers Jon Oliva and Chris Caffrey from SAVATAGE, CIRCLE II CIRCLE launched "Watching In Silence", a startling eye-opener as to the full range and singing capacity of Zak, highlighting a degree of vocal depth that transcended his previously established Power Metal deliveries in SAVATAGE.
Another two years down the road we find Zak wandering introspectively in "The Middle Of Nowhere", and for being nowhere there's sure a hell of a lot going on, with yet another evolved leap in Zak's knack for vocal attack and an overall strengthened musical landscape. Joined again in the songwriting by Jon Oliva, "The Middle Of Nowhere" has an undeniable SAVATAGE influence, surfacing in various guitar riffs and certain vocal passages throughout the album, but at the same time displaying a variety of external influence that gives CIRCLE II CIRCLE it's own realm of sound. However, that's not to say that everything about this realm is particularly excellent-there are peaks and there are valleys, highs and lows, moments of noteworthy Heavy Metal brilliance as well as lackluster fillers that fail to achieve.
The most successful and on-the-mark tracks of the album are the first two, "In This Life" and "All That Remains", both of which immediately establish the pure power and solemn beauty of Zak's vocals and some remarkably dynamic song structuring that transitions in and out of smart acoustic passages, gripping electric riffery and melodic solo eloquence. "In This Life", in all its epic strength and conviction, draws an unmistakable similarity to Zak's greatest moments with SAVATAGE, while "All That Remains" takes you into territory that is much more distinctly CIRCLE II CIRCLE land, riding some great guitar lines with especially potent pinch harmonics, epic metal solos, and extremely catching verse and chorus vocal displays that could potentially be the best performance of Zak's increasingly impressive career.
"Open Season" is a decent but average Heavy Metal tune, easily listenable but not overly distinct save for a sweeping, classic metal solo run towards the end of the song that's a majestic 50+ seconds long. "Holding On" brings a taste of variety with a bottom-heavy verse riff, some lower register vocals and yes, you guessed it-more stylish and engaging solo work. Certainly the most distinguishing aspect of CIRCLE II CIRCLE, apart from Zak's voice, is the exceptional quality in the guitar work of Andrew Lee and Evan Christopher, and true to the soaring virtuosity of top shelf '80s metal the two are constantly synching up to deliver a truly remarkable display of guitar prowess and strong musical sense.
The problem I encounter when listening to "The Middle Of Nowhere" is that as the album progresses, an overshadowing sense of sameness and some off-target musical approaches start to rear their ugly heads, instilling a subtle sense of disappointment because of their contrast to the potential and prowess displayed on the majority of the album. A prime example is "Hollow", a song that is one of the heaviest of the album and carries some of the most distinct riffs to be found here, but which is effectively ruined by a very gimmicky attempt at regurgitating old VAN HALEN. The main riff and verse vocals go far beyond a musical tip o' the hat to musical heroes and wander into the land of cheap imitation, which is a true shame because the rest of this song is quite potent and without the EVH/DLR impersonations would be one the strongest songs on "The Middle Of Nowhere".
This slip in focus and presentation turns into a smoke spewing nose dive with the rather lame filler tune "Psycho Motor" that for the most part consists of annoying vocal patterns and particularly non-distinct guitar lines; this ineffective tune is easily the worst of the batch.
However, after sputtering rather half-heartedly through the middle of the album, the band are quick to pick up the pieces and falls right back into their working formula with the melodious slow tempo rocker "Faces In The Dark", returning to the emotive carrying power of Zak's vocals and the convincing guitar mastery of Lee and Christopher with yet another batch of superlative soloing. The title track "The Middle Of Nowhere" is the band's anthemic semi-ballad, again drawing similarity to Zak's days with SAVATAGE, layered with broodingly emotional vocals, meandering and sullen guitar work, and a morosely passionate piano accompaniment that draws heavily on the sound and atmosphere of "Edge Of Thorns".
Album closer "Lost" wraps up everything nicely with beautiful simplicity in a sorrowful collage of acoustic musings and vocal harmonies that bleed emotional isolation, effectively preserving the high quality of an album that at one point seemed to be on the verge of derailing irrevocably halfway through.
In the end, the flare of disappointment caused by a few songs like "Cynical Ride", "Hollow" and "Psycho Motor" has receded considerably and I find myself amply eager to return repeatedly to the other 7 exceptionally tight and memorable songs on display in "The Middle Of Nowhere". Zak Stevens is definitely onto something here, and given that this is only his second album in pursuit of endeavors beyond SAVATAGE (apart from his acclaim-worthy involvement with the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), the growth in style and skill is really quite impressive. CIRCLE II CIRCLE have delivered a rather solid slab of textured Heavy Metal magnificence, proving that quality metal can be found in the most unlikely of places; especially in "The Middle Of Nowhere".
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