CIRCLE II CIRCLE – Watching In Silence / The Middle Of Nowhere [2-CD Limited Digibook], MP3+FLAC

As requested, here’s the pretty awesome AFM Records 2-CD pack comprising CIRCLE II CIRCLE first two albums, including bonus material.

There are some good reasons why Circle II Circle’s debut album, ‘Watching In Silence‘, is a dead ringer for Savatage. First and most obviously, singer Zach Stevens is best known from the Florida progressive metallers. When he left the band to form Circle II Circle, he had some Sava-help too. Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery wrote or played on every single song here. Oliva co-produced. They’re just a helpful kind of band.
Second effort ”The Middle Of Nowhere” certainly tries to steer away from the classic Savatage sound, but at the same time, it retains certain characteristics and musical ideas. This comes as no surprise, as once again eight out of ten songs on the album were co-written by Savatage members Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery. Zak only penned two songs (“In This Life” and “Lost”) with Angel Dust axeman Bernd Aufferman. Given the statistics, it is inevitable not to sound like Savatage when you receive so much input from others. And that’s a good thing!
This is a band you need to hear, musically impressive and with terrific performances, with in-depth songwriting.

Fans of Stevens-era Savatage and melodic metal / prog will adore ”Watching In Silence” from start to finish. It has the heavy, it has the soft, and it has the drama. There are even the layered vocal arrangements (“Forgiven”), though used sparingly. Circle II Circle utilize keyboards and piano, but don’t go for the full-on conceptual direction that Savatage did.
Though the album can drag from time to time, there are a number of exceptional tracks. “Into the Wind” is the first to boast one of those unforgettable Stevens choruses. Title track “Watching in Silence” has the patented Sava-power, composed in equal measure of riffs, piano and killer vocals.
Virtually every song has a memorable chorus to go with it.

”The Middle Of Nowhere” sound is overall, bigger and more in your face. Because there is little to no keyboards or piano on the album, the guitars are way up in the mix. Paul M. Stewart’s bass performance is notable; it’s present in every song and very powerful, unlike the debut release.
Zak’s voice sounds kind of different too. Maybe it’s because he wanted to go for a more raw-sounding album, but gone are his crystal clear vocals that we have come to expect from him. This album finds him doing some really gritty vocals.

The songs are generally heavier and faster than the ones on the debut. Among the highlights there’s “All That Remains”, “Cynical Ride” or the power-ballad “Faces in the Dark”. Andy Lee and Evan Christopher play lots of rhythm-based melodies with occasional guitar solos.
It has to be noted though that the solos on this disc are more concise in comparison to Matt LaPorte’s stuff on the debut. Still, you’ll hear good melodies on “Open Season”, a track that greatly reminds of Blaze. The solo on “Cynical Ride” is also amazing.

But there’s more variation; “Psycho Motor” is pure hard rock, plenty of groove and big backing vocals. Then the closing piece “Lost” is a nice acoustic track with sweet vocals.
As bonus track we find a killer live version of the first album title track” Watching in Silence (Live Bonus)” plenty of fire.

A fantastic two-punch to discover CIRCLE II CIRCLE, and if you do already, to enjoy again this terrific band.
Highly Recommended

CD 1: Watching In Silence
01 – Out of Reach
02 – Sea of White
03 – Into the Wind
04 – Watching in Silence
05 – Forgiven
06 – Lies
07 – Face to Face
08 – Walls
09 – The Circle
10 – F.O.S.

CD 2: The Middle Of Nowhere
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
11 – Watching in Silence (Live Bonus)

Vocals – Zak Stevens
Bass – Kevin Rothney, Paul M. Stewart
Drums – Chris Kinder, Tom Drennan
Guitar – Matt LaPorte
Guitar – Andy Lee, Evan Christopher
Keyboards – John Zahner

MP3 FLAC