by Ron Higgins
– Columnist —
The wait is finally over. Five years after their last release, 2009’s Homeland, Red Circuit has released another monster album full of melodic Prog-Metal goodness. Haze of Nemesis is the band’s third album.
For the uninitiated, Red Circuit first hit the scene in 2006 with their debut album Trance State. The band features the unmistakable vocals of ex-Firewind, Ivanhoe and Avalon singer Chitral “Chity” Somapala who also fronts Civilization One. Rounding out the band is guitarist Chris Moser, bassist Thomas Schmitt, drummer Michael Stein and writer/producer Markus Teske on keyboards. All but Schmitt appeared on their last album so the band is very cohesive.
The album kicks off in glorious fashion with “Ocean’s Apart,” a song about two estranged lovers. It’s a great introduction to their third album as it starts with a nice keyboard intro followed by some slamming guitars. It’s a mid-tempo rocker with a blistering lead guitar solo midway through. The track is very indicative of the entire album and one of the highlights. Not only does it foreshadow the remainder of the album’s musical style but thematically it deals with personal relationships as does most of the songs on this album. For the more visually oriented, the band has released an official video which was recorded live in February 2014 during the Rock Meets Reggae Festival in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Other standout tracks include “My Lonely Heaven,” “My World Collides” and “Silent Roaring.” “My Lonely Heaven” is an up-tempo tune that follows the lead track with a catchy chorus and a cool little outro to wrap it up. “My World Collides” is another special song. It starts with some piano work that is quickly followed by the superb vocal style of amazing guest vocalist Amanda Somerville, who appears to be the go-to “it” girl for delicious prog metal collaborations. It’s a ballad but really showcases Chity’s excellent vocal skills as he sings with a smoother delivery than his normal rough approach. “Silent Roaring” features a big, bold opening along with a driving guitar rhythm.
Other Tracks include “Believing a Lie,” a standard keyboard/guitar Prog-Metal tune, “Digging in the Dirt,” one of the weakest songs on offer due to the weak opening and slow tempo, “Spear of Fate,” which starts off promising enough but slows down too and contains vocal effects on the chorus ala Alice in Chains, “Serpent’s Smile,” a good, mid-tempo song that’s heavy on double-bass and mostly rocking with the exception of yet another slow down mid-song, and the title track, “Haze of Nemesis,” which once again has a slow tempo. Lyrically, the song conveys a theme associated with the madness of the world, but on a personal level.
The album wraps up in fine fashion with a very Proggy nine-minute opus “My Serenade.” Additionally, there’s a very good bonus track, “Soldier of Fortune,” which is a Deep Purple cover tune. It begins with some “Stairway to Heaven” inspired acoustic guitar that once again showcases Chity’s impressive voice.
Overall, this is a very strong release and well worth the wait. Although it slows down a bit too much the slower moments really tend to accentuate Chity’s impressive vocals so it’s a nice trade-off. As a Prog-Metal release, it has plenty of fine musicianship and longer song lengths as is expected and obligatory. All of this is topped off with tremendous production and an appearance by one of the best guest vocalists in the game in Amanda Somerville. Red Circuit’s latest release is definitely recommended for all lovers of hard, melodic, progressive rock and metal.
Note: This release also contains a DVD featuring the band’s 2011 performance at the U.S. Progpower XII Festival, which was not reviewed.
Genre: Progressive Rock
Band:
Michael Stein – drums
Chris Moser – guitar
Chity Somapala – vocals
Markus Teske – keyboards
Thomas Schmitt – bass
Track Listing:
1. Oceans Apart
2. My Lonely Heaven
3. Believing a Lie
4. Digging in the Dirt
5. My World Collides
6. Spear of Fate
7. Serpent’s Smile
8. Silent Roaring
9. Haze of Nemesis
10. My Serenade
11. Soldier of Fortune (Bonus Track)
Label: Limb Music
Web: www.redcircuit.de
Hardrock Haven Rating: 8.5/10
