CIRCLE II CIRCLE CONSEQUENCE OF POWER
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Consequence of Power is the fifth album from American melodic metal band Circle II Circle, which is led by former Savatage vocalist Zak Stevens. Since their 2006 album Burden of Truth, Circle II Circle seems to have developed a formula for melodic, increasingly heavy conceptual metal albums, and they continue in that direction with Consequence of Power.
Consequence of Power is probably Circle II Circle’s heaviest album to date. The melodic elements are still there, but as a whole the album is closer to the heavy-hitting power metal of Symphorce and Brainstorm than the more melodic early Circle II Circle sound or what Stevens was doing back in the Savatage days (though “Take Back Yesterday” and “Blood of An Angel” have a classic vibe). There are a lot of blistering, thrash-like riffs, and the rhythms are positively crushing. The darker nature of the lyrics also adds to the overall sense of heaviness, especially on songs like “Whispers in Vain” and “Episodes of Mania.” The musicianship is tight as always, and Stevens turns in another first rate performance. No one sounds quite like Zak Stevens, and his unique and powerful vocals make every Circle II Circle album an event not to be missed. Consequence of Power’s only real drawback is that after a few consecutive albums with a similar sound, it feels like the band may be stuck in a rut. The progression we witnessed between Watching in Silence, Middle of Nowhere and Burden of Truth is noticeably absent lately.
If you’re already a Circle II Circle fan, you pretty much know what to expect from this one. If you value consistency, then Consequence of Power will not disappoint. If you’re looking for Circle II Circle to broaden their horizons a bit and move beyond their standard approach, you won’t find much of that here. Still, it’s hard to complain when the end result is another high quality melodic metal album and another chance to hear one of metal’s most amazing frontmen doing what he does best.
Genre: Melodic Metal
Band:
Zak Stevens (v)
Andrew Lee (g)
Mitch Stewart (b) (k)
Johnny Osbourne (d)
Track Listing:
1. Whispers in Vain
2. Consequence of Power
3. Out of Nowhere
4. Remember
5. Mirage
6. Episodes of Mania
7. Redemption
8. Take Back Yesterday
9. Anathema
10. Blood of an Angel
Label: AFM
Website: www.circle2circle.net
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10