It may have been a bit surprising to the crowd at the Wacken Open Air Festival in 2012 when Circle II Circle took the stage not to play music from their albums, but to perform Savatage’s 1997 album The Wake of Magellan. It was the last Savatage album to feature Circle II Circle frontman Zak Stevens, and one of the more underrated in their catalogue.
Though video of that performance has been available on YouTube for some time, the band has finally released the official audio version of it.
First of all, this isn’t a complete performance of The Wake of Magellan. For one thing, Circle II Circle had only about 40 minutes of set time, and the album checks in at about an hour. A couple of instrumental pieces are cut to make the time, and they don’t perform the two songs on the album originally sung by Jon Oliva — “Another Way” and “Paragons of Innocence.” They also play around a little bit with the order of the songs so they can close with “Blackjack Guillotine,” arguably the album’s heaviest track.
I’ll preface this review, as I usually do, by admitting to my fanboy admiration for Savatage and the projects of the various members. That said, Zakk Stevens’ Circle II Circle has never completely connected with me since the band’s best effort, their debut record Watching in Silence in 2003. Their last outing, 2008’s Delusions of Grandeur, might have done that if it hadn’t been for the awful mix on the record. Their latest effort, Consequence of Power, sounds much better than the previous, but still is a bit flat and dry in places.
Musically, though, there’s a nice mix here. Naturally, with Stevens’ vocals out front and in your face, there will be comparisons to Savatage, and as with past Circle II Circle efforts, there’s much of his old band. But he offers up some variety, too.
I've got a bit of a love/hate relationship with new projects from Savatage members. On the one hand, I have a massive amount of respect for most of the musicians that have been part of that band over the years (hence the name of the site), and I always look forward to their new efforts. On the other, it always reminds me how long it's been since we've had a new Savatage record and how unlikely it seems that we'll ever get another.
Now that my gripe session is out of the way, we'll get on to Machines of Grace, the new project that features former Savatage singer Zak Stevens and drummer Jeff Plate. Surprisingly, the band's debut record has very little to do with Savatage, and a lot more to do with good, old-fashioned melodic hard rock. There are certainly some metallic moments to be found through the album, like the undeniable guitar riff of second track "Psychotic," one of my personal favorites, but more often than not there are heavy overtones of 1970s and '80s arena rock. Machines of Grace has all the hallmarks of that genre: big memorable guitar licks, catchy melodies and just a little bit of dramatic flair.
As I understand it, this is a reunion of sorts. Stevens, Plate and guitarist Matt Leff played in a Boston-based band called Wicked Witch in the late 1980s. Apparently the songs here are a combination of reworkings of some of the original Wicked Witch tunes and all-new material. The 1980s influence is definitely present, particularly on the ballads like "This Time," which despite some tasty guitar work from Leff, still has a bit too much of the hair metal power ballad to it. But misses in the 14 songs here are few and far between.
The record opens with a rock-solid set of four big, fist-pumping rockers. "Just a Game" opens with a very cool (if a bit too brief) swinging blues rock intro before blasting into full hard rock mode with a version of the same lick on steroids. That's followed by the chugging riff of "Psychotic," which worms its way into your head and won't go away. The first taste of the progressive sounds Stevens and Plate explored in Savatage comes on "Fly Away," which wouldn't have seemed out of place on that band's "Edge of Thorns" or "Handful of Rain" albums (despite the fact that Plate didn't play on either of those records). The blues influence returns a bit on the grooving intro to "Innocence." The song is largely acoustic, but rocks just as hard as some of the heavier tunes.
The first true ballad comes with "The Moment," a big, dramatic number with an opening in the vein of King's X. It's grown on me, but hasn't quite overcome my aversion to ballads. There's some more tasty guitar work by Leff on "Prelude," which ranges from acoustic to some slightly exotic licks to progressive in its minute or so running time before leading into "Between the Lines," with its big, memorable chorus.
Later in the album, the more metallic side of the band returns for "Breakdown" and "Soul to Fire." Both have a great mix of heavy riffs and unforgettable melodic bits. The star of "Breakdown" is this huge 1970s-style chorus refrain that's unstoppable. "Soul to Fire" brings the progressive back, big-time -- it's easily one of the best tracks here, along with "Psychotic" and "Fly Away." There's also another little nice surprise waiting in the final tracks with the Thin Lizzy-influenced rocker "Better Days," that at first seems a bit out of place with the rest of the record, but is just too upbeat to dismiss.
Stevens' voice is as good as it's ever been. The vocals are less dramatic and over-the-top than his work with Savatage, but the style fits perfectly with the music. Leff comes up with some huge riffs and tasteful leads. The rhythm section of Plate and bassist Chris Rapoza lays down solid grooves. It's a strong debut record from start to finish.
Whether you're a fan of Savatage or just great melodic hard rock/metal in general, do yourself a favor and check this one out.
Nearly four years after his last performance with Savatage, singer Zak Stevens returns with a vengeance.
On "Watching in Silence," Stevens debuts his new band and gets by with a little help from his old friends. Savatage founder, vocalist and keyboard player Jon Oliva helped produce the album and also co-wrote many of the songs with Stevens. Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery also contributed to the writing process.
The result is something that sounds a whole lot like the symphonic metal masters, but at the same time Stevens tweaks the sound enough to make it his own. While songs like "Into the Wind" and "The Circle" obviously evoke his former band, the music is perhaps a bit less complex than his later work with Savatage. It's also very strongly influenced by Queen.
The album has a nice mix of heavy, symphonic blasts and soft piano-laced interludes, and Stevens, who has one of the finest voices in the business, is in top shape here. On "F.O.S.," he even provides the layered vocal breakdowns that became a highlight of Stevens-era Savatage.
Though it's uncredited, and I'm not 100 percent certain, I believe the menacing whispers on "Forgiven" may be Oliva. If so, it's a bit of a letdown for me. I've been waiting a long time to hear those two magnificent voices swapping vocals the way they do on the live versions of some songs - maybe one day I'll get it.
In the meantime, I've got a great album from Zak Stevens, with a new Savatage album in the works for later this year. What more could I ask for?
It may have been a bit surprising to the crowd at the Wacken Open Air Festival in 2012 when Circle II Circle took the stage not to play music from their albums, but to perform Savatage’s 1997 album The Wake of Magellan. It was the last Savatage album to feature Circle II Circle frontman Zak Stevens, and one of the more underrated in their catalogue.
