CIRCUS MAXIMUS

Circus Maximus from Norway got lot of praise around first two albums were released 2005 and respectivly 2007. Well, I don't know, this is not the type of prog metal I like very much, it has a fat sound that I really don't dig , not very much elaborated arrangements, only on instrumental piece Sane No More they are more then ok, nice musicianship though. The voice of Mike Eriksen is strong, very good vocalist, nice tone a spectacular range, but the instrumental parts fail to impress me big time, it sounds like a Symphony X version with diffrent vocalist and without that neo classical aproach of the masters. Short pieces, only two are lenghty 9 and 12 min, not enough for me, I want complicated prog metal with lots of tempo changes, keybords to run all the time, guitar breaks and all, here is not the case only here and there, to much time is vocal oriented kind of prog, ok the guitar parts are well done and delivers that crunchy kind of aproach but nothing really speacial as it praised all the time. Not bad as a whole, but nothing special either, I know hundreds of more inventive and intresting prog metal albums in my collection. 3 stars hardly.

Circus Maximus is a group that I approached with a little of hesitation, both because most of the post-1990 metal leaves me uninterested, if not disgusted (yes, I'm still stuck in the 80s when it comes to Metal, I must admit), and because some confused and superficial listening I gave made them appear to me as a botched copy of Dream Theater. Since, however, you do not judge what you do not know, I decided to give "The 1st Chapter" a full listen, which debunked some ideas I had about them and confirmed others.

The disc opens with "Sin", where immediately appears the appreciation that the group has for Scenes From a Memory. Here, however, the clear DT-ish influences are proposed in a more melodic way, with pieces that remind me of Sonata Artica (that I don't really like), and a brilliant voice that "fits perfectly" with the music.

"Alive" carries on with the style of the first song: a modern symphonic metal, not surely my cup of tea, but that never appears banal, thanks to the progressive elements. The timbre of the singer also reminds me a lot of Midnight, the voice of Crimson Glory (progressive metal band of the 80s) who died in 2009.

It's the turn of "The Glory of the Empire", where I can hear a lot of Symphony X'V reminiscences. Yes, this band doesn't appear to be very innovative and original, and this may be an issue for somebody, but I usually judge a group by the music it offers, not on the degree of originality or innovation. There is nothing wrong to pay tribute to a band or a genre you like, if this generates good music. With Biosfear we have a 5 minutes instrumental track. If you didn't know Circus Maximus were originally a Dream Theater cover band, after listening to this song it will appear to you as clear as daylight. Seriously, here the legacy of our friends from New York gets quite obvious, but this instrumental is very well played (the whole album has a fine technique in it) and very enjoyable, for sure the best track so far. Yes, because we also have some nice Zappa-flavoured solos in this Beyond This Life, and the group... Oh wait.

"Silence From Angels Above" is the model of song I usually skip, as it includes sounds that, as I said, just do not belong to me, even if I recognise the quality of the track and the ability of the singer on this type of song.

Let's go back on track with what I consider one of the best songs on the album, "Why Am I Here". Here the whole group, especially the guitarist Mats Haugen, shows his appreciation for an album called Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, by a little-known group from New York. The song is, as mentioned above, one of my favorites in here, since it is melodic but in a way I really like, and, though it's not King Crimson, it appears pretty inspired and fresh.

The quality raises again with "The Prophecy", a very good guitar-voice intro that leads into one of the best pieces I've ever heard among this genre, with an almost pop/AOR chorus and a great arrangement full of prog elements. After an average start, these two songs appear like fresh air, and ... here comes the epic! Every note of the first 4 minutes of "1st Chapter" shouts "Symphony X" loud right in my ears, but I decide to carry on listening not caring about them. In fact the song is pretty good, though not being so awesome as I expected from a 19 min-long title track. The song flows for his entire duration without particularly capturing my mind, and leaves me a bit disappointed after two very good songs. Good track, with few interesting points, but quite average overall. The last song on the album, "Imperial Destruction", has a very interesting initial riff, but fails to amaze me. I don't know what to write about this, just an average song.

So, listening to "The 1st Chapter", as I said earlier, has led some denials and some confirmations in me. Originality does not appear as a main quality of the group (or, at least, in this album), that shows a sound very inspired by late 90s/00s progressive metal (where Dream Theater and Symphony X are the biggest examples). Of course, everyone has their influences, the band never falls completely in plagiarism, and although sometimes these "tributes" to their beloved bands may seem annoying, I think in most cases they just make the album more enjoyable to those who are already accustomed to certain type of music. However, in addition to the strong progressive element, this album owes much to a certain type of (mostly scandinavian) melodic metal, that unfortunately reduces my appreciation to the whole work, but this is my opinion and the songs are well written and played, so if you like this type of metal more than me you will surely enjoy this debut a lot. About me, "The 1st Chapter" does not appears certainly in my top 20, but when I'm in a modern-styled melodic prog metal mood, it's able to give me 70 minutes of enjoyable music. Despite my jokes about their similarity with Dream Theater and Symphony X, I don't consider C.M. a clone of this or that band and I think a 3.5 stars rating will be appropriate.

Wow, I was quite surprised of how good this CD actually is. I never heard of this band before and I got Isolate by pure chance. Ok, I did have a four year period when I was listening almost solely to prog metal bands, or just classic metal. But from 2002 onwards my tastes shifted back to symphonic prog again and it has remained so ever since. Besides, the prog metal scene, so fresh and exciting during the 90´s, had become dull and repetitive by the new millenium, I had little reason to think that would change. I´m glad now to say some groups do stand out, making the style still worth checking out from time to time. And Circus Maximus is definitly one of them. They have everything I like from the style: high energy, skillful musicians, a superb singer. great production. But most of all they know how to write great songs, the melodies are terrific and the arrangements are clever and creative. Not bad at all!

I heard they were heavy influenced by Dream Theater or Symphony X, and certainly those influences are clear, but the band is more melodic, accessible and have greater hooks than both groups. The interplay is absolute fabulous, with little room for endless noodling or unnecessary displays of too much technique. They are certainly team players and the music flow is simply terrific, with all the songs being very strong and remarkable (just listen to Abyss, probably the best track here). Mike Eriksen is a an excellent vocalist, perfect for the style: powerful, technical and emotional at the same time. What really impressed me the most was how they balanced the AOR-like melodies with heavy guitars and drums, making their sound quite unique and highly pleasant. With no weak moments at all, Isolate became one of my favorite CDs this year. I just can´t get enough of it!

Rating: this is a very difficult one to rate. I personally would love to give it 5 stars for its sheer qualities, but I should point out that PA is primarely a progressive site. So I guess a 4 star rating is more fitting, for it´s an excellent addition to any music lover collection, prog or otherwise.

Conclusion: a real nice surprise. One of the most interesting albums done by a Prog metal band I heard in a long, long time. I´m looking forward to listen to their other works. If you like a energetic mix of memorable melodies and heavy guitars, performed with conviction and intelligence, then you can´t miss this one!

Third album from the Norwegian five piece, Nine continues in the same vein as Circus Maximus's second (haven't heard the first) album Isolate, i.e. melodic progressive metal.

Circus Maximus are undoubtedly a talented band, standing out in many respects from most of the prog metal community because of their strong leanings towards melodic metal and AOR. They owe as much, if not more so to fellow Scandinavian's Europe as they do to the likes of Dream Theater. Whilst previous release Isolate was also packed with melodies the balance between melodic metal and prog was more equal. Here the balance shifts more in the favour of melodic metal and AOR for the most part. Vocalist Mike Eriksen certainly has the voice for the job, his clean and melodic tones soar over the ten easily accessible compositions. The band all play well, highlights being Burn After Reading for some great instrumental work and Used for a killer riff, but whilst Nine is never less than good, the lack of a few more exceptional pieces means I'll settle for 3 stars.

First off, I'd like to thank Frontiers for giving me the honor of being the first reviewer of this fine album by allowing me to listen to this album before the release date.

Five years. That's how long I have anticipated this album. I'll get this out of the way and give the readers the disclaimer that I am a fan of this band - having seen them live twice has convinced me that they are a stellar band and no one can convince me otherwise. HOWEVER, and PLEASE continue reading...five years of anticipation did not prepare me for what was to come. As I eagerly began the album in my car, I was completely blown away as I turned my stereo DOWN...something that rarely happens in my car. I thought "wow...I didn't know my speakers were capable of this...what IS that sound?" Let me just summarize here by telling you that the production on this album is stellar - Circus Maximus has obviously earned enough respect that Frontiers Records is putting more money into mixing and such than Sensory records were willing/able to spend on them. And it shows, because the album sound is top notch. So back to my story - I had just turned my stereo down and I'm thinking "what IS that sound?" I immediately realized something, and it is a conclusion that did not change throughout the album - 5 years between albums showed. If you have picked up one or both of Circus Maximus' other albums and thought they were ok, but weren't crazy about them, you might want to think about picking this album up anyways, because it is a totally different experience. This isn't to say that CM fans will be disappointed - no, the sound is still recognizable. But they sound all grown up. They aren't trying to prove anything anymore - they're comfortable with the fact that they've already proven themselves. Yes, you will still hear impressive riffs and instrumental wizardry. But they hang back at times and build suspense, so that when they come crashing in with their thunderous heavy metal chords, it sounds all the more heavy. And let me tell you, because of the production I mentioned before, the pounding bass and drums, the otherworldly keyboard sounds, and the crashing electric guitar are going to reach out of your speakers and slap you right in the face. But the really exciting thing to me is how much they've changed since the last album - don't get me wrong, I LOVED both of their earlier works. But this album, while being fully recognizable as Circus Maximus, has sections that I am sure I could play for a CM fan without telling them who it was, and as long as they didn't hear the familiar tone of Michael Eriksen's singing, I'm willing to bet they would not recognize the band. With this album, Circus Maximus builds off of the foundation they've built in the first two albums and explores new territory, and it is a very exciting thing to hear. So I'm going to do something I have not done before in a review and go through this album track by track:

Forging - this is a 76 second instrumental intro, so there is not much to say about it, although it serves it's purpose by building suspense with some dark keyboards, like walking through a heavy fog.

Architect of Fortune - well, they definitely start things off with a bang on this 10 minute plus epic. The piece starts off with a sound that will leave CM fans thinking "did I put the right CD in my player? Is this Circus Maximus?" An eerie whine, like a far off siren warning of danger, is backed by unbelievably thunderous bass and drums, and then the guitar comes crashing in and you know "yes, this is Circus Maximus." But what makes this epic so special is the fact that musically speaking, it is all over the place while still feeling seamless. It is unmistakeably one piece, and yet so very diverse in tone, tempo, and volume. It's like being taken for a ride, and not realizing how far you've come until the end when you look back and see just how far away the starting point is. This song will leave you shaking your head in disbelief after the journey is over.

Namaste - ok, now that we've told you a nice long thrilling musical tale, let's pound your face for a while - hear us roar! That's what I imagine them saying at a concert if they played this song immediately after the previous. This song demands respect from their heavy metal fans. And yet they still manage to throw in some musical curveballs, while keeping it somewhat subtle.

Game of Life - ah, now here's that melodic metal sound CM fans are used to. This is where CM show how they can throw hooks like anybody, and yet still have the chops to shred your face off. Michael Eriksen is going to show his amazing range, while never hanging out in the stratosphere for too long (as is an unfortunately all too common habit of too many metal acts, in my opinion) but just enough for you to know he can hit those notes like nobody's business. And Mats Haugen is going to build a guitar solo that will show you he can shred your face off with the best of them.

Reach Within - this song has the very interesting quality of feeling heavy and soft at the same time. While Michael Eriksen gently sings the verse, the bass line pounds beneath, and creates an interesting contrast. This song has a "single", radio-friendly feel to it, and yet there are subtle progressive undertones. Once again, Mats Haugen throws in a souring guitar solo, though this one I find reminiscent of Joe Satriani.

I Am - The opening of the song tricks you into thinking this is going to be a pop-oriented, single-worthy type of song, but then they throw in time-signature changes and stop/start rhythms. There are some very nice keyboard parts to this song that give it a lot of character. And of course, they throw in a nice guitar solo with some guitar and keyboard unison soli. All in all a joyful/triumphant prog romp.

Used - This track is a nice change of pace, as they show off their headbanger side. This is a rough and tumble heavy metal romp. But don't be fooled by the opening 4/4 time signature - they're going to throw off your headbanging with their masterful quick time signature changes. It's so easy to think you know exactly where this band is going with a tune, and then to be completely thrown off guard and I love it!

The One - The opening to this song tricks you into thinking it's an "I'm sorry" type of song, but it abbruptly changes to a more stern/angry tone that will have you banging your head in agreement. Again, Lasse Finbraten's keyboards add some great atmosphere to the song that is the difference between good and excellent.

Burn After Reading - So, at this point, you might be thinking "hey, out of all the songs on this album I've heard so far, only one is more than five minutes long - where are all the epics?" Never fear, for CM has saved two very, very special treats for you at the end of the album. I think this may be my favorite track, though it's hard to decide. The piece starts off with some very nice acoustic guitar parts, that have an upbeat tempo that tells you something bigger is coming - you just know it. But CM masterfully builds the suspense in this piece - just as you think things are going to get loud, they pull back again, teasing their listeners. I found the vocals in some of the quieter parts to be very interesting as they reminded me of Muse, or Freddy Mercury - once again I found myself asking (in a good way) "who IS this band?!" In a rare turn of events, I found myself paying a lot of attention to the lyrics of this one - they are a lament over the mistakes made over the course of life resulting in lost relationships, and the chorus is a real tearjerker: Every shimmering rock I've collected Kept weighing me down Pulling me to the ground All that I have left of us is a memory A picture of you and me

The song builds up to an instrumental section that is just the kind of monstrous prog hurricane you would expect from this band, the trading off and unison section between Mats Haugen on guitars and Lasse Finbraten on keyboards, and the twisting and turning changing key signatures are astounding. And then they throw the listener for a loop when this instrumental section stops instantly, leaving you stunned as Michael once again sings oh so softly, gently, in a section that once again reminds me of Muse. But they don't stay here, but crank it up before fading away in the end. Brilliant epic piece by the Circus.

Last Goodbye - Another brilliant epic. The song starts off with some keyboard sounds that are a very, very unusual sound for this band - I can only describe it as a spacey-80's sound. Of course they don't stay there, but build up from there. As the song's title suggests, this song is a last goodbye to an old friend. But it is a real tear jerker for me as, instead of coming off as mournful, it is more of a joyful celebration of the times shared together - at times coming off as...triumphant. This makes the gentle sadness over the departure all the more emotional, and it is a wonderful finish to the album, leaving me thrilled and spent after the roller coaster of this album.

I want to take a moment to encourage anyone who listened to Circus Maximus' first album, The 1st Chapter (how appropriately titled, eh?), and found it good but not good enough to keep listening to try this album out. They've really developed their own individuality in this album, the album has a more polished feel, more professional sound mixing, and I feel overall they've shown that their potential is being realized. I want to point out and focus on the real prog gems of the album, but the album over all is a masterpiece, having a "something for everyone" type of setup where each song is showcasing different elements of the band. This band has a way of writing, dare I say, "radio-friendly" prog songs that have a deceptively simple feel to them, but underneath are subtle time-signature changes, and they will often surprise you with a very cool proggy instrumental at the end of such a song. But like I said, I want to point out a couple of the songs that really stick out to me as Progressive monsters. For example, the instrumental "Sane No More" shines, competing with Dream Theater's "Dance of Eternity" in the "Best Instrumental Progressive Rock Song" and "Most Time Signature Changes In a Song" categories, and I nominate "Mouth of Madness" in the "Best Progressive Metal Epic of the Year" category. But I point these out only to try to focus attention on these as some of the more complex and, to me, interesting pieces of the album. All throughout the album are strewn good progressive elements, but what makes this band extraordinary are their ability to hold back at times and be more subtle, in order to appeal to a broader audience. For example, "Arrival of Love" has a feel that reminds me of Def Leppard, with a more classic rock feel to it, but then they start to drop in some nice time signature changes Matts Haugen's guitar work is showcased very well. And "From Childhood's Hour" starts out with a very dark, heavy feel but abbruptly changes to a quieter, more poppy feel. But then in the chorus you can allmost hear them saying "Ha! Fooled you! We're a Progressive Metal band baby!" as they throw in some time changes and heavy rhythm guitar. And at the end of the song there is a very cool instrumental section that starts out with some mysterious sliding guitar sounds, and then abruptly shifts to a much heavier Prog Metal sound. This band has created a lot of buzz in Prog Metal circles, and I am going to say it is well deserved.

What a good album.. Though it's been a while since I listen to it but when I was checking my music library couple days ago 'isolate' just pop-up in front of my eyes and directly crawled into my MP3 player, and what a result, it still sounds strong and cohesive as l listened to it for the first time, the great unexpected introduction in 'A Darkened Mind' with its aggressive beguiling riffage' the hell itself in 'abyss', the passion and drama in 'wither', the capability in 'Sane No More', while 80s atmospheres arrived in 'arrival of love' and the most interesting riffage in the middle of 'mouth of madness' with its smart time-signature''

The guitarist are so versatile to the extent that you repeat each solo again and again ending up with a feeling of -hungry for more-

The drummer is a machine!! so talent and dexterous, the quality and variety of rhythms and rolls filled your ears from the beginning of album till the last second..

Circus maximus strongly represents the new wave of Norwegian progressive scene which contains mostly good bands that are worth to be discovered and supported.. The album deserves 4 stars and I think C.M are one of the best who mixes 80s singing spirit with progressive elements so far, and I recommend it for fans of TNT, pagans mind....

I'm waiting their new album with high expectations since they have been preparing it for 4 years hopefully not be disappointed..

A good debut album by Circus Maximus with great musicianship. But I have to agree with some reviews before me that the music is all to familiar and can be an underwhelming experience if you have already heard things like Symphony X and Dream Theater before it as it takes almost all of it's influence from. This being said there are good songs that are outside of the mould the rest of the album follows. Biosfear is the highlight of the album for me, an experimental instrumental with Frank Zappa like unisons and interesting keyboard sounds. Silence from the Angels Above is also a great track, an acoustic song with some great ideas in it. To criticise this album is a bit unfair but it could have done with a lot more originality that some tracks on the album showed they do have in them. The song 'Alive' really is an unnecessary inclusion for me, the keyboard sounds and repetitive riffing would have felt more at home on an Avenged Sevenfold album than this attempt at a Progressive Metal or Symphonic Metal (neither the listener nor the musicians can decide which) album.

Negatives out of the way this album is very well executed, the a-for mentioned musicianship really is fantastic offering some great things to make any prog fan lick their lips. If you are a Symphony X and Dream Theater fan definitely get this one because you will love it.

This second album of the so talented band from NORWAY-CIRCUS MAXIMUS is simply STUNNING!I cannot believe my ears each time I make an audition of this album!I don't know what exactly this album has to make it be o catchy and interesting,but I realise in the same time that ISOLATION is a wonderful prog metal album,not at all an ordinary o!It has absolutely everything what a valuable prog metalalbum must have!The technical aspect is impressive and the musicianship of all the members is remarcable!MIKE ERIKSEN has a wonderful voice,very expressive and the guy is offering some spectacular vocal performances on the album-really breathtaking!The crystal clear production is also a very important aspect and the mature compositions are flowing in perfect harmony,in the end we realise that the timing of the album is just perfect,no weak song,SIMPLY PERFECT!!!The highlight of the album in MOUTH OF MADNESS a 12 minutes long composition,where we have something that could be called a musical masterpiece,where all the imagination of the guys is really unleashed-both componistic and in terms of playing!Scary technical capacities from the guys-CIRCUS MAXIMUS is a and of a huge potential!SANE NO MORE is another highlight of the album-a monster track-an instrumental one,where all the guys are delivering the whole technical capacities of their tremendeous talent!5 STARS without any hesitation to a memorable album,undoubtedly an album of reference of the genre-one of the best in the latest period of time!!

I liked a lot that first album. Sin, Alive, Glory of the empire and why am i here? were my favorite from the first chapter. Isolate is different. It sounds more comercial but that does not mean that is not so good. This album is more catchier than the first one. This album is more open to anyone who likes melodic and progressive music. For me the first track here is as good as sin. Abyss is by far the heaviest song on the album and has an incredible chorus. Arrival of love and from childhood hour may sound comercial but they are catchy and are really good songs. Zero and wither are emotional songs but they still mange to make their move. Good choruses and beautiful melodies.

This album may not be so liked by progs because of its comercial trend but is anyway a great album. No deny. Circus maximus manages one more time to make technical metal with refleshing melodies.

4.5