CIRCLE II CIRCLE WATCHING IN SILENCE
AFM Records - 2003
By Rodrigo Escandon
Circle II Circle is the band formed and fronted by former Savatage singer Zak Stevens. After deciding to leave Savatage to spend more time with his family, it was really only a matter of time until he showed up in some form of another. I was actually surprised that he decided to become part of a full-time band but apparently the calling to be involved in another band was too just too hard to not listen to. Teaming up with Jon Oliva to start writing the songs and soon thereafter finding the other band members, Matt La Porte (guitars), John Werner (guitars), John Zahner (keyboards), Kevin Rothney (bass) and Chris Kinder (drums), this band was born. Chris Caffery also joined in to help Zak write some songs and so the end result is the debut Watching In Silence.
Sine honesty is the best policy I will be very blunt: I would rather not have heard this album at all. First of all, when you have the two main songwriters of Savatage helping you out, it will not be very hard for the sound to sound like that band or let me rephrase, exactly like that band. Circle II Circle sounds like mini-Savatage. There is nothing I have heard in this album that I have not heard in any other Savatage albums. I can understand that Zak comes from that band and it would be hard to come up with his own sound since he spent so much time with that band but come on, this is just ridiculous. Second, no offense to the musicians but if I want to hear Savatage music I would just rather hear it from that band instead. There is really nothing that sets these guys apart. Third, Zaks voice does not sound as good as it has in the past and while that might have been the one redeeming aspect of this album, it is just as mediocre as everything else that is happening.
Sorry but I just can not take a band seriously when it is obviously just a copy-cat and not a very good one of a better and more established band. If Zak seriously wants to purse this I suggest that he says goodbye to Jon and Chris and totally goes in another musical direction or at least make it interesting if he wants to play this sort of music. It does not help matters that the promo is just one big track and you can not skip tracks instead you get to fast forward and anybody who has tried that on a CD player must know how fun that is! Negative points goes to the label for that aspect as well.
AFM Records Website
Circle II Circle Official Website
AFM Records - 2003
By Rodrigo Escandon
Circle II Circle is the band formed and fronted by former Savatage singer Zak Stevens. After deciding to leave Savatage to spend more time with his family, it was really only a matter of time until he showed up in some form of another. I was actually surprised that he decided to become part of a full-time band but apparently the calling to be involved in another band was too just too hard to not listen to. Teaming up with Jon Oliva to start writing the songs and soon thereafter finding the other band members, Matt La Porte (guitars), John Werner (guitars), John Zahner (keyboards), Kevin Rothney (bass) and Chris Kinder (drums), this band was born. Chris Caffery also joined in to help Zak write some songs and so the end result is the debut Watching In Silence.
Sine honesty is the best policy I will be very blunt: I would rather not have heard this album at all. First of all, when you have the two main songwriters of Savatage helping you out, it will not be very hard for the sound to sound like that band or let me rephrase, exactly like that band. Circle II Circle sounds like mini-Savatage. There is nothing I have heard in this album that I have not heard in any other Savatage albums. I can understand that Zak comes from that band and it would be hard to come up with his own sound since he spent so much time with that band but come on, this is just ridiculous. Second, no offense to the musicians but if I want to hear Savatage music I would just rather hear it from that band instead. There is really nothing that sets these guys apart. Third, Zaks voice does not sound as good as it has in the past and while that might have been the one redeeming aspect of this album, it is just as mediocre as everything else that is happening.
Sorry but I just can not take a band seriously when it is obviously just a copy-cat and not a very good one of a better and more established band. If Zak seriously wants to purse this I suggest that he says goodbye to Jon and Chris and totally goes in another musical direction or at least make it interesting if he wants to play this sort of music. It does not help matters that the promo is just one big track and you can not skip tracks instead you get to fast forward and anybody who has tried that on a CD player must know how fun that is! Negative points goes to the label for that aspect as well.
AFM Records Website
Circle II Circle Official Website
