A.C.T
Circus Pandemonium

And while everyone is waiting for a new Tool album that's been missing for 8 years... people forget that in the progressive scene there's another band that has also been awaited for 8 years: the Swedish A.C.T. This band is known (to just a few, though) for their unusually light-hearted, fun sound with brilliant melodies for a prog-rock band; it’s no coincidence that they are among the many bands I recommend to those over 50 who think prog stopped in 1977. They had been off the scene since 2006, when they released "Silence," a perhaps less daring record with somewhat more 'serious' and mature melodies. Then nothing, just a video showing them in the studio back in 2008 before shelving the whole thing and raising hopes for a new release a few years later (around 2011), perhaps taking a bit too much time.

But finally, in the early months of 2014, "Circus Pandemonium" came to light, the fifth studio work of the Swedish band. And it is an album that's purely A.C.T style. The sound returns to being varied and cheerful like in the first three albums.

Most of the brilliant ideas are concentrated in the first tracks, whereas the latter part of the album is a little less inspired, though equally valid. For instance, in “The End,” where there are interesting circus music insertions that break the brilliant prog-pop-rock of the track, but also in the frenetic "Everything's Falling" with fast and bright riffs almost on the edge of pop-punk and particular keyboard loops perfectly in tune with the mood of the album. "Manager's Wish" is also remarkable, including reggae elements, cold keyboard sounds, and even scratch inserts and sounds reproducing oriental-sounding string riffs. The reggae rhythms find full expression in the subsequent "A Truly Gifted Man," comfortably well-integrated into the prog plots.

The central part essentially features interludes, mostly instrumental and more serving the band's prog component, but among these, the fun circus march "Look at the Freak" stands out, as well as the ballad "A Mother's Love."

The final part holds fewer surprises, yet maintains a fresh and bright sound; here, the lively "The Funniest Man Alive" stands out, with its pace halfway between swing and pop-punk.

Well, yes, these 8 years of silence have done the band quite good. A.C.T is back with an album that is decidedly inspired, balanced between technique, melody, and imagination, an album that probably doesn’t have much to envy past titles like "Imaginary Friends" and "Last Epic." Recommended also for those who want to have a first contact with the band and get an idea of them.