Circus Maximus
Isolate

Just when it seems to us that power-prog metal has said everything there is to say and the myriad of young bands leave us unsatisfied with their "bland" works lacking in imagination and personality, bands like Circus Maximus emerge out of nowhere to save us from this feeling of dissatisfaction. With "Isolate," they make a huge leap forward compared to their debut album, at least in terms of originality and compositional aspect. The incredible technique of the five is, indeed, as it should be, always the same. However, this is not the hyper-technical metal that belongs to names like "Zero Hour" or "Spiral Architect" and that, from what I have been able to observe, is very much in vogue on the pages of DeBaser, but simply the more traditional progressive metal in the full style of Dream Theater and Symphony X, created by five Norwegian guys who had the right inspiration to compose eight beautiful songs and an instrumental of decent intensity.

Despite the album cover being rather bleak, one shouldn't be fooled; the quintet's sound knows how to be often melancholic and tinged with a pinch of drama, yet also joyful and romantic in songs like "Arrival of Love" and "From Childhood's Hour": precisely in these two songs, one can notice an eighties-style influence typical of groups like Europe or even early Bon Jovi. This characteristic also shows in the other compositions of the album, fitting perfectly with the splendid voice of singer Michael Eriksen, making the quintet's sound, in my opinion, irresistible and of great intensity, original in its way, fresh compared to the now sterile big bands that in the past made prog metal history. In "Isolate," we do not find the technicalities and the long (and often unnecessary) instrumental parts of "Systematic Chaos"; the instrumental parts and technicalities are there, but they are moderated, subordinated to the good outcome of the performance. We do not find in this album the "cheap" power of Symphony X's "Paradise Lost"; the power component is present but also moderated so that the compositions do not lose pathos and the band does not lose the main goal they set for themselves, to create something beautiful that touches the emotions of their listeners.

Each track on the album is a little gem; the level remains high from start to finish, the only dip perhaps being with the instrumental "Sane No More," slightly ordinary but not bad, listenable in its technical complexity. The keyboardist does an incredible job worthy of Jordan Rudess but also has the merit of giving the compositions that typical sound with an eighties flavor I mentioned earlier. The singer's talents, vocal range, and beautiful timbre are elements that embrace the instrumental accompaniment in an inseparable marriage; without this singer, I think the group would lose part of its charm, and it would be really difficult to replace him. What does this band lack, then? Just one thing, to gift us with a super album that can be considered a true masterpiece of prog metal alongside "Images and Words," "Carved in Stone" by Shadow Gallery, and... well, you get the idea.

Today, with "Isolate," Circus Maximus have made their great leap forward, stepping out from the shadow of their predecessors, creating a product with its own personality enjoyable from start to finish, but I want the band's next album to make the genre's lovers shout for a miracle.