If I judge this album by its cover, I might have thought that this is an album by a band similar to ARENA. Why? It's becauseof the cover artwork which reminds me to the cover artwork of ARENA "The Visitor" album. But .. I knew this album after I'msatisfied with the band's second album "Isolate" which sounds excellent, musically, to my ears. Well, as I understand fromCircus Maximus "Isolate" album I can then predict the kind of music presented by this band. The album has good "drive" and"enthusiasm" for the music that the band has made. The opening track "Sin" (5:53) is definitely an excellent track with greatcombination of riffs, melodic singing as well as tempo changes. The guitar solo in the middle of the track is cool. The nexttrack "Alive" (5:38) brings the music in similar vein with its opening track but in slower (a bit) tempo. The transitionpieces presented by keyboard work is quite interesting."Glory of the Empire" (10:27) gives a very nice break with an acoustic guitar work accompanied by bass guitar and keyboard.The long introduction completely ignores the perception that this is a progressive metal band because the first 2 minutes islike any symphonic prog music. But after minute 2 the music moves in crescendo and vocal enters the music followedbeautifully with piano work. Now the music is like a combination of prog metal and symphonic music. It's a nice compositionand I like the vocal quality. "Biosfear" (5:22) is completely a prog metal tune with fast tempo and pulsating keyboard workas well as guitar riffs and melody. The style of the music changes dramatically from one segment to another which makes thisalbum is "prog" in nature. It's an excellent instrumental track. "Silence from Angels Above" (4:07) starts beautifully with nice acoustic guitar fills which later accompanies vocal line inlow register notes. It's quite odd actually because until previous track te vocal line was performed in high register notes.But this album has powerful melody and chorus line which is nice to enjoy. There is some work of mellotron-like sound. "WhyAm I Here" (6:05) brings the music back into its uplifting mode with its progressive metal style. The title track "The 1st Chapter" (19:08) offers a music in prog metal vein with many changes in style and tempo at theopening part followed with music in symphonic style. The music flows wonderfully and the vocal line enters only after minute4 of the song. The combined work of guitar riffs, pulsating keyboard work, dazzling drums and powerful vocal line has madethis song attractive, especially for those who like Dream Theater, Symphony X, Kamelot, etc. The piano solo in the middle ofthe track is nice, influenced by classical music. It's an excellent track to conclude the album. My version has additionaltrack "Imperial Destruction" (6:30) (exclusive bonus track for Europe).Overall, it's a truly excellent progressive metal album with tight composition and heavily influenced by classical music.Much of the arrangement reminds me to the prog met bands like Dream Theater and Symphony X. Highly recommended. Keepon proggin' ..!Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Saturday, September 8, 2007 Review this album Report (Review #137074)
This was quite a shock. Few bands release actual masterpieces that rank up there were the other essentials of the genre. Circus Maximus has somehow managed to do this on their first time up to bat, and 'The 1st Chapter' is certainly a record that vies for that title.What more could one want from a progressive metal record? There are strange time signatures, virtuosic performances, fast songs, short songs, and of course; an epic to top it off. Keeping in mind that the members of this band were all in their early-mid twenties at the time of making this album, you have to wonder, 'how the hell did they manage this?' Mike Eriksen (the vocalist) was a singer who's voice I loved from the second I heard it, and is the heart and soul of the band. He's a vocalist I honestly find sharper and more elegant than even alot of the prog metal greats, such as Russell Allen (Symphony X) or even James LaBrie (Dream Theater.) Circus Maximus, while obviously not being completely ground breaking in terms of style (they bear striking similarities to Symphony X in terms of musical style and content) but they inject something into the music that seems to have been long forgotten in the progressive metal world; melody. The centre of their songs is always in the melody, and that really helps to enrich their music in a genre that runs the risk of becoming dry. A young classic. I can only say I am excited to see what they release in the future. social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Thursday, March 19, 2009 Review this album Report (Review #207815)
Circus Maximus Isolate FLAC Progressive Metal
On my first listen, I thought it was fairly mediocre, second listen I thought it was really good, but not after a third listen I find that it shifted back to mediocrity.I do not like to dwell on the negatives, so let's start with what I actually like about this record.For one, I think some songs on here are actually very superb and some of the best Riverside material we've got in a bit. The very 80s Neo Prog feeling Friend Or Foe, the super jazzy Big Tech Brother, and the very brilliantly executed I'm Done With You, are some of the best Riverside songs to come out of their current line-up. I feel like these tracks alone can make up a very great EP that could rival albums like Anno Domini High Definition, or my personal favorite of Love Fear And The Time Machine. I especially love I'm Done With You, with a very amazing combination of the usual prog metal affair, with a curious dosing of more Haken flavored keyboards, topped with star shining vocals that could rival some of the best vocalists in prog metal to begin with, creating for a modern day Riverside masterpiece.Another aspect I like about this album is the general concept around modern times and politics. Each track centers around elements of corruption, big businesses, technology, racial issues, gender norms, and so on and so forth. It creates a very progressive outlook that I think is quite needed in prog metal, more than just the odd political song here or there.However, that brings me to the issues I have with the album, and that is while I like the concept, I feel like the execution is very cringy at best. Tracks like Landmine Blast, Post-Truth, and especially The Place Where I Belong just have that awkward lyricism that I give odd looks to. The Place Where I Belong especially has this weird awkwardness with the lines of "What's my gender, What's the color of my skin" which just doesn't sit well with me. I know the band definitely means well, but when it comes to topics like racial issues and gender dysphoria, I feel like they could've been handled way better.Aside from choice lyrics, relatively speaking this feels like a very generic Riverside album. What I liked about Riverside was their willingness to change their mold a bit, not to the point where their fans could not recognize them, but to ensure a healthy and steady evolution to newer sounds that test the waters. I think those tests reach a gold standard with Time Machine, but afterwards it seems like they missed an opportunity to mine diamonds and gold with Wastelands. I was fairly excited for ID.ENTITY as it could mean a new Riverside sound, but aside from a few songs, this feels like the Riverside I am used to, and I do not like that. It feels like they aren't trying to change, but rather be conservative within their sounds, and this is a PROGRESSIVE metal band we are talking about. For them to not make progress in their sound in some shape or form, even if it is subtle, is quite sad to me.An album that I looked forward to managed to be one of the more lackluster. It has some good tracks, but the album's lows outway what I actually like, to where I fear that the band will stay the same. I want a new Riverside, not a Riverside that is the exact same from yesterday. I don't expect them to have King Crimson levels of change and variation, but I want something more. A change in atmosphere, maybe an emphasis on acoustics, maybe a more heavier sound, something to drive me ahead to new waters. This album doesn't do that for me, rather it sinks me down in the river.MEMBERS LOGIN ZONEAs a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.
Take this what you will, imagine if the stoner rock/metal of Sleep's Dopesmoker merged with the neo-psychedelic jams of Thee Oh Sees, plus a sprinkling of the space infused atmospheres composed by SBB, and a topping of the heavy psych movements of Hawkwind, and you get yourself Heavy Metal Fruit, as this is, in my mind, one of Motorpsycho's finest works. Each song on here is played to a very masterful degree of expertise, ranging from slow, stoner jams, to more fast paced songs that make me want to come back for more. I find that each song takes its sweet time in composing and playing, so that by the end, you feel like you've been on an amazing journey of sorts, and I absolutely love that kind of stuff in my progressive rock records.I just absolutely love the heavier direction this album composes. The band was right when they named this album 'Heavy Metal Fruit', as this album just screams super well made heavy psych prog that can rival some of the best jam bands. I especially love the first two songs of Starhammer and X-3 (Knuckleheads in Space). Starhammer is just this big, 12 minute extravaganza of stoner metal jams that never gets boring in the slightest. Just the amount they work with in that song is crazy, and it only solidifies the band's immaculate image in my eyes.X-3 (Knucklesheads in Space) is also another really great song on here. Just how it weaves through these super shimmering space rock jam sessions, to these almost laid back guitar and trumpet movements that contain more ambience than a Brian Eno song, and how it ends by swelling up with these weird, almost Echoes-like sounds that transition into the next song of The Bomb-Proof Roll and Beyond just leaves a lasting impression on me.I think it would also be criminal not to talk about the 20 minute epic of Gullible's Travails. This era of Motorpsycho, the band has really started amping up on their epics, and they, so far, have been some of the best parts of the albums they are in. Just how each part carefully weaves through these magical, psychedelic, and very space heavy progressions, with build ups and playing styles that could rival the likes of Uriah Heep, Amon Duul II, and Elder, and an otherworldly momentum of beauty towards the end, it all composes to a song worthy of being called a prog rock epic. I absolutely love it, and it is by far one of the band's best works of music.This album is not only a masterpiece of progressive rock standards, but the 3rd masterpiece the band put out in their long careers as legendary musicians. This album is an essential record that deserves any and all love it can get. I have bit into the heavy metal fruit, and I am loving the sweet taste of it.MEMBERS LOGIN ZONEAs a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums. 2ff7e9595c
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