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Band:Circus Maximus Album:Isolate Record Company:Sensory Records Writer: Mark Carras Media: MySpace Click Album Cover To Buy Now

Although I am not a huge prog metal fan, I like to check out a lot of prog releases. Why? Every once in awhile you get one that goes against every cliché the genre typically sticks to. Imagine a prog metal cd that is not wimpy as hell. Imagine the band doesn't use the standard super clean and high pitched vocals. Imagine it is more like an old school thrash album, but technical as hell. That is why I like to check out so many cds from this style I typically do not like. This cd is a little more heavy than most of the prog metal out there, but not by much. The vocals are super clean and the singer sounds like he had a good hard kick to the nuts right before laying down his vocal tracks. There is nothing too shocking here, sad to say.

The production here is great and I can hear everything perfectly. The mix is tastefully done. The opening track "A Darkened Mind" is probably my favorite since it is also one of the more heavy songs on the cd. Imagine the wimpiest material from Symphony X and mix that with the heaviest material from Journey and you get a basic idea of what this band is all about. Yes, pretty much standard fare with technically clear digital production. The guitaris,t although very proficient, is very boring. Sure he can play better than most. Yes, I am glad he doesn't go for the endless wankery of say an Yngwie Malmsteen. The boring part is that he doesn't do anything that grabs the listener. After the first song everything fades into the background. The vocals are the same way. He never does anything to accentuate a phrase. There is never a sonic version of an exclamation point. Although being far from flat or monotone, he is still predictable.

So did this Rock My Monkey? No. In fact I think I could use this as a cd to help me sleep better. It is beautifully done. The band creates sonic paintings that go on forever. It's like a landscape painting turned into a computer screensaver. It just keeps flowing forward seamlessly with no end in sight. Lush tropical jungles morph into stark white ice castles leaving you wondering when things switched. Even with the heavier moments of "Mouth Of Madness" it wouldn't wake anyone up, but it might make the dream it is inducing a little more interesting. Does this cd suck? Not at all. This is a very talented band that has released a cd where the only flaw is that maybe it is too perfect, but in all the wrong ways.

Band:Circus Maximus Album:Isolate Record Company:Sensory Records Writer: Mark Carras Media: MySpace Click Album Cover To Buy Now

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