Circus of Rock: Come One, Come All

Finnish drummer Mirka Rantanen has put together a project called Circus of Rock for an album titled Come One, Come All. It features a variety of singers and guest musicians. The album has received quite a bit of promotion and hype. Unfortunately, it is largely a collection of mid-quality hair/glam metal songs.

Like all albums, there are some tracks that rise above the others. “Desperate Cry� begins with some nice keyboard (organ, I believe) work, reminiscent of classic Uriah Heep and Deep Purple. That raised my hopes for the song, but it, too, moves into much of the same territory as most of the tracks. “Sheriff of Ghost Town� is one of the heavier songs on the album, an enjoyable listen. And Elize Ryd gives a nice vocal performance on “In Times of Despair.�

Another high point is Rantanen’s drumming. It is consistently good and there are no extended solos, as you might expect from a project masterminded by a drummer. But, overall, the rest of the music is just alright and at times less than that, especially some of the keyboards, which sound very dated.

I cannot recommend the album. It never quite sinks to the lows of, say, Poison’s recordings. More like late 1980s Kiss. Some of the tracks would not seem out of place on Crazy Nights. But maybe people should take my opinion with a grain of salt. This is not my preferred genre of metal or hard rock. If it’s yours, give it a try. You may like it.

Track Listing:
1. The Beat (Featuring Riku Turunen)
2. Desperate Cry (Featuring Johnny Gioeli)
3. Sheriff of Ghost Town (Featuring Marco Hietala)
4. Never (Featuring Kimmo Blom)
5. In Times of Despair (Featuring Elize Ryd)
6. Crossroads (Featuring Pasi Rantanen)
7. Caught in the Middle (Featuring Danny Vaughn)
8. Plywood Covered Windows and Crappy Shoes (Featuring Antti Railio)
9. Edge of Love (Featuring Rick Altzi)
10. Set Me Free (Featuring Jarkko Ahola)
11. Everafter (Featuring Tommi “Tuple� Salmela)
12. No Reason (Featuring Marc Quee)
13. Tears of The Clown (Featuring Erik Kraemer)
14. Burning (Bonus Digital Track)

Added: September 11th 2021
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 580
Language: english

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