Reason 4,729 not to judge an album by its cover: The fuzzy image and barely legible band name and album title on The Circle — the debut CD from the American duo of multi-instrumentalist Edward Faust (ex-Rivera Bomma) and vocalist Tom Engel (Alchemy-X) — belie the fact that this is a seriously strong melodic hard rock album sprinkled with shards of progressive metal. With the exception of the opening title cut and the closing track "Traces," which sound a little like Load-era Metallica, The Circle is fueled by Faust's memorable compositions and instrumental dexterity mixed with Engel's intelligent lyrics and huge, warm voice. It makes for music that sounds instantly familiar but cannot be easily placed. The best I can come up with is a combination of Enchant, major-label-era Fates Warning, Without Warning and Tyketto -- but if I'm honest, even that is not completely accurate. Despite muddy producton, The Circle maintains its power throughout its eight tracks, but highlights include "Enter the Grey," "What Lies Within" and the ballad "Watching, Waiting." Don't pass up this one based on the cover art or any myriad of other excuses; it's one of those records that make you feel like you discovered something really special. More, please.
Track Listing:
1) The Circle
2) Enter the Grey
3) What Lies Within
4) As We Are
5) Closer
6) Watching, Waiting
7) Absolution
8) Traces
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