What do SX fans think of Circus Maximus?

Ben101 · May 4th, 2009, 08:21 AM

If you havn't heard of Circus Maximus they are a progressive metal band from... Norway I think, they have two albums out. I know a lot o prog fans are divided when it comes to this band, some think they are amazing because of their technical skill and songwriting, others dislike them becase they sound too similar to a handful of other prog bands.

I've had Isolate for almost a year, and I think its got some good material on it. When I first bought it I almost threw the album out the window after 3 songs because at first I thought they were directly ripping off Dream Theater, and I only need one DT not two. Better judgement told me to give it a little time, which I'm glad I did because although I don't find the whole album amazing, there are some cool songs on it. Great vocals (an acquired taste I guess), excellent guitar and keyboard playing and a solid rhythm section. There definately a few too many moments that venture too close to Dream theater teritory, but despite this they are pretty competent and interesting band.

What do you reckon, cookie-cutter prog or something decent?
Also, if there are any fans of this band here, is the first album worth giving a listen?

DoomsdayZach · May 4th, 2009, 09:23 AM

Boring IMO. The progpower forum seems to have a massive boner for this band, but I just can't agree.

ABQShredHead · May 4th, 2009, 10:06 AM

I dig 'em. I think their best stuff was their demo mp3s they posted here on this forum way way back.

OfSinsAndShred · May 4th, 2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ABQShredHead

I dig 'em. I think their best stuff was their demo mp3s they posted here on this forum way way back.

Dude, yeah! The demo of "Imperial Destruction" was great. And I like the demo for "Glory of the Empire" a little bit better. They took out that hammond part, haha.

That being said, I've been a fan since they posted those demos here. I really enjoyed The First Chapter, and Isolate was pretty good, too.

Swabs · May 4th, 2009, 10:37 AM

I love 'em personally.

J-Dubya 777 · May 4th, 2009, 11:06 AM

Cool band. I like them a lot....

razoredge · May 4th, 2009, 01:23 PM

I have both CD's, I like them. They are a bit too much like jumping back and forth between Dream Theater and Symphony X. Some brisk changeups rather than flowing. I played them fairly solid for awhile and havent gone back for awhile either, I should revisit. I prefer Isolate and prefer the band Threshold for being more of their own sound rather than too much like another band.

razoredge · May 4th, 2009, 02:53 PM

Playing Isolate now.... I should have added that the vocalist is awesome. He has some qualities that were very predominant in pop metal vocalists during the 80's but applied to much better music and more dynamic. Some phrasing reminds of Roy Kahn too... phrasing not tone/timbre

Mouth of Madness stands out to me, perhaps their most epic piece ?

Swabs · May 4th, 2009, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by razoredge

Mouth of Madness stands out to me, perhaps their most epic piece ?

Aye, probably my favourite of theirs.

batera · May 4th, 2009, 03:36 PM

I just checked out "Imperial Destruction" and I must admit it's pretty awesome. "Mouth of Madness" too. Based on just those two I'll probably pick up the albums. Interesting band, but so far, Symphony X has more of a mood, a feel, an imagery, a way to take me places. With a lot of prog bands, I feel like I'm in an awesome jam session and can get into the grooves and riffs, but I wanna feel like I'm in a story too. They have a lot of potential and I will keep my eye on them.

razoredge · May 4th, 2009, 04:23 PM

How about Abyss ? Probably like a cross between instrumental SX and during vocals Kamelot but great tune (this IS the problem with the band)

Ben101 · May 4th, 2009, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by razoredge

Playing Isolate now.... I should have added that the vocalist is awesome. He has some qualities that were very predominant in pop metal vocalists during the 80's but applied to much better music and more dynamic. Some phrasing reminds of Roy Kahn too... phrasing not tone/timbre

Mouth of Madness stands out to me, perhaps their most epic piece ?

I agree about the vocalist, he's awesome. His voice to me sounds similar to Geddy Lee's just more disciplined and less annoying. I can see the Roy Khan comparison too. Mouth Of Madness didn't really hold my interest like an epic should, but its a decent song. Been playing Isolate non-stop on the way to Uni, very solid album with Zero and Mouth Of Madness being songs being my lesser preferred songs, discovered how good the song From Childhoods Hour is afternever really giving it any attention. With and A Darkened Mind rock as well, really good guitar riffs and excellent vocals and they're pretty good songwriters too.

Postulate · May 4th, 2009, 10:15 PM

I had a brief love affair with the band and listened to them constantly...it's kind of faded now but they are still decent. I will admit that some of their stuff is just generic boring prog, but listen to "The Prophecy" or "Ultimate Sacrifice" - some very emotional, original moments on some of their songs.

Personally I find that the singer's voice gets grating and overbearing if you listen to him too much. Isolate especially had some vocal problems for me - it sounds like the singer has a cold or something throughout the whole thing, and the song "Zero" was a pile of shit.

I'll probably be buying their next album.

progmetaldan · May 5th, 2009, 12:13 AM

I only have The 1st Chapter, which is magnificent imo. The chorus of Sin is just epic. Their singer is brilliant, one of the strongest points of the band I reckon, but they're all great players. I need to check out Isolate...

_Gentleman of_the Snow_ · May 5th, 2009, 12:25 AM

I love both of their albums, and I can't wait for their third (which is in the making as we speak)!

Near the end of the song Zero, I find that the vocalist's tone actually sounds a lot like Khan... I'm sure many would agree.

ABQShredHead · May 5th, 2009, 10:52 AM

Mats Haugen is a pretty scary guitar player. I like watching his YouTube vids.

Back during the release of their demo stuff (you're right, Jeff, "Glory of the Empire" and "Imperial Destruction" were better as demos than on the album), one forum member compared the vox to the singer from TNT. I couldn't agree more. I dig his vocals big time.

Phanto · May 5th, 2009, 12:21 PM

Because I'm such a cool fucking guy I uploaded the demo version of glory of the empire on youtube

You Tube

proulxski · May 5th, 2009, 10:57 PM

I dig them alot! And I def' agree with the singers phrasing,& tone at times sounding similar to Khan. But thats not a bad thing, Khan is a beastly singer, whether or not you like Kamelot's music, if you've seen them live, he is a beast of a singer!

ABQShredHead · May 6th, 2009, 10:25 AM

When I saw Kamelot live, Khan had a really bad cold. He couldn't strain his voice. But they still rocked!

OfSinsAndShred · May 6th, 2009, 01:34 PM

I guess I can see the Khan comparison. Never thought of it before. I do pick up a lot of Geoff Tate, but I guess that's pretty obvious with him.

razoredge · May 6th, 2009, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OfSinsAndShred

I guess I can see the Khan comparison. Never thought of it before. I do pick up a lot of Geoff Tate, but I guess that's pretty obvious with him.

As I was sitting here listening to CM being at times reminded of Kahn and writting that in my post, it went through my mind about Tate but Tate was not who I was hearing. Then I wondered why when I first heard Kahn I felt he was the closest thing to Tate that I had heard. Yet didnt hear Tate in CM.... well anyhow I was baffled.....

pointless I suppose. Regardless the guy whos name I should LEARN applies himself quite well and such comparisions are to me high compliments. He has that higher tone of voice that reminds me of the many pop metal vocalists of the 80's only hes not singing "party in my pants" bullshit

I made that observation of Damian Wilsons voice too when I bought Wounded Land, the only thing I have heard by him.

OfSinsAndShred · May 6th, 2009, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by razoredge

He has that higher tone of voice that reminds me of the many pop metal vocalists of the 80's only hes not singing "party in my pants" bullshit

You can compare the entire band to pop music, "only not bullshit." That's one thing I like about them. It's poppy, it's catchy, but it's still good music.

proulxski · May 6th, 2009, 10:16 PM

allen had a bad cold last time I saw him, still freaking raped the crowd. INbetween each chorus it cough into a towel lol. gotta love them

Postulate · May 6th, 2009, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by proulxski

allen had a bad cold last time I saw him, still freaking raped the crowd. INbetween each chorus it cough into a towel lol. gotta love them

lol

gotta love the guy

_Gentleman of_the Snow_ · May 7th, 2009, 12:32 AM

After the Toronto show, I was chilling outside Subway, and then Sir Allen walked right around the corner (and went into Subway). "I guess this is the place to be!", said he... It... it was awesome.

May 4th, 2009, 08:21 AM	#1 (permalink)
Ben101 Shreddy McFuntits Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia. Posts: 38	What do SX fans think of Circus Maximus? If you havn't heard of Circus Maximus they are a progressive metal band from... Norway I think, they have two albums out. I know a lot o prog fans are divided when it comes to this band, some think they are amazing because of their technical skill and songwriting, others dislike them becase they sound too similar to a handful of other prog bands. I've had Isolate for almost a year, and I think its got some good material on it. When I first bought it I almost threw the album out the window after 3 songs because at first I thought they were directly ripping off Dream Theater, and I only need one DT not two. Better judgement told me to give it a little time, which I'm glad I did because although I don't find the whole album amazing, there are some cool songs on it. Great vocals (an acquired taste I guess), excellent guitar and keyboard playing and a solid rhythm section. There definately a few too many moments that venture too close to Dream theater teritory, but despite this they are pretty competent and interesting band. What do you reckon, cookie-cutter prog or something decent? Also, if there are any fans of this band here, is the first album worth giving a listen?

May 4th, 2009, 09:23 AM	#2 (permalink)
DoomsdayZach The Professor was right Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 6,663	Boring IMO. The progpower forum seems to have a massive boner for this band, but I just can't agree. __________________

May 4th, 2009, 10:06 AM	#3 (permalink)
ABQShredHead ©1970 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 2,405	I dig 'em. I think their best stuff was their demo mp3s they posted here on this forum way way back. __________________ More hops, please! I like big hops and I cannot lie... Maker of fine beers and owner of The Backyard Brewery. Action Figures Sold Separately Guitar Talk, Love, & Drums

May 4th, 2009, 10:37 AM	#5 (permalink)
Swabs No. Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Oxford (at Uni), UK Posts: 13,637	I love 'em personally. __________________

May 4th, 2009, 01:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
razoredge Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 4,964	I have both CD's, I like them. They are a bit too much like jumping back and forth between Dream Theater and Symphony X. Some brisk changeups rather than flowing. I played them fairly solid for awhile and havent gone back for awhile either, I should revisit. I prefer Isolate and prefer the band Threshold for being more of their own sound rather than too much like another band. __________________ into this wild abyss, the womb of nature and perhaps her grave, of neither sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire... but all these in their pregnant causes mixed confusedly, and which thus must ever fight, unless the almighty maker then ordain his dark materials to create more worlds, into this wild abyss the wary fiend stood on the brink of hell and looked a while, pondering his voyage

May 4th, 2009, 11:06 AM	#6 (permalink)
J-Dubya 777 It's a tough life! Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cheeseland USA Posts: 6,348	Cool band. I like them a lot....

May 4th, 2009, 02:53 PM	#8 (permalink)
razoredge Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 4,964	Playing Isolate now.... I should have added that the vocalist is awesome. He has some qualities that were very predominant in pop metal vocalists during the 80's but applied to much better music and more dynamic. Some phrasing reminds of Roy Kahn too... phrasing not tone/timbre Mouth of Madness stands out to me, perhaps their most epic piece ? __________________ into this wild abyss, the womb of nature and perhaps her grave, of neither sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire... but all these in their pregnant causes mixed confusedly, and which thus must ever fight, unless the almighty maker then ordain his dark materials to create more worlds, into this wild abyss the wary fiend stood on the brink of hell and looked a while, pondering his voyage Last edited by razoredge : May 4th, 2009 at 02:55 PM.

May 4th, 2009, 03:36 PM	#10 (permalink)
batera Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 124	I just checked out "Imperial Destruction" and I must admit it's pretty awesome. "Mouth of Madness" too. Based on just those two I'll probably pick up the albums. Interesting band, but so far, Symphony X has more of a mood, a feel, an imagery, a way to take me places. With a lot of prog bands, I feel like I'm in an awesome jam session and can get into the grooves and riffs, but I wanna feel like I'm in a story too. They have a lot of potential and I will keep my eye on them.

May 4th, 2009, 04:23 PM	#11 (permalink)
razoredge Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 4,964	How about Abyss ? Probably like a cross between instrumental SX and during vocals Kamelot but great tune (this IS the problem with the band) __________________ into this wild abyss, the womb of nature and perhaps her grave, of neither sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire... but all these in their pregnant causes mixed confusedly, and which thus must ever fight, unless the almighty maker then ordain his dark materials to create more worlds, into this wild abyss the wary fiend stood on the brink of hell and looked a while, pondering his voyage

May 4th, 2009, 10:15 PM	#13 (permalink)
Postulate Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 439	I had a brief love affair with the band and listened to them constantly...it's kind of faded now but they are still decent. I will admit that some of their stuff is just generic boring prog, but listen to "The Prophecy" or "Ultimate Sacrifice" - some very emotional, original moments on some of their songs. Personally I find that the singer's voice gets grating and overbearing if you listen to him too much. Isolate especially had some vocal problems for me - it sounds like the singer has a cold or something throughout the whole thing, and the song "Zero" was a pile of shit. I'll probably be buying their next album.

May 5th, 2009, 12:13 AM	#14 (permalink)
progmetaldan Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Australia Posts: 5,824	I only have The 1st Chapter, which is magnificent imo. The chorus of Sin is just epic. Their singer is brilliant, one of the strongest points of the band I reckon, but they're all great players. I need to check out Isolate... __________________ Dan www.myspace.com/progmetalpilgrim

May 5th, 2009, 12:25 AM	#15 (permalink)
_Gentleman of_the Snow_ Prog' Drummer Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 897	I love both of their albums, and I can't wait for their third (which is in the making as we speak)! Near the end of the song Zero, I find that the vocalist's tone actually sounds a lot like Khan... I'm sure many would agree.

May 5th, 2009, 10:52 AM	#16 (permalink)
ABQShredHead ©1970 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 2,405	Mats Haugen is a pretty scary guitar player. I like watching his YouTube vids. Back during the release of their demo stuff (you're right, Jeff, "Glory of the Empire" and "Imperial Destruction" were better as demos than on the album), one forum member compared the vox to the singer from TNT. I couldn't agree more. I dig his vocals big time. __________________ More hops, please! I like big hops and I cannot lie... Maker of fine beers and owner of The Backyard Brewery. Action Figures Sold Separately Guitar Talk, Love, & Drums

May 5th, 2009, 10:57 PM	#18 (permalink)
proulxski Welcome To Kanata Eh! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Canada/Quebec (Montreal) Posts: 1,971	I dig them alot! And I def' agree with the singers phrasing,& tone at times sounding similar to Khan. But thats not a bad thing, Khan is a beastly singer, whether or not you like Kamelot's music, if you've seen them live, he is a beast of a singer! __________________ www.MetalAssaultRadio.com

May 6th, 2009, 10:25 AM	#19 (permalink)
ABQShredHead ©1970 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 2,405	When I saw Kamelot live, Khan had a really bad cold. He couldn't strain his voice. But they still rocked! __________________ More hops, please! I like big hops and I cannot lie... Maker of fine beers and owner of The Backyard Brewery. Action Figures Sold Separately Guitar Talk, Love, & Drums

May 6th, 2009, 01:34 PM	#20 (permalink)
OfSinsAndShred Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 2,946	I guess I can see the Khan comparison. Never thought of it before. I do pick up a lot of Geoff Tate, but I guess that's pretty obvious with him.

May 6th, 2009, 10:16 PM	#23 (permalink)
proulxski Welcome To Kanata Eh! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Canada/Quebec (Montreal) Posts: 1,971	allen had a bad cold last time I saw him, still freaking raped the crowd. INbetween each chorus it cough into a towel lol. gotta love them __________________ www.MetalAssaultRadio.com

May 7th, 2009, 12:32 AM	#25 (permalink)
_Gentleman of_the Snow_ Prog' Drummer Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 897	After the Toronto show, I was chilling outside Subway, and then Sir Allen walked right around the corner (and went into Subway). "I guess this is the place to be!", said he... It... it was awesome.