Band Website
  Company Website
  Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Savage Circus
Title
Dreamland Manor
Type
LP/EP
Company
Dockyard 1
YOR
2005
Style
Power
Popular Reviews
12/12/2005 - Review by: Stygian Steel
Savage Circus - Dreamland Manor - 2005 - Dockyard 1

Track Listing
1. Evil Eyes
2. Between The Devil And The Seas
3. Waltz Of The Demon
4. Tomorrowland
5. It - The Gathering
6. Beyond Reality
7. When Hell Awakes
8. Ghost Story
9. Born Again By The Night
Having departed from Blind Guardian, drummer Thomen Staunch apparently decided he wasn't through with the band's sound yet. Upon leaving he immediately surrounded himself with Hansi soundalike Emil Norberg of Persuader and also their guitarist. Rounding out the lineup we have producer extraordinare and Iron Savior mastermind Piet Sielck on bass, guitar, backing vocals, and producing.

Really the sound on this album is a direct product of all the bands but it takes just the right parts to make something pretty incredible here. Now I've never been a fan of Blind Guardian, but amazingly this new group manages to sort of make a BG album that I not only like, but think is really fuckin good. Imagine if you will the soaring vocal style of Hansi coupled with backing vocals of Piet Sielk merging into those addictive Iron Savior style choruses. Intrigued yet? Well add in some really heavy Iron Savior style chops, some Blind Guardian fantasy moments, and a crystal clear production job. This is really just the perfect fusion I wouldn't have imagined. Incredible songwriting and the band sounds tight as hell.

Blind Guardian, Iron Savior, and power fans in general should eat this up. Great debut from a new band to watch. The only thing I can see holding the band back is the obvious similarities to past bands, but I don't care. What they do, they do exceptionally well. Kinda weird, I should like a band so close to a power band I think is overrated as hell, but it happened here. Just has that Iron Savior quality to it that makes this thoroghly powerful and addictive.

Highlights: Evil Eyes, When Hell Awakes, Between The Devil And The Seas, Born Again By Night

Rating - 4.0/5.0




--Stygian Steel 12.05.05
  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    N/A :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: SAVAGE CIRCUS
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
 REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
Dreamland Manor
2005
Dockyard 1
Stygian Steel12/12/2005
-

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: SAVAGE CIRCUS
INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE


<< back >>
© Maximum Metal 2003-2022. All Rights Reserved. Metal Never Dies