WELCOME TO THE FREAKROOM

The first of Shadow Circus' three albums is the rawest, loudest and, well, rockiest. Six songs, most of them pretty long, with tempo changes, although not very complicated, plus one epic. Almost feels like a teaser, EP kind of disk. It evokes memories of 70s U.S. poppy and bombastic hard rock, think Kansas and Styx at their most playful, with guitar leading the way and piano and organ not far behind. The first three songs radiate a distinctive Americana, almost saloon kind of feel with provincial circus traveling thru the vast Americana and western riders catching on a storm. The concluding 11-minute epic features a grand instrumental intro, guitar heroics and catchy vocal melodies, although the theatrical vocalist does have a nasal tone to him.