THE 1ST CHAPTER

CIRCUS MAXIMUS exploded onto the Progressive Metal scene in 2005 with their debut, THE FIRST CHAPTER. From the first pounding riffs of the very varied (and most reminiscant of the prog metal greats) "Sin" to the last grandiose notes of "The First Chapter," they manage to create what may as well be the best progressive metal disk in several years. CIRCUS MAXIMUS has an outstanding amount of versatility. Mike Eriksen has a smooth and strong voice very well suited to prog, and he gets the chance to show it off on the rocker "Alive" and the very nice ballad "Silence From Angels Above". That's not to say the rest of the band aren't talentless either, and they get the chance to show it off on the instrumental "Biosfear," which is a great track, but what actually could be one of the top tracks on one album actually ends up being the worst here. This probably has something to do with the fact that on the other tracks, there is little to no instrumental showoff, and the band is at their best crafting their catchy vocal melodies and strong choruses.

For a first album, this is a very ambitious effort. CIRCUS MAXIMUS are not afraid though, and they crafted not one, but two amazing epic tracks in the form of "Glory of the Empire" and "The First Chapter." Glory of the Empire opens up with a nice acoustic guitar melody, and quickly turns into a monster of a track. Eriksen shines here, with his epic, sweeping vocals soaring over the killer guitar riffs and solid drumming. The background vocals are also great at the end of the track, I love the contrast this band has going on at times with the deep, almost chant-like backing vocals and Eriksen's strong and high voice. The effect is often spellbinding at times, as it is in the nearly twenty minute monster, "The First Chapter." Packed full of epic moments (the intro sounds a lot like something straight out of SYMPHONY X) and memorable vocal melodies, this is a track to remember.

CIRCUS MAXIMUS created an album for the record books with their debut, THE FIRST CHAPTER. Most bands will try their entire career to simply craft as many good songs as are included in this amazing debut. Highly recommended.