Customer Reviews

Watching in Silence

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Uau! Zakk Stevens proved there will be a very healthy life for him after Savatage!! This album is breathtaking. Ok, there's no intention to try to hide the fact that sometimes this sound EXACTLY like Savatage, mainly the Savatage of WAKE OF MAGELLAN. But, anyway, it has its own signature, and, man it really goes with a bang! Great songwriting, impecable production, top musicians. What more do we, metal fanas, want?

I keep guessing what would be the result if Dream Theater had in their line up Stevens as their vocalist, instead of that insipid hair metal singer La Brie...

Savatage comparisons are inevitable, but Circle II Circle start the disc off with riffing muscle on the opening track "Out of Reach." This track helps define Zak's new sound. It's a gritty tone, unlike the polished, high production sounding Savatage songs. Zak still maintains his melodic delivery and passion. There are other songs in this vain where Circle II Circle stands out. "Lies" is an emotionally driven track about anger and frustration with relationships. The beefy guitar riffs help punctuate the message. "The Circle" is a straight power chord arrangement that's pure carnal rock. Now, the Savatage influenced tracks are not hard to find. "Into the Wind" starts of with a nice arpeggio guitar pattern, followed by a spry drumbeat that leads into a monstrous, tuneful chorus. The trademark piano introduction can be heard on the title track, "Watching in Silence" and "Forgiven" (among others). "Walls" is pure Savatage style song writing. A subtle piano followed by acoustic guitars, changed quickly into chugging guitars and thoughtful lyrics. It's clear to see that Zak's proud of his past. The seven minute, vocally impassioned track, "F.O.S." (Fields of Sorrow) concludes the album.

Bottom Line:
Watching In Silence is a powerful melodic rock CD from beginning to end. Zak does a good job of giving Circle II Circle a sound of their own while still paying homage to his Savatage days. A perfect balance of music.

I was dismayed when I first heard that vocalist Zak Stevens was leaving Savatage after being part of some of the best metal albums ever. Had I known the result would be not one, but two great bands (Circle II Circle and Jon Oliva's Pain) stepping in to fill the void, I wouldn't have worried.

Circle II Circle debuted in 2003 with Watching in Silence. Rather than try to avoid Savatage comparisons, Stevens encouraged them by bringing on former bandmates Chris Caffery and Jon Oliva to help with the songwriting and production duties. The result is an extremely strong melodic metal album highly reminiscent of Savatage efforts Edge of Thorns and Handful of Rain (the title track Watching in Silence would have been right at home on either of these). Some of Savatage's more theatric and progressive elements are toned back and replaced by a more melodic, straightforward metal approach that is ideally suited to Stevens's powerful voice.

There really aren't any weak moments on this album. Just about every song could be considered a standout track. Zak Stevens gives another powerhouse vocal performance, and his supporting cast (who would summarily defect and join Jon Oliva's band) does a great job as well.

Watching in Silence is one of the strongest debut albums I've ever heard, and of course is a must-have album for all Savatage fans. Fans of melodic hard rock/metal bands like Last Tribe, Pretty Maids, Pink Cream 69, and Jorn Lande should also enjoy this album. Of course, fans of those bands should love Savatage in the first place, which brings this album back to must-have status for just about everybody!

NOTE: Early versions of Watching in Silence came in a very nice digipack instead of the standard jewel case.

This album is a tease for the next Savatage release. Zak's vocals are at their emotional "progressive metal" best. The songwriting is stellar, also, as always. My only bone to pick is that when the guitar "heaviness" supposedly kicks in, it sounds like Savatage "light." Matt LaPorte is not bad, by any stretch.....but the solos and riffs sound almost workmanlike, short of the nasty tone squeals on a few songs. We all miss Chris Oliva...... I know, it's not Savatage, nor is it probably meant to be; but I am chomping at the bit for MORE! Excellent music, buy it!!!!

This is a very good release by Z. Stevens and the guys from CIIC. It's almost as good as the Savatage "Edge Of Thorns" release, but it fails to reach those heights IMO. The only thing I didn't like about this release was the lack of any real guitar solos....

After being a huge Savatage fan since 1985, and idolizing guitarist C. Oliva for so long, it's hard to hear someone else trying to match his incredible skills. The guitars on "Watching In Silence" could have been much better IMO....

All in all, if you liked Z. Stevens in Savatage, you'll love this. He sounds great here, and his voice fits this style of Metal very well. I think this is his best vocal performance in a very long time...

Try it out. It's worth your attention. Circle II Circle certainly has a future in Metal. It's a four star release IMO...

SAVA-LEGIONS RULE!!!

CircleIICircle is former Savatage vocalist Zak Stevens' new band (or even solo project). After leaving Savatage to spend more time with his family and daughter in 2000, Zak decided to make a comeback co-writing songs with his former bandmates Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery. With Jon Oliva writing and producing almost the entire the album, the similarities to Savatage are inevitable. Savatage up to this has always been one of a kind, a band that has developed their unique sound and never been cloned. Now that Zak put together his own band and co-wrote with Jon, we have another Savatage-inspired album. The name of the band CircleIICircle stems from Zak's first circle of friends (Jon and Chris) and his new circle of bandmates (the guys in CIIC). Unfortunately the four members of the band have left CIIC recently due to personal reasons and Zak is looking for replacements as I type this. It's a shame that this 'band' didn't last, because they had a lot of potential and the chemistry between them seemed to be reflecting perfectly on their songs. I wish Zak and the other guys all the best in their future career.

Back to Watching in Silence, the album is opened up with the heavy rocker "Out of Reach" and it's a great way to start things off. I originally thought they might go for the title song, but this one was even a better choice. The riffs in the intro suggest that CIIC is still a METAL band all the way, removing everyone's worries instantly. Zak sounds as good as ever, his voice is solid as a rock, and as emotive as his days in the Tage. The second song "Sea of White" is the only 'modern' track on the album, it must have been this kind of modern vibe Zak mentioned in various interviews upon forming CIIC. Some people think it resembles the band Creed, but I don't hear it and actually quite like this tune. By the time the title track kicks in we clearly realise that the Savatage sound is fully intact here. There's no denying that Jon Oliva's music, compositions, and singing has shaped Zak's vocal delivery quite a bit. Zak still sings like he did in Sava back in the days of Edge of Thorns and Handful of Rain. The compositions branch out even further borrowing vocal melodies and song structures from the band's later Zak-era album The Wake of Magellan as well. I think it would be quite safe to say that Watching in Silence is quite similar to mid-90's era Savatage records without the Paul O'Neill touch: melodic, poignant, emotional, and unique.

One difference would be that, unlike the last three Sava albums, Watching in Silence is not a concept album, though the songs seem to complement each other. Another thing is, this being more of a Zak driven album, his vocals are more central in the compositions. The vocals are carefully placed in the middle of the songs allowing the instruments and spacious arrangement to back him up. To be honest, there is nothing new or groundbreaking on this CD. Zak is doing what he can do best. He delivers each song with tons of feeling and we're taken back to the Criss Oliva days. Guitarist Matt LaPorte's solos are very reminiscent of Criss and that's a big plus. It's no wonder why he was considered a replacement for Alex Skolnick back in 1995 when Al Pitrelli got the slot after long contemplation. He plays excellent solos and riffs, it's not difficult to tell he was a big fan of Criss himself. The drumming and bass playing are also amazing. They are both recorded very balanced in the mix.

The song "Forgiven" is perhaps the only track (and my personal favourite) where Zak steps on new ground vocally. As the song begins to take a very Sava-laden direction with a beautiful piano interlude and builds up as the guitars and bass thunder. After the second chorus, Zak pours out his heart delivering a great vocal melody accompanied by LaPorte's wailing guitars. It's one of the finest moments in Zak's career - brilliant! Overall this album is more song oriented and offers the listener Zak's vocals foremost, though the tremendous music isn't pushed in the back either. Also compared to some Sava songs, the writing is more refined and concise, therefore some of the artistic messages are more straightforward. The song "Lies", for instance, is the shortest song and while lyrically competent, it is pretty standard stylistically. It is a satire on politicians ("Follow Me" anyone?) and features a nicely performed guitar solo. However, complexity and proggy elements are still available and more prominent in the second half of the CD. Tracks like "Walls" and "Fields of Sorrow" catalog the classic Queen-ish counterpoint vocals we've grown to love ever since Savatage has been using them on the song "Chance" from HOR. The liberal inclusion of piano and keyboards gives the album proggy motives and that is one the qualities that speaks to me, as I am a proghead.

Jim Morris has done an outstanding job mixing the album; WIS is flawless in this aspect. The tracks are very well arranged, the dynamics are alive, details are sharp. My favourite songs would be the ballad "Forgiven", "Walls" for its rich content, the title track, and "FOS" for Zak's operatic vocals. To make a long review short, Watching in Silence serves its purpose amazingly. I wouldn't be surprised to see Zak's new bandmates having a hard time to top this debut album.

If you like Savatage with Zak Stevens on vocals, you will like Circle II Circle. The sound is similar, as can be expected with Stevens on lead vocals and Oliva & Caffery helping out with both songwriting and production....and that's ok with me, but Watching in Silence definitely has a new feel. If you've never heard Savatage...shame on you.

I stumbled across this album purely on accident and I am glad that I did. I am a longtime fan of SAVATAGE and while on their website, I found out about CIRCLE II CIRCLE.
I have always been a fan of Zak Stevens since I first heard him on EDGE OF THORNS. I consider him to be one of the best vocalists in the world of metal and although I like Jon Oliva and was happy for his return to fronting SAVATAGE, I missed Zak`s presence.
This album does have that SAVATAGE feel to it but I wont take anything from it for that. If you dug EDGE OF THORNS, and HANDFULL OF RAIN then you will dig this. In fact I like this better than the last couple of releases that SAVATAGE has put out ( hopefully their next release wont be yet another concept album).
Now dont get me wrong, I am not in any way putting down SAVATAGE. I own their entire collection and I love all their albums but I also love the two CIRCLE II CIRCLE albums as well.
Highlights include the title cut WATCHING IN SILENCE, LIES, FORGIVEN, FIELDS OF SORROW, and my personal fave; WALLS.
I feel that even with the many comparisons to SAVATAGE, this band is carving out their own identity and may one day become a major player in the metal world. This is good stuff here and I recommend this to anyone looking for good music. The Metal Historian hath spoken and approves.

If you were a fan of "Edge Of Thorns" or "Handful of Rain" (Savatage Cds with the same vocalist), then you'll be thrown back in time with this release. This gets better and better with each listen. It's amazing how the different band members that have gone through Savatage have been allowed to showcase his own style in the band, and so when they leave, and start their own bands, it's like getting bonus Savatage CDs during the many dry spells of no Savatage CDs.
I do realize that longtime members Jon and Chris have their hands in this project, but I am always a vocalist-person. I am not saying Zack is the best Savatage vocalist (I am a HUGE fan of the new Jon Oliva cd), but you know the saying.."It's all good". That applies.

After Zak left Savatage I was very dissapointed. I love Poets& Madmen, but think that Zak's voice is very conductive to the music that he sings.

So, while visiting the Sava site I noticed this group. Soon as I could afford it I ordered Watching In Silence.

Take heart Savatage fans. You've still got a chance to hear the wonderful vocals of Zak Stevens, and the song writing of the Savatage team. Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery got together and wrote this album with Zak and succeeded.

This album rocks hard. Sure, some say it's just another Savatage album. But, IMOHO, that's a very very good thing. This is very Savalike, but with it's own voice. The style of Zak, the substance of Savatage, with the passion that you expect from them can be felt throughout this release.

This is, like other reviewers have mentioned, close to the Wake Of Magellan sound of Savatage. The vocals are deep and rich. The playing is crisp and solid.

Best tracks? Hard to say because I love every song on this release. I really like Forgiven, Sea Of White and The Circle over the other. Though, like I said, that difference is minor.

If you, like me, love Savatage then this album will please you to no end. Just listening to it for the first time now, it just being delivered today. I'll likely listen to this a number of times before the week is out.