Circus Maximus - Isolate (2007)^{Release ID: 7515}

I listened to Dream Theater, then Symphony X, and then... Circus Maximus? Once again I listened to a few songs from this group, but NAH. Too bad I never got fully interested in this group in my earlier epic metal taste because they would've fit between the progressive Dream Theater and the progressive/power metal hybrid Symphony X. Circus Maximus is mostly progressive metal with a bit of power metal, and this album Isolate is their second chapter, first being (you guessed it) The 1st Chapter!

I heard that with Isolate, the band stepped away from some of their progressive territory with the album being half prog, half more straightforward. Many of the songs range from 4 to 5 minutes in length, but there's still an acrobatic 4-minute instrumental and two lengthy songs. Even the power metal aspect has been reduced, so this is pretty much just melodic progressive metal with less emphasis on progressive. The lyrical themes are more emotional and psychological, and there's nothing harmful about that, it's just that the grand themes are removed. This is Circus Maximus' Human Equation!

We get to a grand start with "A Darkened Mind", filled with heavy sparkling grandeur. "Abyss" has a poppy chorus but it works really well, being delightful and catchy while putting crushingly sonic pressure. "Wither" is more upbeat than Dream Theater's "Wither" but their progressive heights are still withering a little.

"Sane No More" is an insane instrumental feast that gives the band's progressive side more of the spotlight. "Arrival of Love" has cheesy lyrics and simplistic music that makes the band sound like Charlie Dominici-era Dream Theater, but still comes out pretty well. "Zero" is a ballad that starts with just soft dramatic piano and vocals before heading into slow and steady prog rock.

"Mouth of Madness" is the 6-part 12-minute epic of this album and it really builds up into a big substantial difference. However in my opinion, Caligula's Horse's "Graves" suite (from my previous review) is slightly better, but they're both sweet epics. And if you thought that was the end of the album, WAIT!! There's still a couple songs left, starting with "From Childhood's Hour" a pleasant synth-prog rock tune. And finally, "Ultimate Sacrifice" is still differently substantial but a great recap of much of the sound each previous song had. The ultimate progressive metal closer, besides the aforementioned "Graves" suite and Between the Buried and Me's "White Walls"!

Progressive metal fans might be more up for an album like Isolate, while power metal fans who have already listened to The 1st Chapter would be disappointed, even though most songs only have small bites of prog. This is far more of a small step than a giant leap for prog kind, but it's still a good quality melodic progressive metal release by Circus Maximus. While not as awesome as the previous albums in The Infinite Modern Challenge, the level is still acceptable....

Favorites: "A Darkened Mind", "Sane No More", "Mouth of Madness", "Ultimate Sacrifice"