CIRCLE II CIRCLE – Full Circle – Best Of

AFM RECORDS – Out Now

Zachary Stevens is a man who should really need no introductions! Following a very sucessful stint as the frontman of the mighty Savatage between 1993 and 2000, he went on to create similarly impressive music under the moniker Circle II Circle using the services and support of the German label AFM records.

Now, eleven years and five studio releases later, the US Heavy/Power Metal outfit has decided to release a two disc collection entitled “Full Circle – Best Of”. Is this release an indication that the relationship between the sextet and the label has finally run its course and a way of helping the band fulfill its contractual obligations? Only time will tell… in the meantime, let’s see what this ‘best of’ collection has to offer.

Such collections are normally not my cup of tea as you very rarely find one which gives justice to its title and which are what you could honestly describe as real value for money, however it might just be that “Full Circle – Best Of” is the exception that proves the rule… Why? Well, apart from the fact that what’s on offer here are two discs and a staggering thirty two compositions in total, this collection covers material from every single Circle II Circle album, all being represented in equal measures.

Thought I am pretty sure that there will definitely be at least one long term fan who will claim to be unhappy from the omission of a certain favourite track, the vast majority of the band’s audience will undoubtedly be satisfied with the song selection.

Apart from the obvious fan pleasers, such as “Watching In Silence”, “In This Life” and “Forgiven”, all heavily influenced by the works of the mighty Savatage, this collection features material that even those of you who already own all of the band’s albums might just want to get your hands on.

“Against The World”, “Strung Out” and “Shadows” were previously available only to the Japanese market; “Stay” – only to the owners of the limited edition of “Delusions Of Grandeur”, while the live versions of “Watching In Silence” and “Evermore” to no-ne whatsoever. Those of you who choose to invest in this collection will also be given access to acoustic versions of the amazing “Into The Wind” and “Burden Of Truth”, an edit version of “Every Last Thing” and to “Darkness Rising” – a mid tempo belter filled with groovy riffs and flamboyant guitar solos!

Being a massive Savatage fan, I am still not quite sure why I never really paid much attention to the music of Circle II Circle before, especially as a decent amount of the band’s music features contributions from both Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery! Well, “Full Circle – Best Of” proves how wrong I was and promises much with regards the band’s back catalogue.

Circle II Circle deserve both your attention and support and, if you are not already a fan, this collection will probably sway you.

John Stefanis

Rating: **** (4.0/5.0)

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)