Circle II Circle began in 1998, then only as an outlet for former Savatage singer Zachary Stevens songwriting urges. A demo was recorded, and soon a contract was signed. Zach brought in guitarist Matt LaPorte, a friend of his since Matt auditioned for Savatage, after Alex Skolnick left. Matt brought with him the rest of the band, and Circle II Circle saw the light of day.

WATCHING IN SILENCE (2003) AFM (Digibook)

It was a sad day for me when Zak left my all time favorite band, Savatage. He is one of the best vocalists in metal, in my humble opinion. I actually thought that we'd never hear from him again, and it never even crossed my mind that he would ever start a new band. But he did, and now we can finally hear the result. And what a comeback this is. 'Watching In Silence' is the metal album Savatage should have recorded, but that Paul O'Neill never let them. Circle II Circle sounds like a more pop oriented, or more melodic version of mentioned band. He even brought with him a lot of the vocal arrangements that the 'tage have familiarized since the 'Dead Winter Dead' album. To once again hear Zak's smooth vocals is a treat. Of course it doesn't exactly hurt that all of the songs are co-written by either Jon Oliva or Chris Caffery, or both. And if that's not enough, John Zahner have also been a live keyboard player with Savatage in the past. All I can say is that this will be on my top 3 list of favorite albums in 2003. A welcome return, and one heck of a fine metal platter.

Killer tracks: Into The Wind, Watching In Silence, Forgiven, Face To Face, Walls

ALL THAT REMAINS (2005) AFM (EP)

After letting go/loosing all of his former band mates to Jon Oliva's solo-effort, Zak Stevens returns with a new band, and a new album. This EP works as a teaser before the full-length release. The reason for owning it is of course the 2 non-album tracks. But sadly, none of them are that good really. So I have no problem understanding why they got left off the album. The album tracks, "All That Remains" and "In This Life", are very good though.

THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (2005) AFM (Limited Edition Digibook)

With a completely new backing band, Zak returns with a new album. 'The Middle Of Nowhere' is the name, and it has become yet another fine moment in Zak's catalogue. If you like the man's first solo album, you will like this one too. Zak sings as good as ever, and his new band mates are doin' a good job too. The music is what you'd expect, heavy, melodic and just a tad progressive (but not in the Dream Theater way). Most of the songs are again co-written by either Jon Oliva or Chris Caffery. And it is not surprising that some of the songs use elements easily recognized from Savatage, especially in some of the vocal arrangements. Heck, one part of "The Middle Of Nowhere" is borderline stealing! I'm not sure that this is as strong an album that the debut was. It took me a while to really grasp how good 'Watching In Silence' was, so I gave this one a lot of spins too to see if it would grow more on me. But for some reason it kind of got stuck at status quo. Yes, there are a number of choice cuts here. And if you are a fan of this man, you are sure to like what you hear. It is a good album indeed, maybe just not as strong as I'd hoped for.

Killer tracks: In This Life, All That Remains, Faces In The Dark, Lost

REVELATIONS (2006) AFM (EP)

A totally unnecessary EP, released prior to 'Burden Of Truth'. I've seen at least 3 different versions of this EP, and mine is not the most interesting version. I'm only keeping it for the acoustic rendition of "Into The Wind". The original version can be found on 'Watching In Silence'.

BURDEN OF TRUTH (2006) AFM (Limited Edition Digibook)

The 3rd effort from ex-Savatage singer, Zak Stevens, sees the light of day. This time he is inspired by the book "The DaVinci Code". So 'Burden Of Truth' is a concept album. But don't await any in-depth analysis of the lyrics from me. Because it is really the music that counts anyway. After the slightly disappointing 'The Middle Of Nowhere' I'm glad to say that Circle II Circle once again have released a stellar CD. In fact, I'm inclined to say that this is their best one so far! Zak sings better than ever, and that is not saying a little. He manages to sound fresher and fresher on each album, making his voice appear as ever young. The band have also grown tighter, and it is audible in the music. And this time, at least officially, Zak and band has had no help from the Savatage camp. A bit weird then that "A Matter Of Time" and "Heal You" sound more like Zak's old band then anything he has done since he left them. Most of the songs are catchy, and you're stuck singing or humming along to most of them. Convincing is another word I'd use to describe them. The songs just work! 'Burden of Truth' will be a top contender on my top 20 for 2006 releases. My limited edition comes with a bonus track. But I've read that there also exists a second bonus track on some releases.

Killer tracks: A Matter Of Time, Heal You, Revelations, Your Reality, The Black, Sentenced, Live As One

EVERY LAST THING (2008) AFM (EP)

Since I own all the other EP's from this band, I decided to pick up this one also. I have to admit, I never listen to this stuff, but still I feel compelled to own them since they contain non-album tracks. Besides the edited version of the title-track, this one also delivers an exclusive number called "Darkness Rising". We also get a live video of "Evermore". Not much to write home about. Locomotive Records decided to make "So Many Reasons" their single track, and released it with the exact same cover art, and track-list, only in a different running order. I guess this was for the American market.

DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR (2008) AFM (Limited Edition Digipak)

Sporting the ugliest CGI-artworks since Iron Maiden's 'Dance Of Death' cover, Circle II Circle returns with their 4th full length album. This time they have recorded a much more straight forward album. So this is a much easier-to-digest effort than the epic 'Burden of Truth'. I also find that Zak and the boys has ventured a little further away from the Savatage comparisons that will always haunt this band (save for the last track, "Every Last Thing", that is). Just listen to the opener, "Fatal Warning". This is almost German sounding, with it's double bass drums and galloping rhythm. Another 2 heavy numbers follows, before they slow it down with the beautiful "Echoes". Mostly though this is still American heavy metal the way we've come to know from Circle II Circle. But even though I find plenty to like on 'Delusions Of Grandeur' I can't help to feel that these guys have delivered so much better in the past. Zak sounds a bit weaker here, and his typical wailing in the higher registers have been put to a minimum. Don't get me wrong, he still sounds better than 90% of all the vocalists out there. It's just that I've become to expect so much of the man, eventually something has to leave me a bit colder. If you are a fan of the man/band, I know you will buy this album regardless. And why not? This is after all a great band.

Killer tracks: Fatal Warning, Forever, Echoes, Soul Breaker, Seclusion, Every Last Thing

Zak Stevens guest appearances:

Chris Caffery - 'House Of Insanity'

Related artists:

Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Jon Oliva's Pain, Doro, Blaze, Kamelot