The idea behind the band Savage Circus was spawned by Thomen Stauch as he was having trouble seeing his new compositions fit into the direction his former band Blind Guardian was taking. Discussing this with old friend Piet Sielck (Iron Savior), Thomen introduced the idea of forming a band following the style these new songs had. Dynamic, melodic and intricate arrangements topped off with soaring vocals. The only problem was with whom he should team up with to realize this new band. Having heard Thomens songs, Piet suggested he should check out Persuader as he had produced their sophomore album 'Evolution Purgatory'. Thomen instantly felt the connection between his new compositions and the songwriting style found on the Persuader album. Piet supplied Thomen with the contacts for Emil and Jens who really liked the idea to work with Thomen on this project. And having known Piet for a long time as a great guitarist and an experienced producer he asked him to be a part of this new band as well. Of course, he was delighted to. In February 2005 Thomen began laying down the final drum tracks for the debut album. Just before mixing the album Thomen made the decision to leave his former band for reasons left to Thomen and the members of Blind Guardian. This however made Savage Circus his main band. As this was only meant to be a side project from the beginning it suddenly became somewhat more serious.

DREAMLAND MANOR (2005) DOCKYARD1

What do you do when you are dissatisfied with the direction your band is going, and want to heave an outlet for your own ideas? Well, you bring in members from a clone band, and start your own carbon-copy! At least that is what Thomen (ex-Blind Guardian) did. Growing tired of the overproduced material his former band delivered on their last albums, he decided to give it a go on his own. His good friend Piet Sielck brought in 2 members from the Blind Guardian-sound-alike, Persuader, and together they gave birth to Savage Circus. So it's only natural that their first born, entitled 'Dreamland Manor' sounds exactly like mid-era Blind Guardian. If you have ever heard Persuader, you also know that vocalist Jens Carlsson is a dead ringer vocally for Hansi Kürsch. And Emil delivers guitar-work, but technically and guitar-tone wise, exactly the way we are used to from albums like 'Imaginations From The Other Side' and 'Somewhere Far Beyond'. So herein lies the very problem. This is almost totally unoriginal. It's a blatant rip-off. But since Thomen is onboard, it is sort of legitimate. After all, he was apart the originals for nearly 22 years! Another thing that speaks in favor for Savage Circus is the fact that they can write some killer songs. I can't see any Blind Guardian fan not liking this. Unoriginal or not, this is also 100% quality. So if you miss the Blind Guardian of past, you need to give this band a listen. Lyrically this is not Tolkien worship. Rather they tend to be a bit on the dark side. "It - the Gathering" is another tribute to Stephen King I think we have to go back to 'Tales From The Twilight World' to hear the last one from Thomen). This album has grown immensely on me, making it a favorite from the year 2005. "Evil Eyes", "Between The Devil And The Sea" and "Waltz Of The Demon" are all monster tracks that I can listen to over and over. But to be fair, the entire album is brilliant.

Killer tracks: All of them.

Jens Carlsson guest appearences:

Nocturnal Rites - 'New World Messiah'

Nocturnal Rites - 'Grand Illusion'

Related artists:

Blind Guardian, Persuader