Isolate - Circus Maximus

If it's possible to discern a trend from only two studio releases, it seems that Circus Maximus' brief stint as a promising new force in progressive metal has fully waned by the time of their sophomore 'Isolate.' With less of a power metal focus than before, generally shorter songs that fail to go anywhere interesting and an uncomfortable focus on power ballads in the vein of eighties glam metal (even down to some horrendous Van Halen style keyboards in 'Arrival of Love'), this album represents everything I dislike about bands labelled as 'progressive' that would be more accurately categorised as backwards-looking. Michael Eriksen is a strong vocalist, here ...  Read the complete review