Whereas The 1st Chapter was more of a scattershot assemblage of grand themes and ambitious arrangements, Isolate is a more precise effort that touches upon different emotions within the same framework. The music is still as soaring as ever, but the band has cut down on trim, exposing more of the pure melodic tableaux that appeared on the debut. They have also included another instrumental, "Sane No More", but this time it is not quite as much a ritual for Liquid Tension Experiment. Instead, it is closer to the instrumentals you would hear from LTE's father band (if you don't know this, do your research. This band has been namedropped enough), particularly from their earlier albums. Vaguely epic yet frenzied.

Isolate is noticeably more somber than the first disc, judging from the cover's impression of a despondent man in a cell all the way to some of the minor chords and passages, the grimmer choral vocals, and some of the lyrics, as would be expected. The fact that the band can portray gritty human drama with the sense of prog luminosity that they do is testament to one of its major selling points. Much of the music feels like it's straight from the heart instead of emanating from nebulous clouds of fantasy or philosophy. It surely helps that the singer is just so damn good, possessing a warmly sensitive and articulate mastery of his voice. There is no put-on power metal thickness or any other affectation that gives the veneer of him trying too hard to sound 'metal'---the delivery is genuine.

Another thing going for Circus Maximus (that it has continued on this album) is that it employs its own personal gimmick, if you will, in distinguishing itself. A finely-tuned ear will notice what appears to sound like a circus in the songs periodically. Whether it is the way the keyboardist uses his instrument during the song or some subtle sonic backdrop to close a song, there is a circus motif within earshot if you are inclined to pick up imagery from listening to music. This use of a gimmick is one of the few acceptable forms of it, and it works well for them. The circus imagery rarely represents strong lyrical leanings, but it acts as a voluntary glue to make sure the band sounds unique.

As other people have implied, Circus Maximus has nowhere to go but up in its future. One can only hope that they don't sweat out all their creative juices too early, leaving them thirsty for inspiration.