So, Circle II Circle, the progressive power metal faction led by former Savatage vocalist Zak Stevensmost known for replacing the legendary Jon Oliva in the aforementioned bandput out its sixth full-length album called "Seasons Will Fall" and it's abysmal. Listening to Circle II Circle crawl back and forth like a slug is like downing a bottle of horse tranquillizers and watching a Pawn Stars marathon; it's the same junk regurgitated in a tiring, lifeless circle (hurr hurr). The album's banes aren't directed toward Zak Stevens or his competent clientele of talented musicians, but the horrendously lazy and bovine songwriting which sees Circle II Circle sleepwalking through endless fields of redundant slop. Stevens, a phenomenal vocalist, is really the only saving grace here, and "Seasons Will Fall" sounds like something the Savatage of old would've wiped its ass with.I can't even explain how dull and insipid this is. Nothing interesting happens. At all. Circle II Circle spends an hour chugging out lame anthems based on boring, tired riffs and lethargic choruses. They do this for an hour. Sixty minutes. That's a long time to do nothing, but they somehow pull it off. A lot of these songs are meddling hard rock tunes which bob on uneventful guitar work and awful choruses, staying invisible and going nowhere. Opener "Diamond Blade" is definitely not too shabby despite it being a genetic clone of Circle II Circle's songwriting code, but wow, do they know how to drag it out or what? "Without a Sound" and "Killing Death" welcome the impending downpour, relishing in completely forgettable guitar work and tame instrumentation with no flash or flare whatsoever. There's just one problem: it never ends.
That's right: Circle II Circle never pulls it together, not once after "Diamond Blade." They spend the rest of the album sliding through hard rock bowel movements like "Downshot" and "Never Gonna Stop" or nuking the dead horse that is Circle II Circle's artistic credibility throughout "Isolation" or the meandering title track. During "Epiphany," Circle II Circle continues dropping bombs on this creative wasteland and manages to twiddle around for NINE MINUTES. Holy Christ. The quasi-ballad tunes are equally terrible, but it's worth mentioning that "Only Yesterday" would be the best tune here if "Diamond Blade" were somehow erased from Circle II Circle's clear and present display of total apathy. After all, they were obviously writing songs on the fly, putting little to no care in anything they created.
I can't stand this. This whole album is a monumental waste of time. Awful songs that see nothing, say nothing, do nothing, reproduced and pathetically veiled to cover up the lackadaisical songwriting and comatose performances. Seriously, eleven of these twelve tunes are completely disposable. "Seasons Will Fall" aimlessly plods on and on and on and it just doesn't get the picture, ever. Circle II Circle heaves the essence of fatigue into a new dimension of boredom throughout this lifeless, laughable display of a band asleep at the wheel, and you'll regret giving this drivel a chance. I'd almost rather listen to my car hit potholes or something, anything other than this deplorable nonsense.