Circle II Circle

In 2000 Zak Stevens decided to step down from his role as vocalist in Savatage, citing a desire to spend more time at home. A year later, though, the urge to record and tour came back to him, and the result is Circle II Circle. The Savatage connection extends beyond Stevens, however, as the 2003 debut album Watching In Silence features co-writing credits from Chris Cafferty and also was produced by Jon Oliva. Not surprisingly, later-period Savatage is also a reference when describing the style on Silence, which features a fine performance from Stevens and crew and is firmly rooted in melodic, semi-progressive hard rock/metal, with several power ballads that would feel right at home on Savatage albums such as Handful Of Rain or Edge Of Thorns. As a truly original work Watching In Silence is just a tad lacking, but Savatage fans will surely enjoy this, as well as others seeking well-crafted melodic metal.

In November 2003 the rest of the band (i.e. everyone except Stevens) left the group, or were fired, due to irreconciliable business differences (and in a move that is either bizarrely coincidental or perfectly natural, four of those guys hooked up with current Savatage vocalist Jon Oliva in his solo project, Jon Oliva's Pain). Stevens recruited a new lineup, and has carried on, releasing a string of albums, most recently Seasons Will Fall* in 2013.

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Discography

Studio Compilation

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