Search - Savage Circus :: Dreamland Manor

Should get the respect it deserves

Matt P. | Pittsburgh, PA United States | 02/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So...you Blind Guardian/metal fans want to know about this CD: an offering from a band called Savage Circus which is comprised, in part, of a significant piece of Blind Guardian's much revered past.



I read all of the reviews here and elsewhere on the Internet about this sounding extremely like Blind Guardian's classic albums: Tales from the Twilight World (1990), Somewhere Far Beyond (1992), and Imaginations from the Other Side (1995). I bought this CD for that reason. I was blown away and somewhat amused by it, actually.



You should know by now that the drummer of Savage Cirus is none other than Thomen "The Omen" Stauch, original member of Blind Guardian and their drummer for 20 years. What you may not know is that the guitarist (and presumed main songwriter) of Savage Circus is Piet Sielck...a sound engineer/producer and also guitarist. Mr. Sielck hooked up with Kai Hansen (Helloween/Gamma Ray) back in the early 80's and actually was involved in an early iteration of Helloween before quitting to focus on producing. Mr. Sielck also provided backing vocals/effects and was a sound engineer on the early Blind Guardian offerings and was a big influence on them back in the day.



These 2 elements (along with excellent Hansi Kursch-like vocals from Jens Carlsson) come together to create a celebration of melodic speed metal in its most classic and pure form. Some rock critics will scoff at the fact that S.C. are doing nothing new and are reliving glory from days past. Well..that's the point. This is a glowing tribute to the form of metal we all love. That classic era of Blind Guardian that some of us still long for. Thomen Stauch deserved to make an album like this and should be thanked for it. Same with Piet Sielck. They've earned this album.



The production is phenomenal, the guitars are in-your-face. The distortion is high but still allows you to hear the intense melodies in the riffs. The songs sort of flow together, but standouts are "Evil Eyes", with its very catchy chorus, "Between the Devil and the Seas", and "When Hell Awakes." This is essentially Tales from the Twilight World Part 2...with modern production qualities. That is not a knock on S.C. I think you'd agree this is a compliment.



So, in closing, as a long-time (and current) Blind Guardian and power metal fan in general, I HIGHLY recommend this CD. Thomen Stauch and Piet Sielck deserve a lot of credit for making an album of this high quality. It is an instant classic. Their experience and attention to detail shine through. Another plus is that a good young vocalist emerges here in Jens Carlsson. This would be money well spent. I haven't taken it out of my CD player in 3 days...you won't be able to either.



WELL DONE."

Blew Me Away

Drazulfel | 11/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can I say?! Among the best metal releases in the past several years. Founded by former Blind Guardian drummer, Thomen Stauch, Savage Circus brings back the power driven melodies of Guardian's yester-year. For fans of classic albums such as Somewhere Far Beyond and Imaginations From the Other Side, Dreamland Manor is a must!



Fast, heavy, highly technical, orchestral when appropriate, killer vocals (from Persuader's Jens Carlsson), and just plain BEAUTIFUL music... I have nothing bad to say about any song on this album. From the first few beats of Evil Eyes, true metal fans will be mesmerized. The opening anthem will have you singing along by the 2nd chorus, and inadvertantly raising your hands triumphantly more than once.



Between the Devil and The Seas offers more of the same melodic power as Evil Eyes, and Waltz of the Demon has even more of a sing-along quality. Track 4, Tomorrowland, is by far my favorite song on the album. Smart and inspirational lyrics excite the imagination. IT - The Gathering is a treat for any Stephen King fan before things slow down a bit for the obligatory chick tune, Beyond Reality, which is amazing in its own right.



When Hell Awaks and Born Again by the Night are two more signature sing-ables, while Ghost Story provides a harder edge near the end of the album. Incidentally, both Evil Eyes and Ghost Story can both be heard at the Savage Circus website, www.savage-circus.com.



This one gets SIX stars!"

Smashing good power metal

Bryan Bugaj | California | 05/27/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After listening to this disc for awhile, I checked the liner notes a few times to make sure that it wasn't Hansi Kursch singing. Holy crap, it's close. The only song where the singer, Jens Carlsson, doesn't sound like Hansi is on the slow song "Beyond Reality", a heavily acoustic opus.



I really enjoyed this album. It's great to hear Thomen Stauch once again pounding out the kind of beats that helped define the sound of early Blind Guardian. This album is a shinig example of what the early B.G. sound was all about: great power metal with the speed and technical precison of speed and thrash metal. And by power metal I mean it's a fist-pumping, adrenaline-rushing good time with lots of great riffs and solos, kickass choruses with cool backing vocals, and plenty of top-notch drumming.



Most of the songs are pretty up-tempo, but there are a few mid-paced and slower songs. Overall, this album has no real weaknesses, although some of the longer tracks seem to meander about slightly. The main thing that kept me from rating this five stars is what most other reviewers have already cited: nothing really original, just more of the same. But that's a good thing. There's plenty of music to sink your teeth into; each song is over five minutes long. From the first shredding riffs of "Evil Eyes" to the pounding drums-only finish of "Born Again by the Night", this is power-metal mastery. Thomen allegedly quit Blind Guardian because he was unhappy with the opera/orchestral sound they were moving towards, and this blast from the past is a welcome product of that."