Reviewed by: Elliot Klimowski
Rating: 7/10
Minds were blown apart in certain homes where Nine was playing in 2012 last time
Circus Maximus left the studio. Their balance of melodic prog and metal is undeniably
comfortable to the ear without sounding too watered down, and even if the whole neo-
80’s keyboard prog thing isn’t exactly your game, the band probably has something for
you anyway. Havoc continues the band’s pantheon pretty much right where Nine left
off with some hearkenings back to the days of Isolate and The 1st Chapter. Being a
fairly digestible prog album, we are gonna tackle this bad boy track-by-track. (You can
now swallow your curse words.)
1. The Weight: Solid opening track to an album. Not one that will make any of your top
playlists on Realplayer, but still a quality piece of work picking up right where Nine left
off.
2. Highest Bitter: Some dank bass sound on this one. A bit angrier in overall tone
which doesn’t suit the band all that great, but at least the bass sounds dank.
3. Havoc: Marilyn Manson is that you? Volbeat maybe? Fans aren’t too crazy about
this track and it’s easy to see why. Maybe the 12/8 song about beating someone up has
still yet to go out of style.
4. Pages: Back on track with the slow 3/4 time signature, but overall a regrettably
forgettable prog track. Thankfully the next song is coming.
5. Flames: Dream Theater is that you? One of the poppier tunes by the band on the
record, yet also one of the best. Even Circus Maximus are not immune to Dancing in the
Dark syndrome.
6. Loved Ones: The instrumentation on this piece is excellent. It may sound a little
watered down to older fans, but the song is extremely well-written with catchy melodies
and engaging chord changes with an atmospheric passage towards the end a-la “Last
Goodbye.” Well done, lads! Work on the title maybe?
7. After the Fire: Some kooky riffs give this song life early. Plenty of tom-heavy drum
beats will make the Great Big Sea fan in all of you scream. Obvious influence from the
late 90s Scandinavian power metal scene, especially Welcome Home 😛 This one goes in
a lot of directions, but maintains the band’s high-quality arrangements.
8. Remember: Every second half of an album needs its accessible track. Not as
annoying as some of the pieces Dream Theater puts together, still a guilty pleasure.
Definitely one to “remember.” (Now you can slap me.) Best ending on the album.
9. Chivalry: Unusual track for Circus Maximus conatining some muffled narration and
a variety of stark changes in tempo and violence. However, the band always does a very
good job finishing off albums, and ultimately, Havoc is no exception to the rule. While
not quite “Last Goodbye,” the ample sorrow and majesty in “Chivalry” provides a quality
punctuation to the record.
Overall Havoc is simply another piece of the band’s discography that is very solid but on
neither end of the quality spectrum. It is an album of moments less than total value like
Nine. Havoc experiences the sometimes unfortunate characteristic of an album that
starts off rather so-so, but the deeper one listens, the better the material gets.
Personally, I find this trait does the album good after some not-so-memorable patches
in the opening few tracks. The soft sound of the album may not be too appealing to
some, but those who occasionally watch an episode of Pokemon or dust off their
Transformers figurines will most certainly find value in what Havoc has to offer.
Probably best for a rainy day.
R.I.Y.L.: Dream Theater, Seventh Wonder, Pagan’s Mind, Keyboard-heavy AOR
FCC: Clean
