For reasons I cannot fully explain I had been considering CIRCLE II CIRCLE a contemporary situation for Zachary Stevens after this departure from SAVATAGE. It seemed to me that during the hiatus of SAVATAGE Zachary had chosen a new band to keep himself in the action. But, as SAVATAGE were slowly moving to an inactive situation I had to accept that CIRCLE II CIRCLE is the new status for this charismatic singer.

So, "Consequence Of Power" is the band's fifth contribution that hits the stores two years after "Delusions Of Grandeur". After the initial CD spin I was not surprised; not that this is a bad or even an average album. The thing is that having Zachary on the vocals I was expecting something more pompous and complex than the overall simple CIRCLE II CIRCLE compositions. The 'Power Metal' label mentioned in the promo sheet is not there by accident; the song features straightforward melodies with groovy tempos and sing along riffs. Take for example the homonymous track that sounds way too simple for these vocals. The guitar work is kept minimal and only the vocals offer some diversity to the song especially during the multi-vocal layers in the chorus lines. OK, the guitar solo is good but not enough to make the entire track sound that interesting. "Out Of Nowhere" sounds heavier through the slower tempo and the most melodic chorus that will set anchor to you mind from the very first listening.

It is also clear that Zachary's time with SAVATAGE has left a distinct mark at his vocals and consequently to CIRCLE II CIRCLE's music. You can feel the SAVATAGE shadow over "Redemption" where the rhythm guitar have something from the legendary sound from the non-Stevens album "Streets". The same goes for "Blood Of An Angel" where I could not stop thinking of "Summer Rain" but I can 'forget' this, since the vocals are simply amazing.

Fortunately, this album is not all about SAVATAGE -despite the sayings on the promo sheet- and this is proven with songs like "Take Back Yesterday". Despite the distinct piano melodies this track brings a fresh breeze in CIRCLE II CIRCLE's music with an almost Hard Rock approach and a hearty mood lifting groove along with the excellent rhythm guitars. I definitely want to hear more from this band in this direction.

My verdict for this album is that is a very good one if you don't mind the striking SAVATAGE references. I do not know if these references are placed here intentionally but, I do not believe that there no potentials in CIRCLE II CIRCLE for something more and different. On top of that, I believe that Stevens has a voice that 'deserves' something more that this easy to digest music. Anyone how likes the previous albums he/she will like "Consequence Of Power" but for the rest of us I don't think it will add something new to our collection. This is such a shame since you can feel the band's potentials in every live performance.