Warthur A completely crazed neo-prog/retro-prog/progressive symphonic metal/avant-groove concept album with occasional funk disco moments, this debut from Circle of Illusion offers more genres than you'd find in an entire record shop, often within the bounds of a single song. Gerald Peter has assembled a compelling unit here comprising not just a finely honed band but also three (!) vocalists - Taris Brown, whose gentle delivery reminds me a little of Roine Stolt, and the powerful Cara Cole and Elga Shafran, each of whom takes the role of a different character in the story. The lyrics and story may come across a little cheesy - not to mention bizarre and over the top - but subtlety and restraint clearly aren't the order of the day here.

The end result is a fun, playful debut which reminds me of what might happen if Disco Volante-era Mr Bungle ended up listening to a lot of early Marillion and Pendragon at its best points. However, it doesn't quite stand up to repeated listens as well as it could, and with the passage of time I found myself drawn back to it less and less. It has much of the usual issues of bands who want to come across as "progger than prog", in that the technical flashiness ends up a little empty and coherent songwriting, storytelling and the development of emotional mood and atmosphere end up suffering just because someone wanted to add a quirky little bit here or there.

Kev Rowland This is an album that is going to have two quite different responses. There are those who are going to rave about it (I was approached by someone who told me that I had to listen to this as these guys were the new Haken!), and there are others that will feel that in many ways it is just too clever for its’ own good. Guess which camp I fall into? This is an album that I have actually enjoyed less the more I have played it, and I am sure that this is because instead of seeing this rock opera as an incredible piece of art I instead see it as an opportunity missed. That the three singers are wonderful vocalists, that the songs are incredibly structured and well played is never in doubt, but there are just too many forms and styles of music being brought in that I just don’t like.

There are times when this crosses into funk and disco, and that annoying music you used to get in the cinema when they were about to play the adverts. It can come across as really cheesy 70’s pap, but there are other times when the jaw just hits the table when listening to the speed and interplay between all those involved. These guys can really blast it out, in perfect unison, and when they soar then this is just stunning. But, and it is a fairly big but, they just bring in all these other elements that for me really drop the album instead of lifting it. Highly arranged and incredibly well played, this should be a 5* review, but it isn’t. I realise that I am probably in a minority of one, but then that’s nothing unusual. I would love to rate this more highly as there is so much promise within it, but there are also huge chunks where the Vegas lounge is just too much for me.

adg211288 Jeremias - Foreshadow of Forgotten Realms (2013) is the debut full-length studio album by Austrian progressive metal act Circle of Illusion. Led by keyboardist Gerald Peter, this is an ambitious concept album album that has been in the making since 2008 and is presented in the rock opera format, albeit with a vocal cast that is much smaller than your typical Ayreon, Avantasia, or Soulspell release, with all three vocalists being credited members of the band; one male voice with two female.

The music on the album makes the most of the confines of a single CD’s running time, clocking in only just shy of a full eighty minutes. The guitar riffs of Rupert Träxler are an early defining feature, being heavy and direct. It’s the number of other elements going into the album that really fleshes it out though. Orchestrations creating a symphonic backing are commonplace but you’ll also find jazzy piano playing and perhaps surprisingly, sections reminiscent of the disco genre. Or perhaps not so surprisingly, after all a rather famous progressive rock album called The War of the Worlds (1978) by Jeff Wayne did much the same and there are sections of Jeremias - Foreshadow of Forgotten Realms (herein, simply Jeremias) that definitely remind me of that classic album, when the heavy riffs are withdraw for a time that is.

This is professional and well played music which despite the long running time never fails to hold my attention, and all three singers are excellent. There is an issue of repetition at odd times, a particular refrain with one of the female voices which includes a 'yeah yeah yeah' line can start to grate given it appears in more than one song but other than that we're dealing with a very high quality work here, and considering the time this album has been in the making I'd expect nothing less. Although it doesn't quite hit perfection for me, Jeremias is indeed an exceptional debut work from Circle of Illusion with many interesting elements thrown together to form a cohesive whole. Jazz, prog, classical, metal and even a bit of avant-garde, this is definitely one of those albums of the genre that is not to be missed. It's a difficult one to hand pick any particular track as a highlight though, as it's much more rewarding to get immersed in the flow of the music from start to finish.

Jeremias may be a bit overshadowed considering its 2013 release was not that long before the eagerly awaited return of Arjen Lucassen's Ayreon project but in my view the Austrian group have put an album out here than is going to give the Dutch mastermind a run for his money. Let's just hope a second album doesn't take this band another five years to put together.

93/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/circle-of-illusion-jeremias-t3243.html)