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"With "Circus Pandemonium" A.C.T. signs a smashing comeback with what will probably be his best record."
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4/5
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"Silence" was a premonitory album title because before you could hear "Circus Pandemonium", seven long years passed. The lack following the absence of the Swedes has never really been filled by any other band, hence the real pleasure of finally rediscovering their joyful and frenetic progressive rock. This prolonged silence could have been fatal for the band but in the end it was the entire historical quintet (except Lejon who joined the band with "Last Epic") that signed this infernal circus.
The world of circus, which seems totally appropriate to stick to the jovial and festive spirit of the Swedes, is approached in a very original way in "Circus Pandemonium" with an eye-catching and very intelligent concept. Each piece tells the typical characters of the circus under their dark side, the one with which they must deal to satisfy the demands of the show. The gifted artist who can tame everything, even the "reluctant women" (sic!), the greedy and exploitative manager, the alcoholic and depressive clown with a fatal purpose and the monster who is much more human than he seems to be. The story, which gives the disc its great strength and all its contrast, is perfectly set to music with sound effects ('Everything's Falling'), discursive sequences ('Presentation' and'Arguments'), ambience ('The End') and instrumental interludes.
We will not give you the audacity to describe in detail the style of A.C.T. so much this one is striking and recognizable among thousands. Always as punchy ('Confrontation'), catchy ('Manager's Wish') and technically impeccable, A.C.T.'s music brilliantly blends the power of guitars, pop choruses ('A Truly Gifted Man') and precise arrangements ('The End'). The harmonic richness of the choirs and vocals ('Look At The Freak' and'The Funniest Men Alive'), due in particular to the four guests, brings A.C.T. even closer to Queen's grandiloquence and, this is a novelty, to Toto. The Swedes never pour into blissful joviality and letting themselves be softened by the childish ritornello that opens, irrigates and closes the album would be a mistake. "Circus Pandemonium" knows how to be solar most of the time and deeply moving ('A Mother's Love'), dark ('Lady In White') and tragic ('Freak Of Nature') to be in total coherence with the brilliant concept.
"Circus Pandemonium" is a total work with an ambitious musical and conceptual content. As the listening progresses, the richness of details and melodies, the visual ramblings and the deep underlying emotion, inspired by the true density of the characters, appear. With "Circus Pandemonium" A.C.T. signs a smashing comeback with what will probably be his best record. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Intro
02. The end
03. Everything´s falling
04. Manager´s wish
05. A truly gifted man
06. Presentation
07. Look at the freak
08. Argument
09. Confrontation
10. A mother´s love
11. The funniest man alive
12. Scared (bonus)
13. A Failed Escape Attempt
14. Lady In White
15. Freak Of Nature
LINEUP:
Herman Saming: Chant
Jerry Sahlin: Chant / Claviers
Ola Andersson: Guitares
Peter Asp: Basse / Claviers
Thomas Lejon: Batterie
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(0) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
4.6/5 (7 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.9/5 (14 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH A.C.T.
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT A.C.T.
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