Circus Maximus (Norwegian band)
Encyclopedia
Circus Maximus is a Norwegian
progressive metal
quintet
from Oslo
. They employ the use of symphonic
, power
and glam metal
influences in their vocals which have a high-pitched tone, along with synthesizers and occasional keyboards
. As of 2009, they have released two albums, The 1st Chapter
in 2005 and Isolate in 2007 and are planning to release a new album in 2011.
) and Truls Haugen (drums
) were joined by keyboard
player Espen Storø and Glen Cato Møllen on bass
to form Circus Maximus.
Initially being a cover band
, they got a lot of positive feedback for their interpretations of technically challenging material from bands like Dream Theater
and Symphony X
. Before long, the band started to write their own material: With other influences varying from pop
/rock through classical progressive rock
to heavy metal
and death metal
, their music synergized
into a mixture of melodic and groovy sound with lots of heavy riff
s and odd time-signatures. In the musical press their sound has been compared to Queensrÿche
, TNT
, Shadow Gallery
, Pretty Maids
, Helloween
and the like, in addition to the already mentioned bands.
Releasing two demos to great reviews in Norway
, as well as in Europe
and USA, before signing with Danish
Intromental Management in April 2004, the band made a record deal with American
Sensory Records for the USA and Canada
, which in turn forwarded a licensing
deal for Europe and Russia
to Frontiers Records
.
which was released in May 2005. The eight-tracked album contains the longest running Circus Maximus song with the title track running for over 19 minutes. The album also came with two bonus tracks.
Half a year later, in November 2005, keyboards player Espen Storø decided to leave the band for personal reasons. In early 2006, Lasse Finbråten (formerly of Norwegian progressive/power metal band Tritonus) joined the band, filling the vacant spot.
During 2005 Circus Maximus went on their first tour with their major performance being in Atlanta in the United States where they played at the ProgPower
festival. Circus Maximus then returned to the same festival the following year with their new keyboardist. During the rest of 2006 Circus Maximus continued to play gigs around Scandinavia with other major acts such as Kamelot
, Pagan's Mind
and Glenn Hughes.
During February 13 to March 5, 2008 the band toured Europe as an opening act (along with German
progressive metal band Dreamscape
) at the Symphony X
Paradise Lost Tour 2008.
On November 18 the band posted this message in their website:
"Circus Maximus will now be entering the studio to start the pre-production of the next album, planned to be released late 2010. We are writing new stuff everyday and so far we have more or less 8 songs completed for the album and we can honestly tell you it sounds AMAZING! Can't wait to show you ;) We would like to thank everyone who have been supporting us throughout the years... you're the best! - Truls, Mats, Lasse, Glen and Michael."
According to the band's official forums, on the 22nd June 2010 Michael Eriksen posted some news on the recording process and said "Yesterday Mats and myself hit the studio to start the vocals on one of the tracks", he later mentioned that "We will have some videos up and running for you in a bit".
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
quintet
Quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
from Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. They employ the use of symphonic
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
, power
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
and glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
influences in their vocals which have a high-pitched tone, along with synthesizers and occasional keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. As of 2009, they have released two albums, The 1st Chapter
The 1st Chapter (album)
The 1st Chapter is the debut album by the Norwegian progressive metal band, Circus Maximus. The 1st Chapter was released on June 7, 2005 in the United States and on May 14, 2005 in Norway. The on-going theme of The 1st Chapter is about "the journey" to salvation expressed through the lyrics...
in 2005 and Isolate in 2007 and are planning to release a new album in 2011.
Formation and early history (2000–2003)
In 2000 long-time band mates Michael Eriksen (vocals) and brothers Mats (guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
) and Truls Haugen (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) were joined by keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
player Espen Storø and Glen Cato Møllen on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
to form Circus Maximus.
Initially being a cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
, they got a lot of positive feedback for their interpretations of technically challenging material from bands like Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
and Symphony X
Symphony X
Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey.Founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community...
. Before long, the band started to write their own material: With other influences varying from pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/rock through classical progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
to heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, their music synergized
Synergy
Synergy may be defined as two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable.The term synergy comes from the Greek word from , , meaning "working together".-Definitions and usages:...
into a mixture of melodic and groovy sound with lots of heavy riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s and odd time-signatures. In the musical press their sound has been compared to Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
, TNT
TNT (band)
TNT is a Norwegian hard rock/glam metal band from Trondheim, formed in 1982. The band has released twelve studio albums, three EPs and two live albums while going through numerous line-up changes since its formation...
, Shadow Gallery
Shadow Gallery
Shadow Gallery is an American progressive metal band formed in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, United States, during the early 1980s, originally under the name Sorcerer. After changing their name to Shadow Gallery and recording a short 8-track demo, the band was signed to Magna Carta Records in 1991...
, Pretty Maids
Pretty Maids
Pretty Maids are a Danish heavy metal band from Horsens, Denmark. Formed in 1981 by Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer. Their sound and music can be described as classic guitar-laden heavy rock with a strong emphasis on melodic elements like vocals and keyboards....
, Helloween
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...
and the like, in addition to the already mentioned bands.
Releasing two demos to great reviews in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, as well as in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and USA, before signing with Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Intromental Management in April 2004, the band made a record deal with American
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
Sensory Records for the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, which in turn forwarded a licensing
License
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
deal for Europe and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to Frontiers Records
Frontiers Records
Frontiers Records is an Italian record label, predominantly producing melodic rock. It was formed in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and is based in Naples, Italy.-History:...
.
The 1st Chapter (2004–2006)
Circus Maximus began writing their debut album in 2004 entitled, The 1st ChapterThe 1st Chapter (album)
The 1st Chapter is the debut album by the Norwegian progressive metal band, Circus Maximus. The 1st Chapter was released on June 7, 2005 in the United States and on May 14, 2005 in Norway. The on-going theme of The 1st Chapter is about "the journey" to salvation expressed through the lyrics...
which was released in May 2005. The eight-tracked album contains the longest running Circus Maximus song with the title track running for over 19 minutes. The album also came with two bonus tracks.
Half a year later, in November 2005, keyboards player Espen Storø decided to leave the band for personal reasons. In early 2006, Lasse Finbråten (formerly of Norwegian progressive/power metal band Tritonus) joined the band, filling the vacant spot.
During 2005 Circus Maximus went on their first tour with their major performance being in Atlanta in the United States where they played at the ProgPower
ProgPower
ProgPower is the name of four progressive and power metal festivals:*ProgPower Europe , held in the Netherlands since 1999*ProgPower USA, held in the United States since 2001...
festival. Circus Maximus then returned to the same festival the following year with their new keyboardist. During the rest of 2006 Circus Maximus continued to play gigs around Scandinavia with other major acts such as Kamelot
Kamelot
Kamelot is an American symphonic power metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was formed by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner in 1991. Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album Siége Perilous, and shared song-writing duties with Youngblood until his departure in April 2011.As of 2010,...
, Pagan's Mind
Pagan's Mind
-Biography:Founded in 2000 from the band Silverspoon by Nils K. Rue, Thorstein Aaby, and Stian Kristoffersen. Pagan's Mind released their first album, Infinity Divine, that same year. The following album, Celestial Entrance, was released in 2002 and was a relatively big success even outside of...
and Glenn Hughes.
Isolate (2007 onwards)
Circus Maximus spent the first quarter of 2007 recording their second studio album, Isolate, which was released on August 7, 2007. Before the release, as a response to impatient and expectant fans, the band established a post on the official Circus Maximus forum where they kept readers up-to-date on their studio-progress. Following the release of Isolate the band went on tour playing at major festivals such as ProgPower Europe, ProgPower Scandinavia, Sweden Rock and MetalHear. They also went on many solo shows while on the road.During February 13 to March 5, 2008 the band toured Europe as an opening act (along with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
progressive metal band Dreamscape
Dreamscape (band)
-History:Dreamscape was founded by lead guitarist Wolfgang Kerinnis and rhythm guitarist Stefan Gassner in 1986. After numerous changes in the line-up, singer Tobi Zoltan, drummer Andreas Angerer and bassist Benno Schmidtler stayed with them. After very thorough preparations, they started...
) at the Symphony X
Symphony X
Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey.Founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community...
Paradise Lost Tour 2008.
On November 18 the band posted this message in their website:
"Circus Maximus will now be entering the studio to start the pre-production of the next album, planned to be released late 2010. We are writing new stuff everyday and so far we have more or less 8 songs completed for the album and we can honestly tell you it sounds AMAZING! Can't wait to show you ;) We would like to thank everyone who have been supporting us throughout the years... you're the best! - Truls, Mats, Lasse, Glen and Michael."
According to the band's official forums, on the 22nd June 2010 Michael Eriksen posted some news on the recording process and said "Yesterday Mats and myself hit the studio to start the vocals on one of the tracks", he later mentioned that "We will have some videos up and running for you in a bit".
Current members
- Michael Eriksen – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Lasse Finbråten – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Mats Haugen – guitarsElectric GuitarsElectric Guitars were formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport and Richard Hall who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Saunders , Matt Salt and Dick Truscott , they also later added two backing singers: Sara and Wendy...
- Truls Haugen – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Glen Cato Møllen – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Discography
- The 1st ChapterThe 1st Chapter (album)The 1st Chapter is the debut album by the Norwegian progressive metal band, Circus Maximus. The 1st Chapter was released on June 7, 2005 in the United States and on May 14, 2005 in Norway. The on-going theme of The 1st Chapter is about "the journey" to salvation expressed through the lyrics...
(2005) - Isolate (2007)
External links
- Official Circus Maximus Website
- Official Circus Maximus MySpace
- Unofficial Circus Maximus Forum
- Mats Haugen Guitarist of Circus Maximus
- Truls Haugen Drummer of Circus Maximus
- The 1st Chapter @ Frontiers Records
- The 1st Chapter @ The Laser's Edge
- Isolate @ Frontiers Records
- Isolate @ The Laser's Edge