Rating: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)
Whispers and Screams, the sophomore effort for
NYC-area based Shadow Circus is an eye-opening album that
raises the bar significantly from the band’s 2006 debut release,
Welcome to the Freakroom. Musically, this album is a giant leap
forward for a band that was already displaying its proggy
competence. What has changed? In a word, songwriting. The songs
are much stronger on Whispers and Screams and the band has shown
a greater maturity on their second release.
The ambitious opening suite, in seven parts, is based on the
epic novel The Stand by Stephen King. Entitled
“Project Blue,” this song cycle clocks in at almost 34
minutes in length – more than half the album’s running time. As
a huge fan of this novel (it is my favorite book ever, by
anyone), I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into this one. The
suite mostly succeeds and takes the listener on the journey with
the novel’s characters. There are places where David Bobick’s
very theatrical singing style doesn’t quite work for me, and
some will be turned off by it. Bobick, who has a degree in
musical theater, is prone to adding flourishes to the end of
words. Sometimes it works and sometimes it detracts from the
song, in my opinion, but it is unique and is part of what sets
Shadow Circus apart.
Of the seven parts, the band really stretches its collective
legs on the instrumentals (“The Seduction of Harold Lauder”
and “The Hand of God”). Guitarist John Fontana, who
also handles keyboards on this album, is all over the place (in
a good way) and the rhythm section of drummer Corey Folta and
bassist Jason Croft keep it all together. I can’t always hear
Croft as much as I’d like, but that’s a minor quibble. The
narrative parts are faithful to the novel and are enjoyable for
any fan of the book, however, I felt in some places the lyrics
could have been improved upon. Overall, for a piece this
ambitious, the band did a pretty good job of pulling it off,
especially in setting the mood from the corresponding parts of
the book. For example, the explosion at the end of “The
Seduction of Harold Lauder” was particularly inspired (it makes
complete sense for those familiar with the book).
The second song, “When the Morning Comes” is a beautiful
ballad with excellent subtle guitar work and piano from Fontana,
and is placed perfectly on the album, allowing the listener to
recover from the sprawling “Project Blue.” Bobick restrains
himself from his typical theatrical singing style here to great
effect.
“Willoughby” is a 10-minute epic based on the classic
Twilight Zone episode, “A Stop at Willoughby” and may be my
favorite piece on the album. The frantic verses of the song
mirror the hectic life of Gart Williams, the protagonist of the
Twilight Zone episode, while the chorus reflects the dreamy nap
times Williams has on the train during his commute. The way this
piece is written perfectly reflects the episode and shows off
the maturity that Fontana and Bobick have achieved in their
songwriting. Once again, Fontana’s guitar shines.
“Angel” provides another album highlight. This is a
gorgeous song, with a terrific arrangement and again shows how
much the band has grown from its debut album. Bobick’s vocals on
this one show just how good he can be when he’s at his best.
The album closer, the instrumental “…Then in July, the
Thunder Came,” was written solely by Fontana. Representing
the thunder is Folta’s military march drumming and Fontana’s
guitar. It’s a good song, albeit an unusual way to close the
album. I think the band would have been better served to
transpose this song in the running order with “Willoughby” to
bookend the album with the two epic pieces.
With Whispers and Screams, Shadow Circus has truly arrived on
the modern American prog scene. I am very impressed at the
progress this band has shown from its first album and if Shadow
Circus continues to improve at this rate, their constant
listeners are in for some amazing things to come.
Track List:
Project Blue
1. Captain Trips
2. The Long Road Home
3. Big Fire
4. The Seduction of Harold Lauder
5. The Horsemen Ride
6. The Hand of God
7. Coming Back Home to You
8. When the Morning Comes
9. Willoughby
10. Angel
11. ...Then in July, the Thunder Came
