Watching in Silence [Enhanced] [Limited Edition] [Import]

Watching in Silence [Enhanced] [Limited Edition] [Import]

Track Listings

1. Out Of Reach

2. Sea Of White

3. Into The Wind

4. Watching In Silence

5. Forgiven

6. Lies

7. Face To Face

8. Walls

9. The Circle

10. FOS

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
2003 debut album from amazing band built around former Savatage singer Zak Stevens. The limited digibook edition includes the video, 'Watching In Silence', as well as a multimedia package with wallpapers, photos, & a screensaver. 10 tracks. AFM.

Tracks:

Out of Reach
Sea of White
Into the Wind
Watching in Silence
Forgiven
Lies
Face to Face
Walls
Circle
F.O.S.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Debut.......2007-06-23

I was dismayed when I first heard that vocalist Zak Stevens was leaving Savatage after being part of some of the best metal albums ever. Had I known the result would be not one, but two great bands (Circle II Circle and Jon Oliva's Pain) stepping in to fill the void, I wouldn't have worried.

Circle II Circle debuted in 2003 with Watching in Silence. Rather than try to avoid Savatage comparisons, Stevens encouraged them by bringing on former bandmates Chris Caffery and Jon Oliva to help with the songwriting and production duties. The result is an extremely strong melodic metal album highly reminiscent of Savatage efforts Edge of Thorns and Handful of Rain (the title track Watching in Silence would have been right at home on either of these). Some of Savatage's more theatric and progressive elements are toned back and replaced by a more melodic, straightforward metal approach that is ideally suited to Stevens's powerful voice.

There really aren't any weak moments on this album. Just about every song could be considered a standout track. Zak Stevens gives another powerhouse vocal performance, and his supporting cast (who would summarily defect and join Jon Oliva's band) does a great job as well.

Watching in Silence is one of the strongest debut albums I've ever heard, and of course is a must-have album for all Savatage fans. Fans of melodic hard rock/metal bands like Last Tribe, Pretty Maids, Pink Cream 69, and Jorn Lande should also enjoy this album. Of course, fans of those bands should love Savatage in the first place, which brings this album back to must-have status for just about everybody!

NOTE: Early versions of Watching in Silence came in a very nice digipack instead of the standard jewel case.

Average customer rating:

Amazing Debut

Watching in Silence
Circle II Circle
Manufacturer: Afm
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008NUWS
Release Date: 2003-05-05

Tracks:

Out of Reach
Sea of White
Into the Wind
Watching in Silence
Forgiven
Lies
Face to Face
Walls
Circle
F.O.S.

Album Description

2003 debut album from amazing band built around former Savatage singer Zak Stevens. The limited digibook edition includes the video, 'Watching In Silence', as well as a multimedia package with wallpapers, photos, & a screensaver. 10 tracks. AFM.

Album Details

Includes the Video "Watching the Silence", a Screen Saver and Wallpaper.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Debut.......2007-06-23

Average customer rating:

Amazing Debut
The Best MUST HAVE album of 2003!
Best CD of 2003 (so far)!
They don't break the circle...
Copy Protected CD = crippled

Watching in Silence
Circle II Circle
Manufacturer: The End
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00008NUWR
Release Date: 2003-05-05

Tracks:

Watching In Silence
Out Of Reach/Sea Of White/Into The Wind/Watching In Silence/Forgiven/Lies/Face To Face/Walls/The Circle/Fields Of Sorrow

Album Description

2003 debut album from amazing band built around former Savatage singer Zak Stevens, features 10 tracks. AFM.

Album Details

Includes the Video "Watching the Silence", a Screen Saver and Wallpaper.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Debut.......2007-06-23

The Best MUST HAVE album of 2003!.......2003-08-14

You could say Circle II Circle starts where Savatage leaves off, but in its own way has created its own identity as well as quite a devoted fan base. I bought the album because of Zak Stevens' amazing vocal talents, and the fact that most of the songs are co-written by Jon Oliva/Chris Caffery of Savatage fame, without ever having heard a single song on it. This album was released around the same time as Metallica's St. Anger, which I had high hopes for, but quite surprisingly, a new band still finding its walking legs has beaten out a mainstay giant like Metallica for my most favorite album of the year. "Watching In Silence" is a refreshing dive into musical integrity with brilliantly written songs that include a broad variety of guitar,keyboard, and vocal arrangements. From the classic headbanging rocker rhythms to the more semi-balladesque, this album has it all. It is quite easily an album that you can put on endless repeat and listen to over and over again. If this album is any indication of the future, then Circle II Circle will definitely have a successful journey ahead of them. I can only imagine what the next album is going to sound like since it's hard to top perfection. But one thing for sure, the boys of C2C are definitely going to turn some heads and make people take notice. See you on MTV!

Best CD of 2003 (so far)!.......2003-07-05

Savatage is one of my favorite bands of all time. Zak Stevens was one of my favorite singers of all time (I say "was" because he is now my number 1 favorite singer of all time). When I found out he was in a new band, I was ecstatic! Ok, on to the real review now.

After listening to the title track for months and months before the release of the album, my expectations were set extremely high. It sounds like a lost Savatage track! Needless to say, I bought the album a couple of weeks ago and not only did it not disappoint, but I can easily say that it's my favorite CD of 2003 so far.

The disc opens up with a great, heavy rocker, "Out Of Reach". No, it doesn't sound very much like Savatage, but that's not a bad thing at all. It's good to know that Circle II Circle have their own sound, but it's also good to know that the Savatage influences are there on several other tracks. "Sea Of White" follows and again, doesn't sound like Savatage. This song flat out rocks. It starts out with a killer bassline and the chorus is top-notch! Aaaaah, up next we have my favorite song on the album - "Into The Wind". It starts off very ballad-esque with beautiful vocals and then kicks into a KILLER chorus that is full of energy and emotion. I can listen to this chorus for hours on end, it's just perfect! And that riff that comes in in the middle of the song, wow, just wow! The title track follows. Great song, beautiful piano work, beautiful vocals. "Forgiven" is up next. This is probably my 2nd favorite on the album. The verses are very dark sounding and even contain Jon Oliva contributing some of the vocals! The chorus, again, is top-notch and reminds me a lot of some stuff on The Wake Of Magellan. "Lies" is my least favorite on the album, but it's still very cool. It's very heavy and not very melodic but there are cool riffs. It reminds me A LOT of "Complaint In The System" from Magellan. It has distorted vocals and has the same type of riffs (I can't explain what I mean by that, but if you hear it, you'll understand). The next song is great - "Face To Face". This isn't very Savatage-esque either. It's slower paced and very different sounding from anything else on the album. The next song, "Walls", is simply sublime. It starts off with beautiful piano and beautiful vocals and then acoustic guitars are added. The chorus is so beautiful and emotional. It has a Savatage feel to it, but still doesn't sound like anything they have ever written before. "The Circle" is another heavy rocker and one of my least favorites, but I really do enjoy it a lot (that just goes to show how much I love this album!). I didn't like it at first, but it really grew on me. The final song, "F.O.S." (Fields Of Sorrow), is amazing. It starts off slow and beautiful and then becomes heavier with fast vocals. The ending to this song contains the overdubbed vocals that Zak is famous for. This is the most Savatage-esque moment on the entire CD!

Wow, this review is getting too long, but I just can't stress enough how much I love it. And if you liked Zak's vocals with Savatage, his voice will blow you away with this album. Like I said, Zak used to be ONE of my favorite singers; now he's my favorite singer. I can't wait to see what this band is capable of in the future!

They don't break the circle..........2003-07-04

After taking a couple of years off to spend time with his wife and newborn child, ex-Savatage frontman Zak Stevens returns to the recording world with a little help from his friends...namely The Mountain King Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery -- both of whom are current staples in the Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra juggernaut.

Watching In Silence is a full-out, ballsy metal production with obvious Savatage tendencies in melody and composition. That's not surprising considering Oliva and Caffery contributed alot toward the writing of the songs. If you've heard and like Savatage, particularly the Edge Of Thorns album, you'll like this as well. However, don't expect a carbon copy of Savatage. While there are heavy Sava-influences, this album stands alone quite well.

For those of you not familiar with Savatage, this album is a musical tapestry of heavy mid-tempo riffs blended seemlessly with the occasional soft spot to touch your heart. If you are looking for superfast double bass drumming and galloping guitar licks ala power metal bands like Iron Maiden, Helloween, Kamelot, and Stratovarius, you won't find it here. This is just a very straight-forward, somewhat progressive, heavy metal composition that should please anyone who was into 80's heavy metal and many who are into the current metal scene.

I have to give the Florida-based Circle 2 Circle band five stars on this effort because it comes highly recommended from me. It's quickly become part of my primary playlist and is a great pacifier until the next Savatage masterpiece comes out next year.

Copy Protected CD = crippled.......2003-07-02

This CD is copy protected and not labeled as such. I was unable to listen to it on two different computers and that is my only method of listening to it. I hope that Copy Protected CDs are clearly labeled in the future so I know not to buy them because I will not be able to listen to them! Its sad the way record companies treat their Paying Customers.

Average customer rating:

Amazing Debut
A PLEASANT UNEXPECTED SUPRISE
WELCOME, SAVATAGE FANS!
More Magic from Oliva, Stevens, and Caffery.
Very good, breathtaking!!

Watching in Silence
Circle II Circle
Manufacturer: Afmr / Armageddon De
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000A4GAN
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Tracks:

Out of Reach
Sea of White
Into the Wind
Watching in Silence
Forgiven
Lies
Face to Face
Walls
Circle
F.O.S.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Debut.......2007-06-23

A PLEASANT UNEXPECTED SUPRISE .......2005-08-09

I stumbled across this album purely on accident and I am glad that I did. I am a longtime fan of SAVATAGE and while on their website, I found out about CIRCLE II CIRCLE.
I have always been a fan of Zak Stevens since I first heard him on EDGE OF THORNS. I consider him to be one of the best vocalists in the world of metal and although I like Jon Oliva and was happy for his return to fronting SAVATAGE, I missed Zak`s presence.
This album does have that SAVATAGE feel to it but I wont take anything from it for that. If you dug EDGE OF THORNS, and HANDFULL OF RAIN then you will dig this. In fact I like this better than the last couple of releases that SAVATAGE has put out ( hopefully their next release wont be yet another concept album).
Now dont get me wrong, I am not in any way putting down SAVATAGE. I own their entire collection and I love all their albums but I also love the two CIRCLE II CIRCLE albums as well.
Highlights include the title cut WATCHING IN SILENCE, LIES, FORGIVEN, FIELDS OF SORROW, and my personal fave; WALLS.
I feel that even with the many comparisons to SAVATAGE, this band is carving out their own identity and may one day become a major player in the metal world. This is good stuff here and I recommend this to anyone looking for good music. The Metal Historian hath spoken and approves.

WELCOME, SAVATAGE FANS!.......2005-05-28

If you were a fan of "Edge Of Thorns" or "Handful of Rain" (Savatage Cds with the same vocalist), then you'll be thrown back in time with this release. This gets better and better with each listen. It's amazing how the different band members that have gone through Savatage have been allowed to showcase his own style in the band, and so when they leave, and start their own bands, it's like getting bonus Savatage CDs during the many dry spells of no Savatage CDs.
I do realize that longtime members Jon and Chris have their hands in this project, but I am always a vocalist-person. I am not saying Zack is the best Savatage vocalist (I am a HUGE fan of the new Jon Oliva cd), but you know the saying.."It's all good". That applies.

More Magic from Oliva, Stevens, and Caffery........2004-12-21

After Zak left Savatage I was very dissapointed. I love Poets& Madmen, but think that Zak's voice is very conductive to the music that he sings.

So, while visiting the Sava site I noticed this group. Soon as I could afford it I ordered Watching In Silence.

Take heart Savatage fans. You've still got a chance to hear the wonderful vocals of Zak Stevens, and the song writing of the Savatage team. Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery got together and wrote this album with Zak and succeeded.

This album rocks hard. Sure, some say it's just another Savatage album. But, IMOHO, that's a very very good thing. This is very Savalike, but with it's own voice. The style of Zak, the substance of Savatage, with the passion that you expect from them can be felt throughout this release.

This is, like other reviewers have mentioned, close to the Wake Of Magellan sound of Savatage. The vocals are deep and rich. The playing is crisp and solid.

Best tracks? Hard to say because I love every song on this release. I really like Forgiven, Sea Of White and The Circle over the other. Though, like I said, that difference is minor.

If you, like me, love Savatage then this album will please you to no end. Just listening to it for the first time now, it just being delivered today. I'll likely listen to this a number of times before the week is out.

Very good, breathtaking!!.......2004-05-11

Uau! Zakk Stevens proved there will be a very healthy life for him after Savatage!! This album is breathtaking. Ok, there's no intention to try to hide the fact that sometimes this sound EXACTLY like Savatage, mainly the Savatage of WAKE OF MAGELLAN. But, anyway, it has its own signature, and, man it really goes with a bang! Great songwriting, impecable production, top musicians. What more do we, metal fanas, want?

I keep guessing what would be the result if Dream Theater had in their line up Stevens as their vocalist, instead of that insipid hair metal singer La Brie...

Watching in Silence
Average customer rating:

Amazing Debut

Watching in Silence
Circle II Circle
Manufacturer: Avalon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000AFOKM
Release Date: 2003-09-01