The infiltration of the popular virtual reality video games, Guitar Hero and Rock Band, into the dorms, apartments, and homes of much of America have found many of us yielding plastic versions of classic guitars and jamming out to butchered versions of popular classics like Smoke on the Water and Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Circle of Fate's latest effort, Back to Life, sounds unfortunately elementary, as if they used the music from these video games as their primary inspiration.
The tracks are barely distinguishable from one another, for instance "Sanctify Me" and "Unshattered" have almost the same chord progression during the chorus. Lead singer, Michele Caruso's vocals are trying to be somewhere between Evanesence's Amy Lee and Pat Benatar, but instead end up sounding like a Marlboro strained Joan Jett. Based on the press pictures from the band's official website, it seems she delivers more in the way of donning leather pants at the band's live shows than she does to the quality of the band itself.
Touting references such as Prince, Journey, and Joe Satriani, one seeks the infectious pop or brilliant riffs reminiscent of these artists. Unfortunately, when it comes to Back to Life, the listener's search is in vain. Their ingenuity is weak, as the same textbook metal chords and distortions are used throughout the album, bringing to mind influences like Nickelback and Linkin Park instead. "What If" sounds so distinctly as if it was stolen from an Iron Maiden record that I thought it was a cover.
Back to Life's single and supposed hit track, "My Religion", is about television. Caruso sings, "TV destroys me, it corrupts me, it engulfs me, it's my religion." This sort of surface poetry and trite social media commentary is the through line of the album, even less impressive when backed by a mediocre three-piece band.
Circle of Fate, a 10 year old band, sounds newly formed and has yet to come into their own. Back to Life borrows too heavily from recent popular metal bands without creating a sound that is uniquely their own, ultimately leading this reviewer to hope that none of these musicians is without a day job. Circle of Fate can be seen at Silvie's on August 29th at 9pm and Back to Life can be purchased at CD Baby and Amazon.com. - Erin Keane
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