![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/glover2.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/mcbride2.jpg)
A Circus
Ronnie Romero has contributed vocals to the self-titled album of a studio project called A Circus. The driving force and main songwriters of the project is the father/son duo of Alfredo (bass, father) and Luca (guitar, son) Federici. The band is rounded up with Gian Marco Verdone (keyboards and arrangements), and Canadian drummer Shane Gaalaas. The music is definitely rather Rainbow-esque, so it might be of interest to some of our readers.
Track Listing:
- Out Of The Hat (1:24)
- Burn The Witch (4:25)
- A Snow Covered Road (4:47)
- Two Ghosts (3:40)
- Rainbow Tears (4:43)
- The Sleeper (7:01)
- Judas (4:18)
- Shadowy Man (4:46)
- Swing Little Girl (3:06)
Full paylist for the album:
The album was released on October 11, 2024, via Rockshots Records. One can order it via this link.
Thanks to Luca Federici for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Is that scratchy sound supposed to give it a vinyl feel? Vielen Dank, if there is one thing I don’t miss from vinyl days, then it is surface noise, always drove me nuts. 😁
Ronnie’s accent still puts him firmly in Melania Trump territory, I hate to say. You’d think that by now he would have worked at it a bit more, but then maybe MSG isn’t the band where you meet role models for losing heavy äkzents, nicht wahr?
He would sound so much better and credible in Spanish.
October 15th, 2024 at 14:21I wanted to like it, but I didn’t….reminds of Blackmores Night w/out the Blackmore or the Night!
October 15th, 2024 at 15:02Yo,
It’s not so bad imo. It’s well recorded, but not mixed to my liking…When heavy music is recorded, it should sound heavy when listened too. Everything is clear sounding & well played, with super tasty guitar & keys, & nice powerful sounding drums. As for Ronnie’s voice take-it or leave-it. The music is quite dramatic with great chord-changes resulting in distinct flavour & imagery, though it’s obvious the boys were influenced via Dio era Rainbow to my ears. It’s like “Rising” part-II, via a loosely related band in parts. Lots of light & shade.
I only listened to the first 4 x tracks via solid 2.1 Logitech computer-speakers.
A hard-copy is about $13:00 Euro’s plus postage, for what’s now-days more of an EP with a 38-minute total running time…
Those wanting / needing a new Rainbow recording will like this imo, its a solid effort. Well done Ronnie & the band !
Adonai vasu.
October 15th, 2024 at 22:55What‘s the Spanish (or Italian) word for pedestrian again?
Some of these bands are so caught up in a time bubble, it is akin to a group like U2 having patterned itself in the early 80s as Bill Haley & The Comets soundalikes rather than creating something new.
Nothing wrong with Bill Haley or Rainbow for that matter, but they were both of their time.
October 15th, 2024 at 23:16Listening to the album online & it sounds good, although we do hear a modern day DP sound a little here & there. It is quite melodic & stands on it’s own. I can actually hear the drums, they sound good (miracles never cease). The album isn’t over the top at all, staying away from the modern ‘metal’ approach keeps the melody to the fore. Maybe it was me anticipating the metal sound it could have had but thankfully doesn’t. Romero sounds like he is holding back vocally, in a good way. The emphasis is on good songwriting & they have achieved that. Thanks for the link. Cheers.
October 16th, 2024 at 00:42A nice cover of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Swing Little Girl’ from The Circus, to close out the album. Wonderful. Cheers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byMwSxarr6c
October 16th, 2024 at 00:52If you like to remind yourself what are all the cliches used in hard rock, this is for you. It is not bad, but after one time listen you don’t have the need to return to it. I agree with many of you above, it would have been better sung in Spanish.
October 16th, 2024 at 06:51@ 4 – Since when has this project been called a ‘band’ Uwe. A U2 comparison as in a new band, is that the best you can do? Pathetic. It is a studio project, listen, learn & read on. We know you don’t like Ronnie Romero & his vocal take, keep it up. It is a well recorded album & oozes melody, good songs crafted rather well & very good musicians performing. It is their take on things. Lighten up ole son, life is too short. Cheers
https://metal-jukebox.net/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=35867
October 16th, 2024 at 07:16Burn The Witch? Sounds more like Kill The King.
October 16th, 2024 at 12:13OMG, you guys all heap accolades on this so much, I will give it a second listen in the interest of fairness. I‘m sure it is well-played, my issue is creativity and not being stuck in the past.
October 16th, 2024 at 15:59@ 10 – ‘OMG, you guys all heap accolades on this so much” no, read again. We are not fawning over it, if that is what you are alluding to. It is good in certain aspects. We were not deluded at all, the good folk at THS said it sounded a little Rainbow-esque. Why did you listen to it Uwe? Cheers.
October 16th, 2024 at 21:18I do like a singer that actually understands what he is singing about, ‘tis true, I think it helps giving the words meaning. It surprises me how you guys as native speakers seem to be cool with just a phonetic approach to the vocals. I thought the trials and tribulations of all those distressed damsels, dragons, wizards, kings & queens, witches and what-have-you-not do really mean something to you as you dive deep into mythology on your escapist endeavors into worlds of wonder and intricate plot twists.
Obviously not then, it’s all my baby baby balla balla.
https://youtu.be/ipr14fWy9bw
In the meantime, I’ll listen to a bit more Bob Dylan off his 1974 tour. Wordy little bastard, ain’t he?
October 16th, 2024 at 23:12“Why did you listen to it Uwe?”
Shouldn’t I? For the same reason I buy Coldplay and U2 albums: So I know what I’m talking about, it often improves quality of discourse though it has seemingly gone out of style.
October 16th, 2024 at 23:18Ok, I listened again. 😑 It’s largely ancestral.
“Burn the evil, burn the witch, keep it going …”
https://media.tenor.com/HudUhqueRBUAAAAM/witches-smoke.gif
Are you guys who tolerate lyrics like that for real or just trying to poke me? 🤣 David Coverdale with his 51 years old lyrics to Burn has just ascended to William Shakespeare status, no less.
A ‘Snow Covered Road’ has some interesting chord changes and timing/meter skips, I’ll give it that.
“The sky is black, we’re at midnight, woman appears, in search of a light …”
Question: Is she looking for a flashlight because the batteries gave up in her cell phone? That can be inconvenient, good to make a song about it, women feel insecure in the dark after all.
The ballady song ‘Two Ghosts’ is very BN, but ok, if riddled with musical cliches.
‘Rainbow Tears’ sounds like an outtake from Uriah Heep’s debut with an instrumental Jethro Tull middle part, when was that again, 1970? Real contemporary vibe there.
The piano intro to ‘The Sleeper’ is evidence that Blue Öyster Cult is no stranger to A Circus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARzj2AblBWQ
which is good, you can’t listen to just Rainbow and BN all the time. Ronnie does Freddie Mercury impressions, he’s also very good at those and had a better dentist to boot. I think Shane Gaalaas’ (the drummer’s) day job is probably with a Prog outfit doing Coldplay covers, he has a penchant for those rhythms.
The minor/major changes in ‘Judas’ are contrived. Bit of Richard Clayderman going on in the middle too. “In the eye of the storm”, now that is an allegory I have never heard before! If Judas hears this, he will hang himself all over again I fear, long live rock’n’rope so to say.
Where were we? Ah, “Shadowy Man”, I like the synth, it reminds me a bit of some of the things Colin Towns used to do. More Freddie Mercury. And then the banal double-time part ruins it all. The lead guitarist has his Blackmore’sque intros to his solos down pat, allora!
“Swing Little Girl”, ok, that’s cute, I have a soft spot for Hollywood schmaltz like that and Ronnie swoons like Freddie again. Always appreciate it if a classic receives attention in unexpected places, it’s all music after all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BDiDukWbeg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWTl4i8Y89E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdbRRUXP2iQ
To be fair, quite possibly Eric Adams’ yank accent on Nessun Dorma isn’t all too different from anything Ronnie Romero does to zee Eengleesh langweech, the Italians here will have to pass judgement on that.
October 17th, 2024 at 19:48Well I like it.
November 1st, 2024 at 16:56And that is perfectly fine. For the honest work they put in, they deserve for people to like it.
November 2nd, 2024 at 02:04