Not a coherent unit yet
This band were quite a capture for Bloodstock. Savage Circus grace the main stage at half past six on the Friday night, and I was probably, like many in the venue, eager to see this power metal super group. For those who are unaware, Savage Circus contains ex Blind Guardian powerhouse drummer Thomas Stauch and Iron Saviour main man Piet Sielck. Their debut album 'Dreamland Manor' is arguably a rehash of both member's previous bands, and until Blind Guardian get tempted to join Bloodstock history, Savage Circus is the best we're going to get.
Savage Circus play quite complex and majestic power metal, it needs all the instruments to be finely mixed, for only then does it come across correctly. It was unfortunate that this didn't really happen for Savage Circus. The guitars were almost non-existent. At one instance Piet Sielck stopped playing because the vocalist Jens Carlsson grabbed him round the neck, yet it made little impact on the sound, as was the case when he started playing again. With all the lead guitar work in their material I would have thought it would be appropriate to have boosters on the solos but this didn't happen either, causing the whole experience to be a mess of drums and bass.
The crowd at the front seemed enthused enough, but from about half way back, with myself included, the onlookers looked unexcited. The band didn't look like a coherent unit, Piet Seilck himself looking like someone they'd found in Dawsons Music an hour prior to the gig. His image was different from the rest of the crowd and his want to be the lead singer quite obvious. Vocalist Jens had little rapport with the crowd and at times failed to cut through the power metal mush, which started this reviewer itching for a tray of chips.
Savage Circus weren't bad by any means, they just weren't terribly exciting. Nothing in their set stood out even though their musicianship was highly polished. Perhaps a power metal band too many for the Friday? Who knows, that's one for the debaters amongst you. Musically speaking they weren't the worst band on the Friday, but they were the least entertaining.