The 1st Chapter

1. Sin

2. Alive

3. Glory of the Empire

4. Biosfear

5. Silence from Angels Above

6. Why Am I Here

7. Prophecy

8. 1st Chapter

9. Imperial Destruction

The 1st Chapter,Circus Maximus,Sensory Records,Christian Metal,Christian Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

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The 1st Chapter

Average customer rating: Best Prog album I've heard in awhile Not a Dream Theater Knock-Off Holy ####! Does the words "Blown Away" even give this any justice??? Great sounds, great debut!

The 1st Chapter Circus Maximus Manufacturer: Sensory Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Christian Rock | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music Christian Alternative | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Fullness of Time Enigmatic: Calling Imagine Christ 0 The Origins of Ruin ASIN: B0009ML238 Release Date: 2005-06-07

Tracks:

1. Sin
2. Alive
3. Glory of the Empire
4. Biosfear
5. Silence from Angels Above
6. Why Am I Here
7. Prophecy
8. 1st Chapter
9. Imperial Destruction

Customer Reviews:

Best Prog album I've heard in awhile.......2007-04-17

I really like this CD. All of the songs are accessible, technical yet without being overly pretentious and shredding for shredding's sake (like some of the later DT, mainly Octavarium and TOT).
There are hints of DT, Symphony X, and Ayreon, but it is not derivative but surprisingly fresh.

Not a Dream Theater Knock-Off.......2007-04-08

First of all, if you are wondering if this is some reunion or retrospective on the 60s folk-art band, Circus Maximus, the answer is no. But read on anyway.

Second, if you've read most of the other reviews, there would certainly seem to be almost nothing but good things said by people, so why add another review? Because one reviewer observes that Circus Maximus are nothing more than a dated Dream Theater knock-off, and that if you already own "Images and Words" then you will have no need for this disc. And while it is almost certainly the case that this disc would appeal to Dream Theater fans, it does in fact have more to offer than just that.

Two basic points first. Simply by coming 13 years after "Images and Words," one could say that Circus Maximus take their inspiration there, rather than that they are derivative. Amongst blues guitarists, it is no crime to sound like your forebears. The same, then, may also be said for the instrumentation and some of the sound of the disc. However, it may not be correct to cite Dream Theater as the most likely "sounds-like" band; for that, Everon seems a better choice. And lastly, the most important difference is that Circus Maximus hail from Norway, that wellspring of modern metal that has birthed everything from Mayhem and Satyricon to Dimmu Borgir. However "dreamified" their sound might be, there is still a Norwegian backdrop of sheer metal mania in it that Dream Theater has not ever boasted of. As such, this album might be too "metal" for some Dream Theater fans.

"Sin," the disc's opener at 5'53", kicks things off in grand no-nonsense style right off the bat. I don't want this review merely to be a song-by-song comparison of this and "Images and Words" but at a bare minimum, the sound here is bigger, and the riffs are very much more Nordic than Dream Theater's. Different strokes for different folks, of course, but there /is/ a difference here. In fact, until the vocals kick in, it seems unlikely that Dream Theater comparisons would occur at all. Once they do, however, the difference will again be noted as pointed out by another reviewer: the lyrics describe a murder from five points of view. Also, the song's break in particular veers into an area of greater sheer intensity than almost anything in the Dream Theateresque genre; if there is a fault to be found here, it is in the band not stretching this section out more

"Alive," at 5'38", is more recognizable from the very beginning as Dream Theater, but considerably heavier. In fact, the whole song up to the finale is a rather heady mishmash of different kinds of metal gestures, including (very amped up) 80s hair metal, and even Pantera's "Cemetery Gates" (for about 2 seconds). To the extent that originality frequently consists of different structural combinations of existing styles, the way this song makes it way through these gestures is fairly interesting. But it's at the finale, "Together we will make it through alive," that the song really jumps out of the speakers. The vocalist's high, sustained note plays against a suddenly rather jagged, Gothic riff, which somehow throws everything that went before in the song into a strange, or unsettling light.

"Glory of the Empire," at 10'27", is the second-longest song, and might seem strange subject for a metal band outside of England, except that the lyrics merely recount a warrior-type's realization that he has contributed to an unjust cause, an empire "built by the hands of slaves to fulfill the master's will". Although the song is not terribly captivating up to its bridge, it manages to get through 5'30" rather quickly. Around 6 minutes, the music becomes more lush, and a piano and vocal bit provides a welcome relief from the somewhat trudging first half. This bridge becomes properly vast, melodic, with a slightly mis-mixed piano and guitar duo before the guitar-bridge itself. The vocals return, with a decidedly more martial stomp to the music, and the piece begins to make its way to the end conventionally. If nothing else, this song does not seem to drag despite its length.

"Biosfear," at 5'22", is the album's only instrumental. Once again, it kicks off with a riff that will remind one of Dream Theater (primarily due to the guitar tone, and guitar-keyboard interplay), but this lasts only 41 seconds, before launching into a progressively slowing set of three riffs (the first a series of linear variations, the second a satisfying bunch of varying time signature licks, and then an octave growling thing). After that, it gets more complicated , including an adorable jangly keyboard section, banged out of the park by heavy swinging thing with two of the best placed power chords ever I'd venture, followed by the obligatory extended guitar showpiece. The piece ends first with the usual arpeggiated finger riffs on guitar and base, followed by full-band workout--and while one can mentally connect this back to Dream Theater, if you weren't predisposed to do so, you wouldn't. In all, a crazy little tour de force which has great relistenability, unlike many similar types of pieces.

"Silence from Angels Above," at 4'07", is the album's ballad, including falling rain (to match the lyrics) and a somewhat ill-advised keyboard wash. This certainly is not the band's strong center, and the piece is content to stay in acoustic guitar mode the whole time. Despite its comparative innocuousness and blandness, the song is again about making a decisive choice, which figured prominently in the song "Sin". Thus, there is a certain poignancy in the silence of the angels above once again, though whether or not this can spare the song from being programmed out is probably a matter of taste.

"Why am I Here," at 6'05", wastes no time dispelling the mood of the last song. And if there is one song on the album that shows why this supposedly Dream Theateresque band is not, this is it, if only because of the much more self-evident metal sensibility it exhibits, while still remaining melodic prog metal. Off-hand, I'm not sure I could ever quite imagine myself headbanging at a Dream Theater concert. If I saw this song live, I would.

"The Prophecy," at 6'44", is the album's minor epic. Whether or not it succeeds may largely depend on how well you take the quasi-acoustic and "soulful" opening 2'30". Once it gets going, it kicks around ably enough, even as the chorus falls squarely into pure pop, and the return to the chorus after the bridge seems to be almost badly spliced.

"The 1st Chapter," at 19'07", is the album's official epic. It gets things going with a martial keyboard stomp, giant theatrical chords, and full orchestral pomp for exactly 2 minutes, followed by a second 2 minutes of high energy Nordic metal and keyboards leading up to the vocals, and another tale of a young man going astray. While the structure at this point becomes a conventional verse-chorus, the chorus itself is very nicely crunchy. More Nordic metal then heralds the fall of our hero, but instead of spiraling into musical doom, it switches to grand, epic chords, as the hero realizes he is being chosen for a particular destiny. More martial crunching then, and the "keyboard no-no" another reviewer mentioned (bad patch choice). A piano-vocals section follows, as a prelude to the considerably extended sectional journey of hero's battle with darkness, ending on the expected big chord, that then lingers, and lingers as a cloudy, airy howl. Enter the calliope music (no really), pitched shifted and all to make it "creepy". The saving grace here is the still-lingering airy chord, that sonically does things to the otherwise inexplicable circus music (sure, sure, Circus Maximus).

"Imperial Destruction," at 6'30", dispels any possible kitsch from the end of the last song with one of the best riffs on the album, and then drops into another vast-sounding verse-chorus structure, including the usual keyboard and guitar break. This far into the disc, so much of their usual good thing becomes almost wearing--something that definitely is (again) reminiscent of Everon.

Supposedly, the keyboardist has left the band. I suspect this will prove to be a blessing on Circus Maximus' sophomore effort. In the first half of the disc, the keyboards are just fine, but they seem to run out of steam later on. Similarly, the basic intensity of the album is fairly unrelenting, again belying its metal roots. As a debut, one can chalk this up to over enthusiasm, and the necessity of filling 70 minutes on a disc, but all told, it is hard not to be enthralled by this disc, if not always all the way through. By no means a perfect disc, nevertheless hopefully it is clear now that calling Circus Maximum a Dream Theater knock-off is beside the point.

Holy ####!.......2007-02-18

I've also never heard of these guys until my friend put this cd in my hand...I am completely blown away. not since Symphony X's "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" have I experienced such a fantastic album. And this is only a debut??? These guys are gona go really far in the progmetal world. You owe it to yourself to pick up this album. Can't wait for the new one, hopefully out this summer!!

Does the words "Blown Away" even give this any justice???.......2006-07-05

WOW! Thats all I can say. I had never heard anything from Circus Maximus before, nothing. Decided to pick up this album after hearing there names come up a lot on the PAGAN'S MIND forums. I popped this disc in, and immediatly the galloping, deep, death metalish sound of Sin kicked me in the chest. I was thinking... "This isn't prog this is Death Metal!" then, the keyboards and odd time signatures kicked in. I knew the music was awesome, but I was just waiting for the vocals. Prog vocals ethier make or break a band, and then a new age Geddy Lee style sound came thrashing in. I knew from this moment this band was AWESOME! A great mix of Dream Theater, Symphony X, Pagan's Mind, and Queensryche this band is amazing.

Great sounds, great debut!.......2006-06-19

When I put this CD into my player, I heard influences from a number of bands: Dream Theater, Symphony X, Divine Regale, etc. In fact I found myself comparing band member names from Circus Maximus and Divine Regale because the singers sound so much alike. None of the names were the same, just a lot of similarities between the two bands. It takes a lot of chops to come close to bands like these and Circus Maximus does it with ease.

The singer's voice is clean in all ranges, the guitar playing is impecable, the keyboarding is all over the place--bringing great flavor and atmosphere to each song, the drumming and bass playing are tight. What else can you say?

If this is the baseline from this band, I can't wait to see where they go from here. When their songwriting and album concepts begin taking more shape and form this band's success will be unstoppable.

Average customer rating: What a powerfully effective discovery!

Music from Renaissance Coimbra Manufacturer: Hyperion ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000002ZUO Release Date: 1994-08-09

Customer Reviews:

What a powerfully effective discovery!.......2004-09-28

A BBC reviewer of this disc wrote: "Hyperion has an extraordinary gift for detecting repertoire which leaves us wondering how we ever lived without it." That sums up any legitimate verdict in a single sentence, except that one should emphasize how good this production is even by Hyperion's usual standards. Sound quality - which in the companion volume HOLY WEEK AT THE CHAPEL OF THE DUKES OF BRAGANZA slightly disappoints, because of eccentric balances - is superb here. Voices (this collection, unlike the Braganza one, consists wholly of unaccompanied works) have a beautiful sheen, and are captured with an admirable stereo spread; following these hitherto unknown composers' counterpoint becomes particularly attractive when one hears it through headphones. All competent hi-fi store owners should stock this release as an example of how to show off their equipment with wonderful choral timbres. Mostly sublime performances and fascinating booklet annotations, along with a brilliantly chosen cover picture that now evokes Mel Gibson's best-known film, complete a powerfully effective discovery. Only one of these motets - SANCTORUM MERITIS by a certain Pedro de Cristo, who died in 1618 - has ever been recorded before. If A Capela Portuguesa's plainchant sections did not occasionally sound a little stolid in rhythm, MUSIC FROM RENAISSANCE COIMBRA would be perfection itself. As it stands it can still be recommended with all possible enthusiasm to anyone enamored of the Palestrina school.

Average customer rating:

Vol. 2 Manufacturer: Rush Production ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CA3KC8 Release Date: 2004-03-16

Tracks:

1. City of Dope
2. Cali Bomb
3. Back Against the Wall
4. Pushin Weight
5. Advantages
6. Cowardism
7. Northern Cali Grinders
8. 9-11
9. Hold Me Down
10. Madman
11. Faces Of Death
12. Casualites
13. Game Worldwide
14. Nobody Know
15. Have Fun
16. Roll Thru
17. Take it to Heart
18. M.D.K.

Average customer rating:

1st Chapter Cloud Tissa ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000MZZ3DC

Product Description

1 Where Am From 2 Life to Life 3 Clap Clap 4 She Feat. Didier U. Rucekeli 5 Light It Up Feat. Hoerspiel Crew 6 Sunshine Lady 7 Give Me Time 8 Good Friends Feat. Didier U. Rucekeli 9 Top Girl 10 No Matter What 11 Let Your Love Rain Feat. B-nice 12 Ngoma Feat. Risasi 13 Dusk Till Dawn 14 Sunshine Lady (swahili Version) Feat. Rafiq Varind 15 Life to Life (remix)

Average customer rating:

Cyber Trance 1st Chapter Various Artists Manufacturer: Avex Trax ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music ASIN: B00027LI84 Release Date: 2004-07-19

Average customer rating: "THIS CD IS CRUNKED FORT CHRIST!!! "THIS CD IS CRUNKED FORT CHRIST!!! talkin da real DOPE CD

Tha 1st Chapter Disc 1 K-Lee Manufacturer: Voyager Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B0000U4PWE Release Date: 2003-10-28

Tracks:

1. Tha 1st Chapter
2. Trinity
3. Hey yall
4. Krunk
5. Changed man
6. Tennessee
7. Speak it
8. Holdin on
9. Tongues
10. Listen Closely
11. Rain
12. All About You
13. Krunk (screwed)
14. Fly
15. Anger 2001
16. Godsent - 2000

Album Description

K-Lee's music is real, upfront and is a basis of everyday lifes struggles, pains, of personal experiences, all stacked onto hardcore down south beats. Tha 1st Chapter is the first of 7 chapters a 14 album series droppin' within the next 7 years. K-Lee has been selling CDs from the trunk of his car and this is his debut album for major distribution.

Customer Reviews:

"THIS CD IS CRUNKED FORT CHRIST!!!.......2004-06-28

THIS CD IS BETTER THAN JAY-Z,50CENT,LUDARICS,ANDOUTKAST BY FAR. K-LEE IS ONE OF THE TOP 2 RAPPERS OUT THERE CHECK DISC 2 OUT!!!!

"THIS CD IS CRUNKED FORT CHRIST!!!.......2004-06-28

THIS CD IS BETTER THAN JAY-Z,50CENT,LUDARICS,ANDOUTKAST BY FAR. K-LEE IS ONE OF THE TOP 2 RAPPERS OUT THERE CHECK DISC 2 OUT!!!!

talkin da real.......2003-11-27

this cd is the best cd ever to connect with unsaved people i know k-lee myself he is blessed with a great god given talent he is using his own life and struggles to connect with unsaved people. his beatz are unreal. some of the krunkest beatz i have ever heard i have all of k-lee's cd's and some artist's he has produced and they are all off the chain i never thot i would listen to music that actually talked about god and things until i bot k-lee's first cd. so if ur thinkin bout buying tha 1st chapter buy it and it will change your life drastically.

DOPE CD.......2003-11-01

MAIN THIS CD HAS EVERYTHING DOPE TRACKS QUICK GANGSTA SOUNDIN FLOWS WITH A MESSAGE. K-LEE'S MUSIC IS SOO REAL YOU'LL FEEL HIS STUGGLES IN THE MUSIC DIRECTLY. I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE

Average customer rating: krunk in all ways

Tha 1st Chapter Disc 2 K-Lee Manufacturer: Voyager Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B0000U5GBI Release Date: 2003-10-28

Tracks:

1. Side 2 Side (intro)
2. Bounze on tha Flo
3. Brinstone
4. Give It Up
5. Healin Woundz
6. Paradyse
7. Show Me
8. Searchin
9. Fly (remix)
10. My Life My Story (Interlude)
11. My Life My Story
12. No Matter
13. See What I See
14. One Time
15. Brimstone (screwed)
16. Dedication - 2000

Album Description

K-Lee's music is real, upfront and is a basis of everyday lifes struggles, pains, of personal experiences, all stacked onto hardcore down south beats. Tha 1st Chapter is the first of 7 chapters a 14 album series droppin' within the next 7 years. K-Lee has been selling CDs from the trunk of his car and this is his debut album for major distribution.

Customer Reviews:

krunk in all ways.......2004-07-04

this cd is by far oneof the best rap cds ive ever heard.when i first became a christian the rap they had sucked and then a friend of mine gave me this cd.just let me say that this cd change it all with songs like "fly"(remix)and much more and dont get me started with his bangin beats.all i know is that im goin to find all his other cds and when tha second chapter is out im getting that to becuase his music is nuthin but krunk
BUY THIS AND U WONK REGRET IT...FO SHO...!!!

Average customer rating:

Destination Goa: 1st Chapter Various Artists Manufacturer: Whyno ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Trance | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Trance | Compilations | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Destination Goa: 3rd Chapter Destination Goa: 2nd Chapter ASIN: B000006ZX7 Release Date: 1997-06-20

Tracks:

1. Pyramid - Technossomy
2. Guerra - Gada-Gong
3. Rezwalker - Transwave
4. Final Mission - Chakra & Edi Mis
5. Probe - Tufaan
6. Tribute - Etnica
7. Ganesh
8. Sirius Shuttle
9. Trance Express

Average customer rating:

What Is Meant To Be Will Be: 1st Chapter Manufacturer: O.N.E. Records 5000 ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Southern Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music ASIN: B0009T00FM

Average customer rating: Remarkably Coherent for a 12 year old album.... Turn that Beat Recommendation Around NoW's first release is rough, but good

A Word of Science: The 1st & Final Chapter Nightmares on Wax ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music International Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music ASIN: B00005613T

Tracks:

1. Nights Interlude
2. A Case Of Funk
3. Coming Down
4. Stop (Crack)
5. Biofeedback
6. Mega Donutz
7. Playtime
8. Aftermath
9. Fun
10. Back Into Time
11. Dextrous
12. B.W.T.M.
13. Sal
14. E.A.S.E.
15. How Ya Doin'

Album Description

French version of the Warp Records UK dance act's 1991 debut album. 15 tracks including the ace 'Nights Interlude' that's been included on numerous chill-out collections. Standard jewel case.

Customer Reviews:

Remarkably Coherent for a 12 year old album...........2003-10-28

Hailing back from the Rave explosion of 1990's, this was clearly a product of the music of it's surroundings, and was actually released in 1991, and clearly has been inspired by the music of that time, and like similarly accomplished act like "Gus Gus" for instance....they used a progressive Retro approach in their construction of music, where by the sampling & framework has a decidedly Retro approach, but the overall music direction is designed to appeal to a broader audience. In fact its not too dissimilar in the way `Primal Scream' approached "Screamadelica", with one eye on the past & Future. But musically that couldn't be more different, as opening track "Nights Interlude" is a groove-tinged shuffle classic, with a less is more approach yielding exceptional results. And what's remarkable about this album is apart from the cast iron production, every song on here deserves (without exception) inclusion on this predecessor to the beginnings of the Trip-Hop genre, and although vastly different in sound from their later albums earmarked "Nightmares on Wax" as exemplary artists within the genre.

Turn that Beat Recommendation Around.......2001-10-30

Yeah, well, I would suggest if you are new to Nightmares on Wax you get this album -- put out 10 years ago when George Evelyn and Kevin Harper were ahead of the curve inventing trip-hop -- and skip the later snoozefests. This one has all their ideas and excitement.

NoW's first release is rough, but good.......2000-12-15

If you're familiar with NoW's first American releases, Smoker's Delight and Carboot Soul, you may be surprised to find that there was an earlier release. I bought A Word of Science from Amazon.de long before it was available here (quite a while ago). While it's not nearly as polished as G. Evelyn's later releases, it's definitely got some great groove to it - not nearly as laid back as Smoker's Delight, Evelyn and partner create some great tracks ranging from hip-hop rap to full-blown trip-hop...if you're a NoW fan, it's definitely worth your cash...if you haven't heard NoW before, I would suggest starting with Smoker's Delight or Carboot Soul.

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1. The Best of Spirit [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]
2. The Heart of Saturday Night
3. The Index Masters
4. The Ones We Never Knew
5. The Party Ain't Over Yet [Import]
6. The Will to Live
7. Totally Hot [Import]
8. Tragedy Rocks
9. Trey Anastasio
10. Two More Years [CD-single] [Import]

Rap Music

rap music

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