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Circus Of Rock: Lost Behind The Mask

Melodic Metal Rock/AOR

4.5/5.0

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Frontiers
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 08.05.2023 | Released: 12.05.2023

Almost two years ago, Finnish drummer and songwriter Mirka Rantanen's solo project Circus Of Rock appeared with Come One, Come All. Focusing on strong song composition, Rantanen paired melodic hard rock and metal tunes with an assortment of fine vocal talent in the same genres from the European theater. The debut album was a well-received success for Rantanen.

Mirka Rantanen

So, with his second effort, Lost Behind The Mask, Rantanen keeps a good thing going. This album is another fine recording of melodic metal rock in an AOR wrapper featuring both well-known and new vocalists, many from the Frontiers stable. To name a few of the former, these include Girish Pradham, Jeff Scott Soto, David Readman, and Mr Lordi. Too the latter, there's Antony Parvianinen from Machine Men, Santiago Ramonda from Stormwarning, and Bulgarian singer Svetlana Bliznakova, who has her own band Sevi.

Speaking to the songs, as said earlier, this is a well-crafted and strong album of AOR melodic metal rock. In this case, I found myself attracted to the songs which lifted the AOR and rock groove notions. These would include Alive And Kicking, Truth Of Consequences, Keep On Shining, and Nine Lives (thought I've never been a huge fan of Lordi). For something more like heavy steady metal there's Death makes No Sound and The War Is Over. For a ballad, more on the pop side of the genre, you'll find All I Need featuring young Finnish female vocalist Pinja Pitkänen.

Most things considered, Mirka Rantanen and his Circus Of Rock gives listeners another exceptional and entertaining album of AOR melodic hard rock and metal, driven by fine songwriting and terrific vocalists. Recommended.

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Most things considered, Mirka Rantanen and his Circus Of Rock gives listeners another exceptional and entertaining album of AOR melodic hard rock and metal, driven by fine songwriting and terrific vocalists. Recommended.

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Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]

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