“Circuline’s new album, their second effort, Counterpoint, shows the evolution of this band from its primordial beginnings to a very advanced stage of cinematic progressive music. The balance between extreme instrumental and vocal gymnastics has been harnessed and the results are clearly evident. This band is a maturing organism that is evolving into a juggernaut, not only in the progressive music genre, but in the general music scene. I’m not sure I can even handle what the third release may bring!” — Marty Dorfman (AKA The Prog Doctor), House of Prog
“Excellent vocals…..a variety of unpredictable moods, tempos, and atmospheres…..a nice balance of instrumentals and songs…..tasty keyboard solos…..nice guitar…..YES-like rhythm section…..exciting Porcupine-Tree-like…..a great debut album!”
Thank you so much to Fireworks Magazine (UK) for the nice review of Circuline’s debut album in Issue 72!
“Reminiscent of YES….snippets of Camel and Rush….excellent extended guitar solo….nice vocals….monstrous Threshold heavy section….great keyboards….intense drumming….similar to It Bites and Porcupine Tree in parts…”
Progression Magazine‘s Fall 2015 issue gives a four star review (our of five) to Circuline’s debut album, and features the Sonic Voyage Fest! Included in the write-up are Andrew Colyer, David Mercado, Joe Deninzon, Natalie Brown, William Spillane, and triple-threat bassist Paul Ranieri. Circuline, Shadow Eden, and Stratospheerius founded the Sonic Voyage Fest in May 2015. Special thanks to John Collinge for the feature!
“Beautiful, soaring melodies, incredible musicianship, classical harmonies, peaceful orchestration, a certain jazziness and all round class, this debut album from new group CIRCULINE encompasses a wide range of styles and genres of music, mixing them with classic progressive rock in the vein of YES and PINK FLOYD to create a polished and beautiful sound. Mixing high levels of musical education, with experience from musical theatre, jazz ensembles and performing in classic prog tribute acts, these musicians have the pedigree to create great music in the vein of the classics.”
“Opening with the hopeful, joyous sounds of “Return”, within the first few seconds it is obvious exactly where this New York-based five piece are placing themselves on the musical spectrum. The song clocks in at a mere 5:05, but in that time, the band takes a musical journey through different styles of music they are influenced by. The instrumental breaks are smooth, melodic and pleasingly musical in their nature, with a vocal line harmonized by several of the band members. The album features the instrumental track “Nebulae”, which has a space-y feel, mostly utilizing various electric keyboard and synthesizer sounds. The riff for “Stereotype” is more guitar-based, and the song is one of the overall high-points if the album.”
“The band makes use of rapidly changing tonalities and time signatures, keeping listeners on their toes, as well as showing off the skill of the players. The solos and instrumental passages which litter the album are complicated, yet still melodic. There is very little in the way of completely pointless flashiness. The solos are crafted to compliment the songs and the instrumental tracks and sections all are written with structure and taste.”
“Overall this album is melodic and progressive in the more classic style, reminiscent of PINK FLOYD and some of DREAM THEATER’s mellower moments, so one for fans of tasteful and complicated music.”
