Circle of Fireis the brand new release from guitarist Jay Parmar, and follows up his 2006 debut Strange Day. Finding himself on Steve Vai's label Digital Nations, Parmar has assembled a fine cast here to help him out, including Carsten Schulz (Evidence One/Paradise Inc), Andreas Novak (House of Shakira/Mind's Eye), Pete Newdeck (Eden's Curse/Tainted Nations), Tim Wallace, Mike Rotella and Dokken/Lynch Mob guitar veteran George Lynch.
The music on Circle of Fire is pleasant, catchy melodic rock/metal/AOR, bursting with memorable hooks and tasty guitar work. Tunes like "Lost in You", "Walking in Circles", "You're Not Alone", and "Stop Laughing" take you back to the hard rock scene of the mid-to-late '80s when huge melodic vocal harmonies and flashy guitar playing mixed to create a powerful force that took over the world. The title track is one of the heavier pieces here, reminding of a mix of Tony Martin era Black Sabbath, Badlands, Lynch Mob, and Blue Murder, complete with powerful vocals and Parmar's sizzling licks. His guitar style is very similar to Lynch, so it's appropriate that the former Dokken shredder show up here and lend his mercurial talents to closer "When Angels Cry", another highlight of the album.
Thankfully Jay Parmar put together something here that wasn't all about guitar wankery; yes, he can certainly play his axe, but Circle of Fire is more about the songs, embellished with plenty of virtuoso fretwork. Kudos for that.
Track Listing
1. Walking In Circles
2. Your'e Not Alone
3. Test of Time
4. Lost In You
5. Now You're Gone
6. Hell Is the Place
7. Stop Laughing
8. Guilty
9. Harms Length
10. The Dragon
11. Circle of Fire
12. When Angels Cry (feat. George Lynch)
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