Sadly enough 7th Circle didn’t impress me that much. As a matter of fact I had a hard time remembering what it was I liked about this band. The music was louder than I remembered and I was a little disappointed with the podium presentation of the band. Considering the fact that 7th Circle does not get plenty of opportunities to play live I had expected a more outgoing show, attempting to convince the crowd and making them remember this band. There is another reason why I didn’t enjoy this gig but I’ll get to that in a moment.

NovAct started out on the right foot. The guys looked really relaxed - or even better: confident. It’s obvious that this band is proud of the album that is about to be released and glad to be finally able to present it to the press and to friends. Of course it’s special to play for friends and family, but NovAct really gave it all they had, making this a show that was worth watching. As a matter of fact watching the show proved to be more fun than listening to it. This had not much to do with the fact that I was treated with mostly unfamiliar music, but with the sound in the venue. Way too loud and therefore very messy, just like during the 7th Circle gig.

I had seen NovAct play the ProgPower festival a couple of months back. The music didn’t impress me that much back then and I hate to say that it didn’t impress me much now either. Keep in mind that it is hard to rate music the first time you hear it! The lousy sound didn’t make it much easier either. So I won’t even try to tell you what the new album is about. You’ll just have to wait for the album review. I wouldn’t be surprised when it turns out to be an excellent album. I’ve heard that After Forever were that impressed that they decided on asking NovAct to support them in 2005. For those of you who want to check some sound samples of the new album, visit www.novact.nl

(Review & Pics: Geert Oldenmenger)