Veteran rock outfit Victory returned last week, with its latest album, Circle of Life. Released through AFM Records, the band’s 12th album, is a record that will appeal just as much to the band’s established audience base as to more casual rock fans. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements, which will be examined shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany that musical content adds to the record’s appeal add to the appeal and will be discussed a little later. The record’s production rounds out its most important elements and will also be discussed later. Each item noted plays into the whole of Circle of Life in its own way. All things considered they make this album one more welcome addition to this year’s field of new rock albums.
Circle of Life, the latest album from Victory, is a strong new offering from the veteran rock act. It is a presentation that is sure to find wide appeal among rock fans. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements. The band grabs listeners right from the album’s outset with the heavy, blues-based rocker, ‘Tonight We Rock’ that immediately throws back to the hair metal sounds of the 80s, a la Motley Crue. What is interesting is that even throwing back to those sounds, the arrangement also has a hard edge that makes it just as modern as it is a throwback. It is a nice balance that makes for a strong first impression from this band that cut its teeth in the 1980s. That refined 80s hair metal sound continues on throughout the record in various fashions. At one point, listeners can make a slight comparison to works from Ozzy is ‘Unbelievable World’ while ‘Surrender My Heart’ actually could be easily compared to some of the heavier early works that Van Halen composed with Sammy Hagar fronting the band. This arrangement is especially intriguing considering it is a love song but not a typical 80s hair metal ballad. It makes the song all the more engaging and entertaining. Even later in the record’s run, there is something of a comparison to works from the band’s fellow German rockers, Scorpions in ‘Reason To Love.’ Simply put, throughout the course of the album’s run, audiences get plenty of familiar 80s rock sounds and styles in the arrangements while also getting that material stepped up for more original works that will appeal to plenty of rock fans. That in itself forms a strong foundation for Circle of Life.
The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical arrangements strengthen that foundation even more. That is because for the most part, audiences get positive, uplifting themes throughout. There is a little bit of commentary late in the album’s run, but for the most part the record’s lyrical content is pure positive vibes. Going back to the album’s opener, ‘Tonight We Rock,’ the song is just about rocking out on stage. This is clear right from the song’s start as front man Gianni Pontillo sings, “Underneath the neon lights/We gather here/It’s our night/Guitars in hand/The stage is set/With hearts on fire/We won’t forget/The crowd’s roar’s a thunderous sound/We’ll shake the earth/We’ll tear the ground/With passion as our guide/Tonight, we’ll reach for the sky.” So this is clearly a familiar positive piece about the simple joy of being on stage out there where the band feels at home. It is hardly the first time that any rock act has composed such a song, but it is no less enjoyable here than in those previous cases.
On another note, the positive vibes continue early on in ‘Count on Me,’ which celebrates friendship and simply being there for those we care about. This as Pontillo sings, “When you’re feeling low and lost in the dark/The weight of the world leaves a mark/In times of trouble when you can’t see/You can always count on me/Life’s full of mountains/Highs and lows/Hard to see which way it goes/But when you stumble/When you can’t break free/I”ll be your wingman/Squeeze me/Everybody needs somebody/Who stands near and can be relied upon/Hold on me/When you’re not strong/I’ll help you along.” While this is a rock song, this material, which continues in similar fashion in the next verse, is certainly akin to the timeless soul song, ‘Stand By Me,’ which everybody knows. To that end, this song could be considered a tribute of sorts to the other. It is yet another positive message that is sure to uplift any listener.
The rare moment in which the band turns to commentary comes in its second half in ‘Falling One By One.’ This song is a clear commentary about gun violence. The commentary is clear as Pontillo sings, “Here in this battlefield/Where stories entwine/Faces lost in the crowd/They stay out of sight/No one wants or tries/To put down their guns/The fighting has begun/They’re falling/They’re dying/In silence through the setting sun/It’s too late now to back down/No one survives/They’re falling one by one/Here in the dead of the night/Where secrets keep/A constellation of lives/Where the shadows still sleep.” He closes, stating, “If we would have tried/To put down the guns/The fight had never begun.” Sadly, gun violence has been quite the issue in this country and around the world forages, so this commentary is just as prescient today as in the past. It is a message that every musical act across the musical universe needs to present. With any luck, maybe one day the message will get through to people. That aside, this and the other lyrical themes, which are far more positive are considered alongside the rest of the album’s lyrical themes, which again are mostly positive and uplifting, the whole therein works with the album’s musical arrangements to make the album that much stronger an offering from Victory.
As much as the musical and lyrical content does to make Circle of Life engaging and entertaining for audiences, they are just part of what makes the album successful. The album’s production is just as noteworthy as that collective content. From beginning to end, the album’s production expertly balances the performances of the musicians and that of Pontillo on vocals. The result of the positive (there is that word again) production is a record whose aesthetic impact is just as strong as the record’s content. It puts the finishing touch to the record and brings everything full circle. When it and the album’s content are considered together, the whole makes Circle of Life a record that is an easy fit for any critic’s list of the year’s top new rock albums.
Circle of Life is available now through AFM Records. More information on the album is available along with all of Victory’s latest news at https://victory-band.com.
