In the '80s, having a Hollywood address wasn't a prerequisite for playing
pop-metal --
Bon Jovi,
Britny Fox, and
Cinderella were all from the East Coast. Nonetheless, much of the
pop-metal action was in Los Angeles, the city that gave listeners
Guns N' Roses,
Moetley Cruee,
Warrant,
L.A. Guns,
Poison,
Quiet Riot,
Skid Row, and countless others. Some of
Circus of Power's fans wondered if the band would have been bigger if they had been based in L.A. instead of New York; others argued that
Circus of Power's lack of commercial success was due to inadequate promotion rather than location. Whatever the reason,
Circus of Power's albums weren't big sellers -- although they weren't without their pleasures.
Vices, the New Yorkers' third album, is a good example of the type of trashy, decadent, sleazy
hard rock that they were known for. Lyrically,
Circus of Power embraces the same life-in-the-fast-lane themes that made
Guns N' Roses famous;
Circus' writing isn't as strong or as consistent as that of
Axl Rose and his colleagues, but the parallels are definitely there. Everything that
Guns N' Roses wrote about -- sex, drugs, promiscuous women -- is also a theme on
Vices, which was produced by
Daniel Rey and finds lead singer
Alex Mitchell leading a lineup that includes
Ricky Beck Mahler and
Gary Sunshine on guitar,
Zowie on bass, and
Ryan Maher on drums. Without question,
Circus of Power is highly derivative; no one will accuse tracks like
"Last Call Rosie," "Doctor Potion," and
"Junkie Girl" of trying to reinvent the
hard rock wheel. Nonetheless, the material is decent more often than not, and even though
Circus of Power was never in a class with
Guns N' Roses or
Moetley Cruee,
Vices points to the fact that the band did have their moments. ~ Alex Henderson
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