'Dreamland Manor' is the debut from supergroup 'Savage Circus', which brings together 'Blind Guardian' drummer 'Thomen Stauch', 'Iron Savior' mastermind 'Piet Sielck' and 'Persuader's' pairing of 'Jens Carlsson' and 'Emil Norberg'. As you might expect they create a splendid blend of Power Metal, which unsurprisingly has a strong 'Blind Guardian' meets 'Iron Savior' flavour. This is the first time I have heard 'Jens Carlsson' and he certainly impresses, vocally he is reminiscent 'Hansi Kürsch' but with a little of 'Piet Sielck's' lower gravel and all told suits the style of music perfectly.

Opening in uncompromising fashion is the brisk ripper 'Evil Eyes' an adventurous opening track at nearly seven minutes but well worth the journey, 'Jens Carlsson' delivers throughout with power and commitment, while the song also benefits from cleverly balancing power with a refined melody and is further enhanced by slashing fret work from 'Piet' and 'Norberg'- great start. The pace is maintained with the pulsating rocker 'Between The Devil and The Seas' which ebbs and flows to a refined rhythm and is further braced by a superb instrumental break full of sharp intricate fret work. 'Waltz Of The Demon' opens with a harmonious intro before developing into a powerful mid tempo track, the all important melody is again evident and combines with the uplifting chorus to make for another impressive track. More reminiscent of 'Iron Savior' is the straight-forward rocker 'Tomorrowland', which highlights plenty of 'Piet' backing vocals and another cracking instrumental break. The pace is lifted further for the uncompromising Power Metal of 'It - The Gathering' a galloping ripper fuelled by some relentless rhythm and axe work and overall definitely owes more than a nod to 'Blind Guardian'. The tempo drops for the balladsy 'Beyond Reality' which makes for a nice change of pace, but ultimately I'm not totally convinced, the keyboard work is a bit insipid as is the chorus and overall perhaps a tad longwinded. The momentum is lifted for the vigorous epic 'When Hell Awakes' a wonderfully penned and constructed song that takes you on a rollercoaster rid of duelling fret work and cutting vocals on great lyrics. The tempo falls somewhat for the more melodic 'Ghost Story' which embarks on a slightly more ethereal approach but thankfully still maintains plenty of edge, perhaps a little drawn-out over seven minutes but still decent. The album bows out with one of the finest cuts present, 'Born Again By The Night' is a punchy, driven rocker which includes a cracking chorus and more rich fret work from 'Piet' and 'Norberg'

A great debut for 'Savage Circus' and although it's not the most original Power Metal ever written, it's still up there with the current best!