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Circle Of Life

    
       
       
       
     
             
Victory are a hard rock band from Germany formed during the eighties by guitarist Herman Frank (Iron Allies, ex Accept), the band releasing twelve albums across a four decade career - the latest of which is 'Circle Of Life'...    
             
...emerging in 2024 featuring singer Gianni Pontillo (The Order), guitarist Michael Pesin (Iron Allies, Magistarium), bass player Malte Burkert (Iron Allies), and drummer Michael Stein (Final Chapter) alongside founder Frank. Boasting an incredible hard rock sound, 'Circle Of Life' is ten songs and forty five minutes of an unabashed and unadulterated blend of rock and metal - the kinda blend that was prevalent during the eighties heyday for hard rock and heavy metal evolution! And of course Victory were very much a part of that evolution, the bands lengthy heritage undeniable - the new album kicking into gear with the heavy hitting rocker 'Tonight We Rock'. And a ground shuddering foot stomp that's gonna wobble walls and shake buildings to their foundations, and although the band are from Germany, Victory are displaying a distinctly American hard rock sound!    
             
Not that's it a bad thing, hell no - the band marching on with the bolder and more bombastic 'American Girl'. The walls are still wobbling here such is the immense force oozing outta the band, a hint of late eighties early nineties Van Halen filling the air! And to be really honest here, when you look at the bands line-up and see the wealth of metal experience on show, you'd be quite right in expecting a metal album! But you'd be emphatically (and embarrassingly) wrong, Victory surprising every new listener and fan with a precision hard rock performance - 'Count On Me' pushing the pedal to the metal to surge forth as the fastest song heard so far! And even though the iconic "metal gallop" is in full swing, 'Count On Me' is very much rooted in hard rock territory, the band maintaining their proud stance across the border from heavy metal. And fuck me, the heavy foot stomping 'Surrender My Heart' is vibrating everything around me and in me, and rattling my teeth to boot, the immense force oozing from 'Surrender My Heart' destroying every "gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse" on the entire fucking planet!    
             
What a fabulous opening foursome to 'Circle Of Life', the German rockers delivering a top notch array of hard rock - and fuck me twice with big bells on! The heavy foot stomp of the previous song has just got heavier, much heavier - 'Unbelievable World' not just vibrating everything around me, but destroying it too! I tell ya, no where's safe from the Hanover hard rockers, so batten down your hatches readers, for Victory are on a crushing crusade to take over the world! And I for one ain't gonna stop 'em, 'Circle Of Life' marching on with majestic grace, 'Moonlit Sky' maintaining the albums all conquering hard rock swagger, the already sky high infectious level rising higher and higher! The oomph too, not to mention the energy, Victory soaring into new and uncharted territories with immense confidence and panache! To say 'Circle Of Life' is the best hard rock album I've heard all year, may well be the biggest understatement of the year too, the band continuing their incredible rock stomp with added venom courtesy of 'Falling' - the bombastic barrage of bruising hard rock knocking every listener into next fucking week! And beyond!     
             
The band have played on ten since minute one, 'Circle Of Life' starting great and just getting greater, Victory pressing the accelerator hard to race on at pace with 'Money' - the iconic metal gallop making an emphatic return! Yet the band remain firmly rooted in hard rock territory again, although Victory do pressure the boundary wall here, opening cracks to allow just a little heavy metal into their sound - a sound that's incredibly attractive, grabbing everyone's attentions and not letting go. 'Reason To Love' brings an air of power balladry to the fore, yet Victory remain unwilling to let their powerful rock stomp slide, 'Reason To Love' mixing balladry, soft rock and a touch of pop into the bands primary hard rock persona! The albums final hurrah 'Virtual Sin', is an up tempo, bouncy party rock anthem to be played loud - very loud! Just like the entire album! Victory have served up a tremendous treat here, one that has to be savoured time and time again, so go ahead and add 'Circle Of Life' to every one of your playlists, and devour the deluge of delicious hard rock again and again!    
             
Overall, a bombastic barrage of highly infectious and immensely heavy hitting hard rock, 'Circle Of Life' is full of vigour and vitality.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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