Review VICTORY “Circle of Life”

The check was not in the mail today, but something else was delivered today – the new album by German rockers Victory. The band from Hannover evolved from Fargo, a band that had some success in the late 70s and early 80s. Fargo morphed into Victory, which helped the guys climb on the latter’s success as Victory released four excellent albums in the second half of the 80s before things came to an end in 2011.

The hard rockers returned two years later, but it took a while and some line-up changes before new studio material could be released. “Gods of Tomorrow” was the comeback album released in 2021.

Victory will strike while the iron is hot and announce a next studio album with “Circle of Life”. With astable line-up since 2021 it’s main man Herman Frank who is the driving force of the band and what could be a better start than an opener called “Tonight We Rock”. Nomen et omen here, as the heavily pounding song is an energetic way to start the album, a frame-setter for the rest of this release. A throbbing bass is the foundation for the rocking “American Girl” and what is immediately apparent is the great voice of frontman Gianni Pontillo. His raw and strong vocal performance is beneficial for every song on “Circle Of Life”.

A roaring highlight is “Count on Me”. This straightforward rock & metal hybrid is the anthemic peak of the album, before “Surrender My Heart” brings another rocking thunderstorm. Paced more moderately, the song immediately reveals its greatness.

One of the good things about “Circle Of Life” is the constant high level of the songs. There isn’t a moment when you think that the guys have dropped the ball. “Moonlit Sky”, the mighty “Falling” and the lightning fast “Money” are all excellent songs and represent a band that delivers a very mature and still passionate album.

Another good thing is the fact that “Circle Of Life” does not contain any of those tear-jerking ballads. There is a rather soulful track on the album titled “Reason to Love”, but this one is far from the typical ballad standards.

“Virtual Sin” ends the album on a good note. It’s an electric rock song that has the necessary edges and a melody that is addictive. “Circle of Life” is a blasting hard rock album that has a great vibe from start to finish. This release sounds young and wild. This album can compete with the achievements of the late 80’s and that’s something I didn’t expect. Two thumbs up.