Reviews

...In contrast with its predecessor, "Across The Line" sounds more mature. Although it continues in the same vein of melancholy and introversion, it does have its prog metal outbursts, like "Pathway" with some Sylvan's traces or even "Holding On" with its new age keys intro. Volume lowers when "To Be" (totally Marillion) & "Losing Time"(tips the wink to Porcupine Tree & Peter Gabriel) come in, to give their place to "Through The Darkness" the first genuine highlight, boiling over with rage and enriched with a Gilmour-like guitar solo and some lovely keys as a background. With this track as a link, we cross the line to the 2nd half of the album. Two epic songs welcome the visitors: "Through The Light" balanced by its 8 parts, in which each and every of Ghost Circus' influences appear in front of you, and the grand finale with the second highlight "Across the Line", an orgasmic instrumental. Here, if anywhere, you can tell the difference between now & then, simply by comparing this sublime instrumental to "Let It Flow" of their debut...
www.metalperspective.com/reviews/ghostcircus2.php

French review
www.amarokprog.net/critiques_17454_200849.html

Italian review
www.unprogged.com/showthread.php?t=3033

...Ghost Circus typify the current outlook of the genre- unafraid to take chances, putting all their collective wares on the table and exhibiting a superb full length for their labor. Dense in subtleties, "Across the Line" won me over immediately and I think all AOR and progressive rock mavens will need to buy this album at some point this year.
www.imhotep.no/?did=9078411

Italian review
www.metalzone.it/recensioni2008/ghostcircus.html

...Musically the two craft a sound that has graduated to reflect the style of music created by bands such as Spock’s Beard although they certainly put their own particular spin on the proceedings. With this release they’ve stretched their music in a more progressive vein without losing a keenly crafted melodic vision. These musical compositions hold up extremely well with repeated listening providing ample humm-ability. When it needs to be heavy they’re not afraid to add that guitar crunch and when it needs some room to breathe they’ll put some spacey solo keyboards up front. Sprinkled throughout are moody and atmospheric instrumental segments linking the eight tracks together. Many of the tracks are deceptively short, just sounding longer, but then there is the epic “Through the Light” (27:00) made up of eight different pieces. Ghost Circus make no bones about being able to write a catchy tune. Songs like “To Be” (6:05) might be just a good pop song in lesser hands. Here they take us on a musical journey that goes from dreamy keyboards to stirring melody to funky closing section. Each of the compositions benefits from some very detailed arrangements causing the tunes to ebb and flow from accessibility to complexity. As on their previous release the over all tone ofAcross the Line is big…call it huge…it’s dramatic and poignant all with the point of serving the story line...
www.jerrylucky.com/reviews%20f-j_007.htm

...“Reflection”, with its guitar beginning and synthesizers, sound almost joyous, but then becomes a little heavier. This piece has a certain dream like quality. “Pathway” is a melodic metal song with a quite catchy rhythm and guitar line. I was pleased by the singing, in my view it is a common flaw in many contemporary prog bands, but it is a strong point for Ghost Circus; they can really sing! “Holding On” returns to the symphonic prog realm in a manner near Porcupine Tree. It is a more ethereal piece which transforms itself to an AOR song. The guitars are simply superb. The next piece “To Be”, after an ambient beginning, offers us a pop rock song, the kind of song that could be played on radio. “Losing Time” is a classic rock piece with its guitars on reverb and great beat reminding me of many old timers' tunes (AC/DC, Deep Purple, Argent, Iron Maiden, etc.). I like very much the sound of the guitar in the melodic solo. The «a cappella» end is also interesting. “Through The Darkness” is in the vein of bands such as Iron Maiden or more near us Port Mahadia i.e. a solid rock tune, but only for a time since it returns to prog in the last part. “Through The Light (parts 1-8)” is an epic length track that clocks near 27 minutes. It is the kind of musical work which I'm at a loss of words to describe. It spans many genres (mainly prog/AOR) and has a complex structure. My favourite parts are “The Sea of Shadows” with its oriental tinge, “Soaring Above” with some impressive shredder’s parts, and “Distant Memory” a great progressive piece. “Across The Line” closes nicely this very good CD. It is my favourite piece of the CD. I simply love it! Crossing the line is fun after all. This is a great symphonic prog tune, with a shredder as the helmsman...
www.silverdb.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=25518

...This collaboration has resulted in two albums: 'Cycles' from 2006 and now the ambitious 'Across the Line', which is a concept album that lyrically follows one man's path from death to the hereafter; a ghost story from an unique perspective. The melting pot of Ghost Circus has been filled with elements from classic progressive rock, AOR, metal and some classic alternative rock. The outcome is a good and diverse rock album, which has its ups and downs, mostly ups...
www.powerofmetal.dk/reviews08/ghost_circus_review.htm

Portuguese review
fenixwebzine.blogspot.com/2008/05/ghost-circus-across-line-2007-progrock.html

Danish review
www.fileunder.nl/archives/2008/06/ghost_circus_across_the_line.php

German review
www.babylonmagazine.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2893&Itemid=0

Italian review
www.loudvision.it/musica_recensioni-ghost-circus-across-the-line--2056.html

German review
www.metal-district.de/cdkritik-4402-ghost_circus-across_the_line.html

Polish review
www.mlwz.ceti.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2302&Itemid=26

...Through The Light is almost twenty seven minutes long and divided into seven parts, with those different parts clearly forming a part of the bigger song, but they do not have the same structure of complete track, therefore it is an epic song that is possible to step into at any point and enjoy the smaller pieces. During this track all styles of Ghost Circus come to surface and are presented in a interesting way. The album closes with another long track, this time the title piece for the album Across The Line, which evolves from ambient to heavy guitar solos and ends in the acoustic theme which also opened the album. The ten minutes or so of this instrumental allow Chris and Ronald to show their capabilities to the full...
www.dprp.net/reviews/200829.php#ghostcircus

French review
www.metalchroniques.fr/guppy/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=1719

Italian review
www.movimentiprog.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recensioni&file=view&id=2694

German review
www.musikansich.de/review.php?id=5481

Portugese review
progbrasil.com.br/ExibeResenhas.php?eID=1011

...The first part of the album is fairly straight forward and safe music: heavy guitar oriented prog rock. Still, there is enough variation, so it is quite enjoyable. Besides, it is not all Chris Brown. Ronald Wahle offers some great keyboard parts, like the opening part of "The Calling." Still, I would have liked to hear some more keyboards, as the guitar is quite dominant and in some songs, like "Through The Darkness," a bit too much. This is not one of my favourite songs on the album. The second half of the album I like a lot better. A highlight is the epic "Through The Light," which is divided into 8 sub-sections. More keyboards, still some heavy guitars, but all together a great and varied piece. And … the more than excellent closing and title song, "Across The Line"!..
www.progressiveworld.net/html/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=3565

German review
www.home-of-rock.de/CD-Reviews2/Ghost_Circus/Across_The_Line.html

First thing that comes up in me after listening to the album for the first time is the fact that two people are on this album and what a great sound they created together. They met eachother on an internet messageboardand started Ghost Circus. Cycles was their debut album which has done very well and now they are back with this second album. And every note on the album is being played by these guys themselves too, no programming!..
progressivemusic-ginfress.blogspot.com/2008/03/ghost-circus-across-line.html

Dutch review
www.prog-nose.org/news.php?item.134.6

French review
www.musicwaves.fr/frmChronique.aspx?PRO_ID=2901

French review
www.musicinbelgium.net/pl/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=2653

Italian review
www.hardsounds.it/PUBLIC/recensione.php?id=4061

French review (album of the month)
www.pop-rock.com/article.php3?id_article=2069

Interview in French
www.pop-rock.com/article.php3?id_article=2070

Spanish review
manticornio.com/rock-progresivo/G/GHOST-CIRCUS/across-the-line.html

Across the Line by Ghost Circus is a very interesting and convincing concept album. This remarkable duo, an American and a Dutch, working through the Internet offer us their second opus. Their music is an original blend of symphonic prog, metal hints and AOR. The story is about the journey of a man from death to the hereafter. He is a ghost with a powerful story to tell and a most important line to cross. I'm amazed by that there are only two musicians here, but we have often the distinct impression of hearing a band of five active players. Chris Brown and Ronald Wahle each play many instruments and their combined versatility created exquisite soundscapes. The vocals are one of the high points for me with the excellent overall musicianship. The jacket cover illustrates well the idea of a fading man crossing the line of his life....As my colleague Nuno had said for their previous CD, I will certainly listen to them often in the near future. I recommend this CD for all amateurs of neo/symphonic prog and AOR music. This is a very pleasing work and I looked forward hearing their next project.
www.proggnosis.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=25518

German review
www.heavy-metal.de/?id=11728

As they did on their debut, Cycles, the two men in Ghost Circus open their second album of accessible progressive rock with another slow-building track that doesn’t accurately represent the sound of multi-instrumentalists Chris Brown (from Tennessee) and Ronald Wahle (from The Netherlands). This time, the culprit is the acoustic guitar strumming and atmospheric keys of “Reflection.” The song eventually segues into “Pathway,” one of the heaviest and most riff-tastic songs this transcontinental duo has ever recorded, and it helps make Across the Line a more adventurous album than its predecessor...
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=6319

...This is a strong, unique adventurous CD that unfolds before you. Allow the CD time to come into its own, but it does so quickly, and within minutes you become part of the storyline, almost as if lost in a movie playing out in your mind. The visuals of this CD are there, and the boys of Ghost Circus are to be commended for using their musical and songwriting talents to bring to life one illustration after another.
www.hardrockhaven.net/reviews2008/april08/Ghost%20Circus%20-%20Across%20the%20Line.php

It’s hard to actually put a label on this band but it come across to a unique blend of AOR, Prog, Metal, and classic alternative rock. Across the Line is a progression of man's path from death to the hereafter, this intricate blend of solace with space exploration reminds me in some ways of Hawkwind, Rush and Vangelis mixed in a blender and poured out a beautiful home made soup. The excitement and the passion of this wonderful creation lifts you into a sense of well being to then bring you back down to earth with a landing so soft you would still think you were in heaven. I must admit it’s not usually my sort of thing but this wonderful masterpiece will give me years of pleasant listening.
www.metalliville.co.uk/bankup/htdocs/CD%20Folder/G-CDS.htm

The band Ghost Circus is the musical creation of Chris Brown from Tennessee and Ronald Wahle of the Netherlands and “Across The Line” is the duo's second full album release following on from the critically acclaimed debut “Cycles”. This latest venture features eight tracks all of which ably demonstrate that whatever your musical tastes this duo have something for everybody. A lot of progressive rock albums can sometimes need a fair bit of effort on the part of the listener to finally reveal their secrets and work their magic but“Across The Line” works in completely the opposite way. From the first track to the last this album is accessible, listenable, enjoyable and ultimately very satisfying in a wonderfully immediate fashion...
www.hardrockhouse.com/NewReleases/GhostCircus.htm

German review
www.metal1.info/reviews/reviews.php?rev_id=2930

German review
www.obliveon.de/pn-om/modules.php?op=modload&name=cdreviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=11502

GHOST CIRCUS is a transatlantic project between Chris Brown (Murfreesboro, TN, USA) and Ronald Wahle (Blijham, Holland). The collaboration of this duo began in 2004. Chris (vocals, guitar, bass) and Ronald (drums, guitar, keyboards) are playing a blend of Progressive Rock, Metal, Symphonic Rock and AOR. Their critically acclaimed debut album "Cycles" was released in September 2006. This second album "Across The Line" is a concept album which goes about the following of one man's path from death to the hereafter; a ghost story from a unique perspective. Both Brown and Wahle are fantastic musicians with a great talent for writing marvellous songs. Chris is not a superb singer, he's just an average singer (but not a worse). The album starts with the instrumental "Reflection", followed by the heavy "Pathway". A real quiet song is "To Be" with lots of atmosphere in it, a real song to relax with. Another heavy song is "Through The Darkness" with great guitar work and fantastic solos. By the way, this album has a fantastic production, which was done by Brown and Wahle themselves. Anyway, a very good Prog Rock album of which my favourite songs are "Pathway", "Through The Darkness", the superb epic "Through The Light" (which exists of eight parts) and the last one "Across The Line". If you like bands like RUSH, MARILLION, YES, PINK FLOYD etcetera, then you will dig this album too.
www.mariosmetalmania.com/CDDVDreviews.html