For a period of eight years from 1992 until August 2000, Zachary Stevens was the lead singer of Savatage. After five albums with the group, he left in 2000 citing family reasons. During the winter of 2001, Zak started his comeback with long-time friend and co founder of the band, Dan Campbell, co-writing material with former Savatage lead singer Jon Oliva and guitarist Chris Caffery what would become the songs for the Circle II Circle debut album, Watching in Silence. The second CIIC record The Middle of Nowhere featured Zak's vocals along with band members Paul Michael Stewart, Andy Lee, Tom Drennan and Evan Christopher.
The band's third release was a concept album, entitled Burden of Truth, based around the concept of Jesus' descendants. It was released on June 6, 2006. Stevens and the band then signed with Intromental Management. Their fourth album, entitled Delusions of Grandeur, was released on April 25, 2008.
Artwork for the band's logo and first three album covers were designed by Dan Campbell and rendered by artist Thomas Ewerhard. Additional artwork for the concept album Consequence of Power (2010) was created by Claudio Bergamin. On January 25, 2013, Circle II Circle released their Seasons Will Fall album on earMusic. The live album, Bootleg Live at Wacken 2012, was released on June 20, 2014. A studio album, Reign of Darkness, was released on October 16, 2015. On December 7, 2016, their former drummer, Adam Sagan, died from cancer at the age of 35.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_II_Circle
Studio albums
Watching in Silence (2003)
The Middle of Nowhere (2005)
Burden of Truth (2006)
Delusions of Grandeur (2008)
Consequence of Power (2010)
Seasons Will Fall (2013)
Reign of Darkness (2015)
Epiphany
Circle II Circle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything I knew before
Somehow disappeared
All this time of looking away
Not believing was the easy road to take
Come here, save me
From this nightmare, calling for me
I would never have known you
There's a question how you came to be
Why was I the one you found
How am I the one you see
All this time you've waited
While I simply faded
Now I'm lost and you've come to me
In the places we hide the sadness
Are the things we lost somehow
Seems we're missing all the answers
Though we're searching all around
In the forest of all the nightmares
All the feelings we've lost inside
Sometimes all of the years
Are stories we've yet to write
All this time of hesitating
All my dreams were fast escaping
In my life
I've never known where it would lead
All this time I can't replace it
All the while my soul has faded
Withered in the darkness
Longing to release the bitterness
Loneliness will help the healing
If you're lost and out there fading away
Fight for the strength to follow
Inspiration all at once
Back to a place
We had in our younger days
In the places we hide the sadness
Are the things we lost somehow
Seems we're missing all the answers
Though we're searching all around
In the forest of all the nightmares
All the feelings we've lost inside
Sometimes all of the years
Are stories we've yet to write
In the shadows that hide the madness
There are so many tears to hide
Fears expose the face you see
That stands before your eyes
Maybe all of the years of searching
Maybe all of the visions in vein
Are the difference in what we envisioned
And what remains
The lyrics of "Epiphany" by Circle II Circle speaks about the changes that are happening in the singer's life, and how everything they have known before seems to have disappeared. They reflect on the easy road of not believing in themselves and how it has led them to this point. They ask for someone to save them from this nightmare which is calling out to them. The song speaks about the struggles of the singer and how they have lost their way. They reflect on their life and wonder how they ended up where they are. The lyrics are filled with sadness and a sense of loss, but with hope that they can find their way back to a place they had in their younger days.
The chorus speaks about the places where they hide their sadness and the things they have lost, and how they are still searching for answers. The forest of all their nightmares is where they search for the feelings they have lost. The singer reflects on how they have hesitated for so long and how their dreams have been escaping them. They have never known where their life would lead, and they wish they could replace all the time they have wasted. They feel as though their soul has faded and they are filled with bitterness.
The final verse talks about how loneliness can help with the healing process, and if they are lost or fading away, they need to fight for the strength to follow inspiration. The places where they hide their sadness hold the key to the things they have lost. The song concludes with the idea that maybe all the years of searching and all the visions in vain are what makes the difference between what they have envisioned and what remains.
Line by Line Meaning
Things are quickly changing
A realization that everything around is changing fast.
Everything I knew before
All that the singer was familiar with has vanished.
Somehow disappeared
Vanished without a trace and unexpectedly.
All this time of looking away
Ignoring the situation instead of acknowledging it.
Not believing was the easy road to take
Choosing not to believe was more convenient at the time.
Come here, save me
Asking for help from someone trustworthy.
From this nightmare, calling for me
Escaping from a painful experience that haunts them.
I would never have known you
The artist could not imagine someone like us ever meeting them.
There's a question how you came to be
Wondering how and why this encounter happened.
Why was I the one you found
Pondering the artist's circumstances and why they were chosen.
How am I the one you see
Asking how we were the one realized by the other person.
All this time you've waited
Implying that the other may have waited for us for some time.
While I simply faded
The singer began to disappear, leaving them hopeless.
Now I'm lost and you've come to me
The other individual came into our life when we were feeling hopeless.
In the places we hide the sadness
Unhappy memory places that we try to forget.
Are the things we lost somehow
Things are what we often lose in those sad thoughts.
Seems we're missing all the answers
Even though we are searching, we cannot find answers to what we've lost.
Though we're searching all around
Attempts are being made to discover what it is we've lost.
In the forest of all the nightmares
A metaphor for a dreadful state of mind.
All the feelings we've lost inside
All emotions of the past that we've forgotten.
Sometimes all of the years
Whether it's been one or many years, time has passed.
Are stories we've yet to write
Narratives that we have yet to create or develop with our same experiences.
All this time of hesitating
Waiting for things to happen without taking action or steps to initiate them.
All my dreams were fast escaping
Not making any efforts shattered hopes and personal passions that were once cherished.
In my life
A description of the singer's overall existence.
I've never known where it would lead
The outcome of their journey was unknown, and they didn't know what the future held.
All this time I can't replace it
There is no way to recover lost time or memories of past events.
All the while my soul has faded
The individual's life force is dwindling away, and they are not happy with their lives.
Withered in the darkness
The burden of the past has overshadowed everything, weighing them down.
Longing to release the bitterness
Wanting to let go of the grudges held and bitterness towards others.
Loneliness will help the healing
Taking time for oneself can assist the recovery and aid in healing.
If you're lost and out there fading away
The singer believes that by following their lyrics, it will help those who feel lost to find a way in life.
Fight for the strength to follow
It takes a strong will to fight against and overcome one's demons.
Inspiration all at once
By staying true to oneself and beliefs, this is the inspiration that one self-will result in.
Back to a place
A location or moment in time to which the singer desires and ultimately strives to return.
We had in our younger days
The artist is referring to childhood, hoping to regain childhood happiness.
In the shadows that hide the madness
The darkest thoughts and emotions that we endeavor to hide.
There are so many tears to hide
Once revealing emotions, there are a plethora of feelings that can overwhelm anyone.
Fears expose the face you see
The way we react and present ourselves is the result of previous traumatic experiences or anxieties that we have experienced.
That stands before your eyes
All these complex emotions that are simmering underneath the surface are being experienced on a more profound level.
Maybe all of the years of searching
Maybe they have always had to search for something but never found it.
Maybe all of the visions in vein
All the thoughts and desires have been futile and led to no conclusion.
Are the difference in what we envisioned
The ideal outcome that the individual had in mind never became a reality.
And what remains
What came out of the situation were not what the individual desired or sought after.
Contributed by Kaelyn O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
DTzerb
Best song on this album.
KA ERRE
Perfect song
SavatageIsMyReligion
What a fucking Masterpiece!!!!!!!
Ej's Sports Pub
There is no doubt that this guy loved Criss Oliva as much as anyone.. Edge of Thorns is the tune closest resembling this one. and it has the same sounds as Conversation piece.... I mean if this isn't Savatage influenced? Then nothing ever could be... Not only because Zach is there, but my goodness i think i hear Criss Oliva all over the new Circle II Circle Album... If you are a Savatage fan and don't love this? Then you are missing something!!
Fraevo10
The vocals are not mixed well with the instrumentation. There is no excuse for a production glitch like that. It takes away so much from the song which is outstanding. I'm just shocked that this is mixed so poorly with the vocals sounding glued to the instruments . Zak is awesome and the current line-up is spectacular.
Renata Benia
the intro is almost similar to the gutter ballet. wow!
Savatage - Gutter Ballet (Video)
DouglasDeJesus
I got with U,man.
Ej's Sports Pub
I made a post on my forum all about this exact tune and came and found it over here just to comment on this thread lol Sports Palooza . com is the site I posted on about it, at the bottom of the site in Music Entertainment
fedezoo105
holy diver - Dio