Circus Maximus (group)

The group was founded in 2000, when keyboardist Espen Storye and bass player Glen Möllen invited musicians to create a progressive metal project that later became known as Circus Maximus . At first, the group played only cover versions at various festivals and clubs, gaining experience from the lost material of groups such as Dream Theater and Symphony X. But after recording two demos, the European label Frontiers Records became interested in the mastery of their performance, original sound and offered a contract.

In 2004, the group began work on their debut album and already in May 2005 recorded a full-length CD entitled " The 1st Chapter ", which was released under the label Frontiers Records. In the same year, they went on a tour in support of the album, where, along with other concerts, they performed at the ProgPower USA festival. But six months later, in November 2005, the keyboard player and one of the founders of the band, Espen Storo, announced that he was leaving the band for personal reasons. After some time, he was replaced by Lasse Finbrethen . In early 2006, he became an official member of the group.

In the first half of 2007, Circus Maximus spent time in the studio recording their second studio album. A new CD called " Isolate " was released on August 7, 2007 on the same label. The album was very successful. Various European and US festivals such as ProgPower USA, ProgPower Europe, ProgPower Scandinavia, Sweden Rock and MetalHear were also included in the tour in support of the album. Also in 2008, the band performed as a "warm-up" with Symphony X on their tour in support of the album " Paradise Lost ".

On November 18, 2008, the band posted a message on their website that they were launching the pre-production of the new album “ Nine ”, which they planned to release in 2010 under the label Frontiers Records. But the plans did not materialize on time, and the release date was delayed until 2012. Band members said the album would be more melodic and vibrant than the previous two. The official release in Europe took place on June 1, 2012, and in the USA on June 5, 2012. The tour in support of the album began with a concert in Oslo (Norway ), where the set list consisted mainly of the compositions of the album “Nine” ^[2] . On September 14, 2012, the team was officially announced at the ProgPower USA XIV festival ^[3] .

On October 18, 2016, the next studio album Circus Maximus was released, entitled "Havoc".

Current squad

• Michael Eriksen ( Norwegian Michael Eriksen ) - vocals
• Lasse Finbråten ( Norse Lasse Finbråten ) - keyboards
• Mats Haugen ( Norwegian Mats Haugen ) - Guitar
• Truls Haugen ( Norwegian. Truls Haugen ) - drums
• Glen Cato Møllen ( Norwegian Glen Cato Møllen ) - bass

Former members

• Espen Storø ( Norwegian. Espen Storø ) - keyboards (2000-2005)

• 2005 - The 1st Chapter
• 2007 - Isolate
• 2012 - Nine
• 2016 - Havoc

• Official site (eng.)
• Circus Maximus official page (group) ( Myspace ) on Myspace
• Profile of Circus Maximus (band) at Last.fm
• Mats Haugen official Myspace page
• Mulspace Truls Haugen Official Website