Saga - Full Circle (CD)

If nothing else Saga deserve kudos for sticking to their guns. Neither punk nor new wave nor grunge nor any of the other subgenres that have influenced popular music since Saga's inception (1977) have infiltrated this band's formula. Their brand of keyboard and guitar-heavy album and arena rock has experienced a dwindling audience in North America, but Saga still thrived in Europe, specifically Germany. Full Circle is quite generic, offering very little originality. It sounds frightfully similar to the throngs of progressive bands of the late '70s who didn't know how to adjust to the changing musical landscape and either adopted awkward, uncharacteristic traits, leading to a swift demise, or forged ahead unchanging and unceremoniously, resulting in a slow and painful death. For longtime fans of Saga Full Circle is likely a welcome addition to their discography, but to those who expect prog rock to progress, the album offers little of redeeming value. ~ Dave Sleger