Ok, this band is dubbed as a cross between Metallica and Ozzy.  All I can say is that this band doesn't even come close to either of those bands, even at their lowest point.  Granted, the guys in Sons of Thunder play some pretty heavy music and they are decent musicians, but that is the only bright spot here.  I would suggest this band going instrumental only.  They got a pretty nice crunch, plenty of groove, and the songs at times are pretty catchy.  However, what lies beneath the surface is the glaring problem(s) I have with this band.

The vocals here are very lame and boring.  They are of the clean variety and they try to add a "tough" feel to them, but it's not very convincing.  Now comes the worst part.  If I didn't know better, I'd say this was a joke band.  The lyrics are horridly cheesy!  Check this line out from the title track Circus of Power:  "Like a clown/were bringin' joy to the crowd/and laughter for the sad/Oh yeah/We're like clowns/we mess up sometimes but/oh but we're not bad or evil."  That's plain ridiculous!  They even do a sinister-like laugh in that song, which I guess is supposed to be them being cool or something, but it is far from that.  It's stuff like this that gives Christians a bad rap.  Speaking of rap, they even try some rapped like vocals on a couple songs.  That doesn't help improve my opinion of this album in the slightest.  Next up on the chopping block is the song titles.  Check these out..."Circus of Power", "Jesus for President", "Superstar", "777", "Powerlord", etc...  Couple that with song titles from their last album like "Jesus Viking" and you know you have a band that doesn't really give one hoot about there image. 

Please don't think that I'm saying we should be ashamed of the name of Jesus.  On the contrary!  But don't make the Lord a laughing stock because of lack of common sense.  And the artwork!!!  Oh my gosh!!  I'll never let any of my metalhead friends see this in fears of being embarrassed for life!  A picture of a circus on front with a clown holding a lollipop on back.  Geesh!! 

I can see this appealing to people who are not concerned with cheese lyrics or a happy metal image.  After all, the music can be a little bit of a draw.  However, this reviewer is absolutely disgusted by the lack of discretion used in choosing a image that people will take seriously.  All I can say is don't waste your money on this crap.  (Review by Matt)