With a sound similar to
Alice in Chains,
AC/DC,
the Cult,
D-A-D and
Guns N' Roses, but with enough of their own distinctive and original style, Circus of Power received significant critical fame, especially in the UK's
Kerrang! music magazine; which featured them on the front cover multiple times and awarded their first two albums five 'K's (the top rating for an album), each.
19871995: First incarnation The group played in New York for several years until they signed a contract with
RCA Records. In July 1987, prior to the release of their debut album, Joey Wrecked quit the band and was replaced by Ryan Maher. The band released their debut album in 1988, to much critical acclaim (within the 'metal' scene) and followed it up, with another well received album in 1990. It was around this time that Gary Sunshine switched to guitar, and Zowie joined as bass guitarist. On the back of these two albums and strong media support, Circus of Power was as the lone opening band for a complete tour of
Black Sabbath in support of their 1990 album
Tyr. By 1991, like many hard rock/heavy metal bands of this period, CoP became casualties (popularity wise) of the burgeoning
grunge movement; however the band persevered, recording and releasing their third album
Magic and Madness in 1993. In 2008, Circus of Power was offered the opportunity to play two events, neither of which they could attend due to scheduling conflicts. In December 2008, Mitchell informed circusofpower.net that Rock Candy Records would issue a remastered release of Circus of Power's eponymous debut album. A reunion show was held on June 27, 2009, at the
Knitting Factory in Los Angeles to promote the reissue and celebrate Club Vodka's seventh anniversary. After some solo efforts and a few one-off "reunion" gigs, Mitchell added Fat Nancy and Captain Zapped to the lineup. In late 2014, they entered the studio to record fresh material. The new lineup shot a video for the song "Hard Drivin' Sister". In 2016, the band recorded a new single and video, "American Monster", that featured
Jyrki 69 of
the 69 Eyes. == Members ==