Mirka Rantanen's hard rock solo project, Circus Of Rock, has officially transformed into a real band. Previously, two albums, Come One, Come All (2021) and Lost Behind The Mask (2023), were released featuring several guest musicians and vocalists. Now, Rantanen explains why the project has turned into an official band:
"After releasing the second Circus Of Rock album, I considered whether this should be a real band, rather than just a record project with dozens of guest performers. I discussed it with the representative of the previous label, and again this summer with the current label. Everyone agreed that having a permanent lineup would help the band more effectively and secure more gigs, as it would be more evident to the audience what to expect from us. Managing multiple people and organizing shows is highly challenging because you never know who's available, making booking gigs nearly impossible. Moreover, projects with numerous singers and musicians are often perceived as just record projects, even though we did a small tour in Finland last spring with several vocalists."
"I had already lined up a bunch of guest singers for the next album, including some great artists, and I'm a little disappointed that won't happen now. I decided to go a different route, believing it was the right decision. Since this is Circus Of Rock, anything is possible."
"We'll move forward like this and see what we can achieve. I'm really excited about this and confident that we'll hit the road by next year at the latest."
A strong lineup of musicians has been selected for the band. Rantanen has recruited Mark Boals, known for his work with Yngwie Malmsteen, Dokken, and Ted Nugent, as the lead singer.
"Mark was already on the second Circus Of Rock album, and since then, we've collaborated on a project called Red Ravyn. Mark is still an incredible singer and a nice guy. After our previous work together, asking him to join the band was natural. Mark is really excited about this, and he's eager to get on stage. He has a lot of fans worldwide, and I believe that will help us with touring in the future."
In addition to Rantanen, the other band members are guitarists Samuli Federley and Vesa Virtanen (Ponies To Kill, Twilight Guardians), keyboardist Jari Pailamo (King Company, Kiuas), and bassist JJ Hjelt (Kenziner).
The band's third album is set to be released in the summer of 2025 via Lions Pride Music. According to Rantanen, the band's musical direction hasn't changed. "The album will once again be packed with great melodic hard rock songs. I can confidently say this will be the most rocking, balanced, and catchy album of them all so far."
For further details, visit Circus Of Rock on Facebook.
