Music Banter - View Single Post - Bitesize: Trollheart's Daily Album Mini-Reviews

Trollheart · 08-06-2013, 12:10 PM

A delightful vision

Artiste: Visions of Atlantis
Nationality: Austrian
Album: Ethera
Year: 2013
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Melodic/Symphonic Power Metal (says Encyclopaedia Metallum!)
Tracks:
The ark
Machinage
Avatara
Vicious circle
Hypnotised
Tlaloc's grace
Burden of divinity
Cave behind the waterfall
A.E.O.N 19th
Bestiality vs integrity
Cleric's emotion

Chronological position: Fifth album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting factoid:
Initial impression: Kind of reminds me of the likes of Lacuna Coil or Within Temptation; pretty good start
Best track(s): Vicious circle, Cave behind the waterfall, Tlaloc's grace, Cleric's emotion though I really like every track.
Worst track(s): There's nothing here I don't like.
Comments: With a name like Visions of Atlantis I assumed these guys would be in the progressive rock/metal sphere, but nothing doing so I looked further and found them on EM as a symphonic metal band, and I must say from what I hear the tag fits, though I definitely hear a lot of progressive elements in their music. Mind you, the average length of their songs would show why they would not be really classed as prog metal, with the longest coming in at just over five minutes. No epics here!

It's good, uptempo, high-powered and well-constructed music so far, with the vocals being shared between female (Maxi Nil) and male (the unfortunately-named Mario Plank), creating a powerful and dramatic soundscape against which the keyboards and guitar lay down some superb melodies. There's a really nice ballad in Vicious circle and the double-vocal works really well when the two harmonise; again no trace of an Austrian or German accent. Some great steamhammer drumming in Tlaloc's grace (I'm pretty sure Tlaloc was an old ancient Aztec god) and some lovely atmospheric guitar and keys in Cave behind the waterfall. As a matter of fact, though it's not yet over I'll go out on a limb and say now that I doubt there's one bad track on this album.

I was right.

Some mention must also be given to the one bonus track, an orchestral version of Tlaloc's grace that really shows a different side to this band and is well worth hearing.

Overall impression: Really impressed here. Very together band who should be better known than they are. Superb.
Intention: Going to go back into their catalogue and hear what else they have to offer.

08-06-2013, 12:10 PM	#176 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,971	A delightful vision Artiste: Visions of Atlantis Nationality: Austrian Album: Ethera Year: 2013 Label: Napalm Records Genre: Melodic/Symphonic Power Metal (says Encyclopaedia Metallum!) Tracks: The ark Machinage Avatara Vicious circle Hypnotised Tlaloc's grace Burden of divinity Cave behind the waterfall A.E.O.N 19th Bestiality vs integrity Cleric's emotion Chronological position: Fifth album Familiarity: Zero Interesting factoid: Initial impression: Kind of reminds me of the likes of Lacuna Coil or Within Temptation; pretty good start Best track(s): Vicious circle, Cave behind the waterfall, Tlaloc's grace, Cleric's emotion though I really like every track. Worst track(s): There's nothing here I don't like. Comments: With a name like Visions of Atlantis I assumed these guys would be in the progressive rock/metal sphere, but nothing doing so I looked further and found them on EM as a symphonic metal band, and I must say from what I hear the tag fits, though I definitely hear a lot of progressive elements in their music. Mind you, the average length of their songs would show why they would not be really classed as prog metal, with the longest coming in at just over five minutes. No epics here! It's good, uptempo, high-powered and well-constructed music so far, with the vocals being shared between female (Maxi Nil) and male (the unfortunately-named Mario Plank), creating a powerful and dramatic soundscape against which the keyboards and guitar lay down some superb melodies. There's a really nice ballad in Vicious circle and the double-vocal works really well when the two harmonise; again no trace of an Austrian or German accent. Some great steamhammer drumming in Tlaloc's grace (I'm pretty sure Tlaloc was an old ancient Aztec god) and some lovely atmospheric guitar and keys in Cave behind the waterfall. As a matter of fact, though it's not yet over I'll go out on a limb and say now that I doubt there's one bad track on this album. I was right. Some mention must also be given to the one bonus track, an orchestral version of Tlaloc's grace that really shows a different side to this band and is well worth hearing. Overall impression: Really impressed here. Very together band who should be better known than they are. Superb. Intention: Going to go back into their catalogue and hear what else they have to offer. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 01-13-2015 at 01:43 PM.