Visions Of Atlantis - Trinity
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Published May 23 2007
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Genre |
Symphonic Power Metal |
Melissa F./Mario P.
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Vocals
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Tracks |
11 |
Wolf K
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Guitar
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Runningtime |
48 Min. |
-
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Guitar
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Label |
Napalm
Records |
Mike Koren
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Bass
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Release |
25 May 2007 |
Thomas Caser
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Drums
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Country |
Austria |
Martin Harb
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Keyboard
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Similar artists |
Nightwish,
Within Temptation, Edenbridge, Epica |
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But wait a minute, didn't Nightwish sack Tarja? And damn,
Marco must be having a cold, oh, wait, this is NOT the new Nightwish,
this is a completely different band called Visions Of Atlantis. Seriously,
at first I did not know what I should write about this band, it felt
like a Nightwish replica straight off. Not bad in anyway, but just simply
so goddamn obvious that Nightwish is their major source of inspiration.
I know I am being a bit harsh towards the Austrians, and I still like
this album nonetheless despite how much Nightwish it is, but in the
department of originality and own ideas they score close to zero, zip
nada. Trinity is of course the third album from Visions Of Atlantis
and if we start at the beginning with the opening song, At The Back
Of Beyond, we find a power metal based up-tempo track with a symphonic
touch. It has a grand chorus and the song is very compelling and not
least very good, although you cannot escape the comparisons with Nightwish
and their Once album.
Vocally, Visions Of Atlantis is sharing the duties between
a male and female part, Melissa Ferlaak sings with an operatic soprano
voice, even if she is not going to the full extent with it as the former
Nightwish vocalist Tarja. In a song like the mid-tempo The Secret, the
shared vocals work well and even if the song is more rock oriented it
has a pompous feeling. Same thing goes for Passing Dead End that is
more up-tempo but also a very powerful song. Although, there is too
much of riffing passages and the songs leave room for much more elaborated
playing, concerning leads, solos and just more melodies. I would have
liked more nuances in the music, mostly the songs on Trinity feel like
they are just painted with the primary color. More layers and not least
a final layer with varnish to create some luster to their compositions
would have worked to their favor.
Even if they are heavy on the Nightwish inspiration, it
is not all like that, as they in My Dark Side Home are beating on the
Within Temptation drum instead. It is a heavy track with more power
put in the male vocals that turn out well in this rhythmic track which
with its heaviness sounds almost like Disturbed in the verses. Wing-Shaped
Heart and Through My Eyes, there you have a couple of really good tracks,
and now we are dealing with some of the highlights on the album. Wing-Shaped
Heart appears to be the most complete song on the album with an epic
touch in an up-tempo track with a quality power metal refrain. In Through
My Eyes, that has some similarities with Wing-Shaped Heart, the symphonic
parts come out at their best and raises the level of Visions Of Atlantis.
A couple of ballads are to be found as well, what else?
Moreover, if you have read my reviews you know that I am not that fond
of these kinds of songs, so with the ballad Return To You that starts
with piano and a Melissa that gets to sing out before the song gets
some sleepy backing from the instruments halfway through, you can guess
my opinion. Although, in The Poem that is a standard ballad molded in
the general power metal shape, they get somewhat by with the convincing
singing and the intriguing vocal melody lines. For this band to get
by without being compared with Nightwish is for me inevitable, and as
Nightwish is the undisputed leader of this flock of bands, Visions Of
Atlantis will remain in their shadow, although at their very best they
can almost be seen as equals. Nevertheless, I will end this review in
order to leave with a positive vibe, because that is what you get from
Visions Of Atlantis. Flow This Desert is a song that combines the vocals
in probably the best way, and further a song where the symphonic plays
the lead in a track that is powerful to say the least.
Performance
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Originality
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Production
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Vocals
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Songwriting
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Summary
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