VISIONS OF ATLANTIS – The Deep & The Dark Live @ Symphonic Metal Nights

After six studio albums spanning nearly two decades, Visions of Atlantis recorded a live album showcasing their blend of Symphonic and Power Metal. Two thirds of the tracks are songs off their latest studio album The Deep & The Dark (2018), an album they describe as “a powerful and perfectly executed magnum opus.”  They state this live album is an “opus [which] pushes the mystical adventure of Visions Of Atlantis to another level – powerful and perfectly executed.”  So, just how powerful and perfectly executed is the album?  If your understanding of powerful is heavy and bludgeoning, you will be disappointed.  If your idea of perfect execution is a sterile reproduction of studio recordings in live setting, you will find much to love.

Opener “The Deep & The Dark” is a hook filled song featuring an infectious chorus and a driving urgency which holds your ears captive.  Sadly, low end sound frequencies are criminally underpowered and the song floats on a magic carpet of mid-range frequencies.  The same problem is evident on the studio version so apparently this is exactly the way the band wants this song to sound.  If so, their execution is perfect: bass guitar difficult to hear and drum kit muted. In a feat of misplaced mixing genius, this song is just as punch-less live as it is in the studio.  Follow on “New Dawn”, “Book Of Nature” and “Ritual Night” all sound alive and spontaneous and effectively capitalize on the opportunity a live recording offers to capture swagger, power and audience interaction.  The latter half of the album loses much of the live spontaneity of earlier tracks in favor of the perfect execution found in a studio recording.  The songs tend to be clean and brilliant with few rough edges or crowd interaction.  The ballad “The Last Home” sounds very much like a studio track.  Exceptions are the high speed Power Metal anthems “The Silent Mutiny” and “The Grand Illusion.”  These songs capture an intensity which sounds as if they will fly apart at any moment.

For live recordings, bands need to determine what can be said live that isn’t said in the studio.  Unfortunately, for The Deep & The Dark Live @ Symphonic Metal Nights there isn’t a lot of difference.  Their clinically precise live execution is very similar to a studio recording.  Current fans will find the faithful song reproductions admirable, but won’t find anything surprising.  For the uninitiated, it serves as a testament to the band’s strongest material.

TUNE INTO METALEXPRESSRADIO.COM at NOON & MIDNIGHT (EST) / 6:00 & 18:00 (CET) TO HEAR THE BEST TRACKS FROM THIS UPCOMING RELEASE!!!

TRACKLIST (Highlights: 2, 3, 4, 8, 11)

1. Intro
   
2. The Deep & The Dark
   
3. New Dawn
   
4. Book of Nature
   
5. Ritual Night
   
6. Siegfried’s Farewell
   
7. Lost
   
8. The Silent Mutiny
   
9. The Last Home
   
10. Words of War
    
11. The Grand Illusion
    
12. Passing Dead End
    
13. Return to Lemuria

LINEUP

Clémentine Delauney – vocals
Michele Guaitoli – vocals
Christian Douscha – Guitars
Herbert Glos – Bass
Thomas Caser – Drums