Review Summary: Visions of Atlantis' magnum opus, or at least until they get their act together.
Visions of Atlantis’ discography does not exactly inspire confidence, and it certainly does not inspire the typical music consumer to listen to their albums. They are basically a Nightwish clone, and the premise of that is as unexciting as it sounds. No matter the fact that the band improved with every release, they were still light-years away from making any impact on the symphonic metal scene. Some bands are underrated because they deserve to be underrated, and Visions of Atlantis is definitely underrated. Since then, though, it appears that Visions of Atlantis have taken steps to finally mature a bit, which has miraculously distanced them from their previous terribleness. Although baby steps, the band is finally tapping a bit of the potential they always had, which is completely unexpected. It’s certainly not an impressive change, and Visions of Atlantis is still the same band, but some change is better than no change in this case.
With a band called Visions of Atlantis you would expect the band’s sound to be as awe-inspiring and mystical as the myth of Atlantis. This time around they actually tried. The melodies from the symphonic orchestration amount to something (for once) as opposed to being used only to copy Nightwish’s style. They are also much better orchestrated in general, sounding as if the band had a massive budget for recording the album. Impacting in scope, the symphonic elements capture and display a bit of the epic essence that the band so desperately strived for before. No longer sounding like an overused gimmick, the orchestral elements compliment the band as opposed to overwhelming it, with the guitars intertwining nicely. The band’s music was always cheesy, but with a better understanding of how to serve the cheese, it tastes much better.
Delta showcases uncharacteristically well written songs, and powerful ones at that. With multiple verses and bridges in practically every song, the band no longer needs to race to get to choruses. The multi-layered tracks have enough substance and variety to induce many memorable moments. Of course, the band still falls to their original bland, extremely average style, but we can’t win everything. Those who didn’t like the band before will probably still want them dead, but those who give them a second chance will find a slightly improved band at the very least. It isn’t exactly a miraculous transformation, but
Delta showcases Visions of Atlantis at their finest. Perhaps one day they will cash in with something worthy of admiration, but this solid Visions of Atlantis album is enough to inspire some hope that the band’s full potential will see the light of day.
