Visions of Atlantis - Bristol Review

Whilst it was only at the beginning of July when I last ventured out of Plymouth to see a band, the gap between then and yesterday evening felt like a long one. The summer is generally pretty quiet when it comes to non-festival gigs, but a busy work schedule meant that a little break was long-overdue. It was nice to have a couple of days off work this week, then, and I headed up to Bristol yesterday lunchtime ready to catch the Austrian symphonic metal act Visions of Atlantis at The Fleece. I had left myself plenty of time, so after a late lunch and a tour of some of the local record and charity shops I had a bit of a break at my hotel, showered, and got ready for what promised to be a fun night. Despite the band having been around for over 20 years at this point, I only really started to get into Visions of Atlantis around the time that I saw them opening for Kamelot in Birmingham in 2019. I had picked up 2018's The Deep & the Dark in preparation for the show - and the five-piece impressed despite only having a short amount of time to play with. Considering that both Kamelot and the tour's other opening act Evergrey both put on excellent shows, Visions of Atlantis managed to hold their own - and I have been a fan ever since. A couple more albums have followed, and the current line-up of Visions of Atlantis has now managed to cement itself as the band's definitive era. Only drummer Thomas Caser remains from the early days, and the Visions of Atlantis of 2023 is almost a completely new band from that which previously existed before the release of The Deep & the Dark. In truth, much of the band's material prior to The Deep & the Dark still leaves me somewhat cold. There are standout songs, of course, but those early albums pale in comparison to the recent three - with the current vocal duo of Clémentine Delauney and Michele Guaitoli easily making up the best tag-team in the band's history. Guaitoli did not perform on The Deep & the Dark, but he joined the band later in 2018 - and since then the five-piece's line-up has remained stable, which has led to the release of two strong albums. I had been wanting to see the band live again, then, but I was unable to until yesterday. I had plans to see them in London in 2020, but that clearly did not happen, and unfortunately I could not make either of the shows which they played in the UK last year as part of a wider European tour with Xandria. With Visions of Atlantis playing at Bloodstock Open Air on the day which I am writing this, the band saw fit to organise a few UK shows around the festival - setting up the first proper UK tour in the band's history. Luckily for me, the dates announced were very southern-centric - and a Bristol show was a must-see despite it being mid-week. The Fleece is always a great place to see bands, and it is rare for a band like Visions of Atlantis to headline outside of London. Tickets were purchased and plans were made - and when I got to The Fleece around 10 minutes before the doors were scheduled to open I was pleased to see a decent amount of people waiting outside. Throughout the evening the venue was not full, but there was a strong crowd gathered for a week night and for a band who have never been superstars here.

Everyone was out to have a good time, too, and around 20 minutes or so after the venue opened the evening's only support act, Seraina Telli, took to the stage. Backed by a bassist and a drummer, Telli, who sang and sported a couple of rather colourful guitars, impressed with a to-the-point set which consisted of hooky, poppy, rock songs which occasionally contained a surprising amount of bite. Given that she used to front Burning Witches, it is perhaps unsurprising that Telli's music has an edge to it - but her solo work is much different to that of Burning Witches' traditional heavy metal sound. There was little metal to be found throughout her set, but her songs instead often had a bit of a pop-punk edge - albeit with more rock grit than is traditional for that genre thanks to her gritty voice and commanding stage presence. Her glow-in-the-dark hair and bright eye make-up certainly meant that her presence could not be missed - but it was her songwriting and forthright guitar playing that made the biggest impression. Each song was built around a couple of strong hooks, and the arrangements were generally simple enough to focus on her vocal talents - albeit with the occasional guitar solo or heavier drum barrage thrown in. I certainly was not familiar with Telli's work before her set, but the vast majority of the songs that she played were memorable. Some of the hooks have stuck with me, and I feel that I need to give her sole solo album from last year a listen. She did a great job of getting the crowd on side, too, particularly given the lack of metal in her set. At first the crowd seemed quite hesitant, but by the end quite a few seemed to be enjoying what Telli had to offer - with a decent sing-a-long section towards the end of her set seeing a decent amount of engagement. Much of the set was pretty upbeat, with only the ballad Soldier of Fortune slowing things down somewhat - with everything else largely being bouncy. Tracks like Addicted to Color and Modern Warrior certainly woke anyone up who might have been flagging following a day at work - and Telli very much did her job of getting the decent-sized crowd ready for Visions of Atlantis' set to come. Telli is certainly someone to watch, and anyone who likes strong vocal hooks and uncomplicated music should check her out.

Half an hour or so following Telli's set, the lights went down the symphonic opening strains of Master the Hurricane played over the PA - whilst the five band members took to the stage to start the song proper. Sets from symphonic metal bands can often be quite grandiose affairs, but Visions of Atlantis were clearly out to have fun - and the crowd was swept along from the off. Dressed in pirate garb due to the themes of last album Pirates, the band focused on the 2022 release throughout the 16-song set - with nine of its songs making the cut. Six of the other seven came from both The Deep & the Dark and 2019's Wanderers, with only one song, New Dawn, coming from the early days. The lengthy Master the Hurricane got the set off to a great start, with plenty of microphone time for both Delauney and Guaitoli, before the easy-going hooks of New Dawn allowed for a slightly poppier sound. Visions of Atlantis' sound is still pretty epic despite their sense of fun, and the band treaded the line perfectly throughout. Delauney and Guaitoli have a great chemistry, both when performing and when speaking to the crowd in between the songs, and their interactions made the show as good as it was. Both were good at working the crowd, and the vocal harmonisation between the two throughout made the set's choruses pop. The snappy hooks of Clocks shone a light on the band's fun side, whereas something like Mercy felt a bit heavier overall - and brought out more of a intense performance. With no keyboard player, there was of course a strong reliance on pre-recorded orchestrations and synths - but this was balanced out with a more in-your-face live mix which often favoured Christian Douscha (guitar). As such, the band felt heavier live, and Douscha's riffing was often chunky and prominent - with his solos also cutting nicely through the mix. Herbert Glos (bass guitar) was also pretty high in the mix, adding to the set's overall organic feel - with the backing track providing the symphonic lushness. The standout performers were the two singers, though, who did everything they could to sweep the crowd along with them. They had everyone in attendance singing along with The Deep & the Dark, whilst the slower pace of Freedom allowed Delauney a chance to showcase the somewhat more classical side of her voice. Darkness Inside would later do something similar, albeit against a somewhat heavier backing, but there were poppier moments in between such as the hooky A Journey to Remember. Elsewhere, the faster-paced Return to Lemuria showcased more of a power metal sound, with some busier riffing and fast double bass drumming, whilst Nothing Lasts Forever was the set's last ballad - and again featured some more emotional vocals from Delauney. It was left to two singles to round out the main set, with Heroes of the Dawn and the up-tempo Melancholy Angel acting as the perfect closing one-two punch. Guaitoli got the whole crowd jumping during the latter - and it prompted some huge cheers as the band left the stage. Plenty of clapping and foot-stamping brought the band back, though, and the two-song encore kept everyone sated. The more epic Pirates Will Return showcased the band's more bombastic side, and featured a segment where Guaitoli encouraged everyone to sit on the floor and row - which was certainly amusing. Following this, the night came to a close with the soaring Legion of the Seas, which, again, everyone sang along to - and there were more huge cheers as the band took their bows afterwards. The setlist was:

Master the Hurricane

New Dawn

A Life of Our Own

Clocks

Mercy

The Deep & the Dark

Freedom

A Journey to Remember

In My World

Darkness Inside

Return to Lemuria

Nothing Lasts Forever

Heroes of the Dawn

Melancholy Angel

-

Pirates Will Return

Legion of the Seas

I feel that the band probably took a bit of a risk with this run of UK shows, but based on the turnout and reception of the Bristol crowd last night shows that the risk was likely worth taking. It is always good to see European melodic metal bands venturing outside London, and Bristol is always a good place to visit - and usually sees decent turnouts. The band were certainly doing good business at the merch table due to an exclusive UK tour shirt, one of which I bought, and Guaitoli and Douscha soon join the few who were hanging around after the show to sign autographs and take selfies - so I got my copies of Wanderers and Pirates signed. The band hinted that they would begin working on a new album fairly soon, so I hope that once that has been released they will feel that another UK tour is worth their while - as I would love to see them again.