Ahoy matey! Let’s round up our crew and join the Jolly Roger while adventure awaits us on the open seas! The seamstress and her gang, Visions of Atlantis, are back with the second part of their story ark, ‘’Pirates II: Armada’’.

The Austrian wayfarers are back after 2019’s Wanderers’’ and releasing the first part of this quest, ‘’Pirates’’ back in 2022. They announced the new opus while they were on tour with Delain and boy was the crowd on fire when they heard they were working on new material.

There has been a revolving door of members in this band since its birth back in 2000, even before that when they were called Vipera Aspis. The only founding member still with the band is Thomas Caser. They have had four other female vocalists and three other male vocalists. It’s not easy to get on track and follow a band if they are constantly changing members. After so much inner conflict, I am happy to see for resemblance of order and this is the fourth album with French siren, Clémentine Delauney.

How can I describe Visions of Atlantis, they are the equivalent of something very cinematic. It has some depth and pure passion and it feels like you are watching a movie. The music is very story-driven and has some raw emotion with some rich lyrical content sung by one of the best female singers in the genre. It’s not an album, it’s always an experience with them and that’s been more the case since they changed lead singers.

The dueling vocalists are the focal point of the band, there is not a preference throughout. The combination of Clémentine’s impressive range and Michele Guaitoli’s resounding voice is always a rare treat. They always had lyrical content that spoke about adventures, the trials and tribulations of mythology, and tales of wonder. They felt like explorers traveling through the world, discovering all the beauty of the world, and what’s more exotic and mystical than the life of pirates?

Yet this band, compared to the Pirate-themed metal bands has an underlying tone and message, a duality in their approach. You may think it’s always pirate-related but when you peel the layers, you get such human elements, the inner conflict, the raw emotion of life. Every song has another meaning, at firsthand you think it’s all about the pirate theme but when you dive deep into their lyrics, it’s a whole other story.

Synergy, according to the English language dictionary is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects like the synergy between artists. Well, Visions of Atlantis has that figured out, the combination of both singers together is incredible. They complement each other marvelously and for once it’s not like the warm female vocals and the growls, because this time you have two artists with incredible voices. When they sing together it’s just majestic, they fit so well together, and they have this seamless balance. Clémentine has a calm soothing voice with some operatic elements thrown in (but it’s not overdone like early Nightwish thankfully). As for Michele, he has a very interesting voice, like the lovechild of Michael Kiske from Helloween and Tobias Sammett from Avantasia.

It’s impossible to overstate the comparisons between them and Epica. Epica have been the staple of the genre and the most complete band out there, but their last album fell flat for me. It felt too long, too drawn out and it was not as endearing and compelling as ‘’The Holographic Principle’’. ‘’Pirates II’’ on the other hand is going to be the measuring point for all bands out there and might be their big break in North America after all their success back in Europe.

I spoke about the band being very cinematic. We learn that in most cases, the word “cinematic” refers to the way we feel about something we’re watching or listening to. Does this feel like the movie? It could be something happening to us in our lives or something happening while we stream a movie at home, but cinematic language is so pervasive in our brains that it creates a thought process, allowing us to judge every moment of our lives against the things we have seen on screen.

The band fully embraces the theme of the album and becomes the main character of this opus. Their video clips for this new album feel like we are entrenched in the story and feel part of it, we care about each character, each pirate. I know some people may consider it a very niche subject and ridiculous at times, but Visions of Atlantis portrays it seriously and thoughtfully. It’s not overly cliched and they put time and effort into this album to make it their own, to make the subject more important than anything else yet displaying such grace and power. I was impressed by the maturity of the band, talking about something akin to oversaturation over the last few decades. You feel like you are part of a quest, something quite epic.

This album provides us with a legitimate story ark and different chapters on the pirate legends. I love concept albums but when they are structured this way, it catches my attention. Do I have a favorite song? Probably not, I don’t see it as a single instance but more of a package. The flow is effortless, and you are transported to that way of life and time stands still. You do not see it pass by, but the album goes by without a hitch. As we continue to revolutionize the way we consume stories and music, more nuances will be brought within any concept album we listen to and this one stands tall.

I won’t go song by song but here are some great highlights of this new opus. You have a bit of everything for everyone and it’s never the same theme from song to song. Each has its purpose and place on the album, some bands don’t think about this but I felt they took great care while making up the song order.

You have a stunning ballad ‘’Ashes of the Sea’’ that talks about unspeakable loss, a soul-crushing message to people who have lost loved ones. Someone we can think about when we are at a loss, you stop believing in a higher purpose or yourself and you have reached the point that you question everything, I think every person has had to face this in times of sadness and despair.

‘’Monsters’’ also is a prime example of the duality of themes from the band itself. You may think of the monsters of the sea that pirates used to battle while on uncharted waters back in the olden days but it’s also the fight we have with monsters in our day-to-day lives. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle that you don’t know about, some inside of us, some outside. It’s an eternal battle and to march on during our lives we must face these monsters whether we like it or not.

‘’Armada’’ the first single is a banger, very anthemic yet speaks about strength in numbers, that in time of battle, you must have allies with you to survive. You must have someone that has your back and being a group of people together, you will have more of a chance of success and that you are not alone in this world, you have people all around that can help. It’s a very strong message for all of us.

‘’Tonight I’m Alive’’ is the quintessential Visions of Atlantis sea chanty. It starts up with a blistering accordion solo and we are transported back to the uncharted seas. It’s another song that is very powerful and enchanting, it hooks you at the beginning and never lets you go either. I can understand that it speaks about living each day like it was the last one of your life, you feel alive at the end of the travels and journey. You finally feel like you belong and you want to make sure this last night is the finest time you will ever experience. I think life is stressful and making sure each day counts should be something we should all do but we can’t because of our busy lives.

The album lives up to its title, having a massive, almost romanticizing approach that is expansive yet also offers subtle moments. There was genuine joy and cohesion in its presentation, and the quality is undeniable. The production quality (same as the preceding album in this series) is top-notch once again, it feels all quite majestic. A band that has been there for over two decades and offering this quality of an album is a rare sight and Visions of Atlantis may have taken the throne of Symphonic Metal from the grasp of Epica and will explore countless other facets of the genre and add to its mysticism. They are taking the reigns of the genre and there is no stopping them. Let’s hope this opens the door to headlining tours especially in North America because now it’s the time to let the armada everywhere they want to.