ALBUM REVIEW: Pirates Over Wacken – Visions Of Atlantis
Wacken Open Air is arguably heavy metal’s Glastonbury; selling out mere days after the previous incarnation has finished, it’s the biggest true metal festival in Europe and attending at least once is a rite of passage for any self-respecting metalhead. It’s also, being based in Germany, the perfect ground for bombastic, symphonic power metal, as the continent’s mainland has a far warmer appreciation for that particular genre than they ever will on these shores. No surprises, therefore, that neighbouring countrymen VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, who fit the aforementioned musical category like the hand of Of Mice And Men’s Curly fits that Vaseline-filled glove, decided to record their show from the Wackinger Stage at last year’s event for their third live record – appropriately titled Pirates Over Wacken.
The Wackinger Stage is known for staging bands with a more folk and medieval-orientated vibe and, whilst VISIONS OF ATLANTIS don’t quite fall into that mould perfectly, their tales of yesteryear within their music – especially the seafaring adventures of last studio release Pirates – ensures that they had a healthy crowd in front of them for this performance, something evident before opening track Master The Hurricane even begins; just LISTEN to the appreciation received as they arrive on stage. It’s a strong beginning, too, with Master… and A Life Of Our Own warming things up nicely before Clocks comes in with its stomp and chug to raise the bar even further.
The hour long set is, naturally, focused on the new record, but there is a smattering of other choice cuts thrown in for good measure, such as The Silent Mutiny from 2018’s The Deep & The Dark that soars beautifully, vocalists Clementine Delauney and Michele Guaitoli in perfect synchronicity. However, it’s certainly a shame that all 11 songs come from albums released in the last five years and seven of them are from the new release; by all means support a new record at festival shows, however there will be far more casual fans at those shows than your own, so a greater balance between the old and the new material would have certainly been more welcome. That said, all of the numbers translate well in a live setting and the Wacken audience don’t seem to care one bit, high in energy right the way through to closing track Legion Of The Sea, the absolute highlight from Pirates’ track listing and a song of celebration that will likely finish the band’s sets for the foreseeable future.
Is Pirates Over Wacken in the running to be a new Live After Death or No Sleep Til Hammersmith? That’s almost as impossible to answer as whether or not a band has ever picked a perfect setlist. However, it’s definitely not going to sink without a trace – the new songs translate well live, the production is crisp and the audience are showcased without being too overbearing. Close your eyes and you can almost see yourself there, which, when it all comes down to it, is surely the only thing that matters when experiencing a live album, right?
Rating: 7/10
Pirates Over Wacken is out now via Napalm Records.
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