Visions Of Atlantis: Navigating The Seas Of Life
Uncommon, but certainly not rare, albums that are sisters or sequels to previous releases are generally conceived intentionally – two of the biggest examples are the Use Your Illusion twins and the Bat Out Of Hell trilogy. As such, when symphonic metallers VISIONS OF ATLANTIS announced their follow up to 2022’s Pirates would be titled Pirates II – Armada, it was clear that this was deliberately planned…right?
“No, absolutely not!” Reveals vocalist Clémentine Delauney with a laugh. “We focus on the present moment when we write because we want to be free to draw on inspiration from everything. It was only when we realised the material we were writing was so connected to the cinematic feel of Pirates that we decided to borrow from that even more and make it Pirates II.”
Of course, when you think about pirates and metal, you would be forgiven for your mind going straight to the likes of ALESTORM, whose jaunty tales of Davy Jones’ locker, drinking copious tankards of alcohol and walking the plank delight and disgust in equal measure, or other such acts like RED RUM. However, as Clémentine points out, there’s plenty of room in the pirate universe to accommodate everyone and their own styles. “We never intend to step on their territory, sound like them or copy them. We make the music we love, and it wouldn’t make any sense to conduct our business with such a philosophy. It just so happens that VISIONS OF ATLANTIS talk a lot about ocean-related topics and so that particular universe fits.”
Indeed, it doesn’t take long for Pirates II – Armada to show that it is a far cry from any other swashbuckling, musical voyage other than its predecessor. Rich in texture and epic in nature, it’s twelve songs cover just under an hour of well-rounded and sonorous metal that relay both grandiose adventures on the high seas and mournful laments of loss. There are also a number of moments of exploration, for even when things sound positive up on deck, drop beneath the surface and you’ll find a darker tone to VISIONS OF ATLANTIS’ work, like on latest single Tonight I’m Alive.
“It’s a party song at first but it’s not a standard pirate shindig – it’s a party before the end of the world,” Clémentine reveals. “It’s a tale to remind us that whilst we may still be living in a time where our planet is still breathable, the next generation or two may not be able to benefit from that. There’s a line in the song that says ‘I’ve been a dreamer never to wonder how far the damage is done’ and that’s how we as a human race have been living our lives.”
Given the success of Pirates, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS kept exactly the same team responsible for Armada, but Clémentine explains that there was no chance of a carbon copy record because the band had evolved. “The writing for the first Pirates began in COVID times, so there were always going to be differences now as we could more easily work together. In addition, Michele [Guaitoli, vocals] got way better at guitar and threw way more riffing into the sound than before. Also, as a fan of fast songs and fast playing, if there are a few more breakdowns in Pirates II, that’s my fault,” she laughs.
With a new album often comes the supporting tour and its not different here, with VISIONS OF ATLANTIS embarking on a European run in the autumn that will take on three shows in the UK – Manchester, London and Bristol respectively. When asked about what those gigs will entail, Clémentine explains that they’ll be more varied and dynamic than ever before. “We’re going to learn Pirates II in its entirety and create two different setlists so that there’s more variety for us, as the band all have their own favourite songs, and for the fans so there’s more chance for them to hear a song they haven’t, as well as giving those who come on multiple nights a different show each time. Given the lineup changes over the last 25 years, we won’t be going too far back into the catalogue as those songs aren’t indicative of who VISIONS OF ATLANTIS are now, but we’ll still be dipping into it here and there.”
And the future? What’s on the horizon after Pirates II? “Pirates III!” Laughs Clémentine, and she’s only half-joking. “It’s a very fun universe and whilst we’ll never go into an album intending to write about a particular topic as I said, I’m not yet bored talking about humanity through the guise of the pirate universe, and as long as I still feel connected to that, I don’t think there’s any reason why we should move away from it and start bringing in themes from something else.”
Pirates II – Armada is out now via Napalm Records.
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