It’s so funny how it’s possible to link the subject of some reviews or even make them some kind of sequence. I always say record companies agree on a mutual day to release their albums of the same Metal genres and I hold this position strongly because every now and them I get proof of it. Today’s proof is Vision Divine with their following album “Blood and Angels’ Tears,” an album that mixes fantasy with angel mithology. It’s so because just the other review I mentioned I had been listening to a lot of Power Metal lately and I chose Krilloan just because I knew it was a Power Metal band. Ironically, the following band I choose happens to be also Power Metal. I swear I haven’t met Vision Divine before, however I might have had a clue because they are with Scarlet Records, a partner whose bands are mostly Power Metal.
I have to say Vision Divine are a very coherent band as their imagery, music, and all their iconography follow the same thematic of the divine and its relation with angels and other angelical creatures. Here with “Blood and Angels’ Tears” the band explores the war in heaven myth. As I checked out at the Wikipedia in “the New Testament of the Christian Bible, the Book of Revelation describes a war in heaven between angels led by the Archangel Michael against those led by “the dragon”, identified as the devil or Satan, who was defeated and thrown down to the earth. Revelation’s war in Heaven is related to the idea of fallen angels, and possible parallels have been proposed in the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The War is frequently featured in works of Christian art, such as John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, which describes it as occurring over the course of three days as a result of God the Father announcing Jesus Christ as His Son.” As my dear fan can see this theme is very dear to Metal bands regardless their religious orientation. Musicwise, nothing more coeherent than aplying to all this a thick layer of Progressive Power Metal with strong and generous doses of Symphonic Metal. Something as Angra mixed with Nightwish without the female vocals.
As it would be expected due to all epic bands traditions, “Blood and Angels’ Tears” commences with a spoken intro called “War in Heaven” telling the fan what the album’s theme is all about. Then comes the violent and fast “The Ballet of Blood and Angels’ Tears” honoring Power Metal tradition of hard and fast drumming with melodic though harsh guitars. The breathtaking mood goes on with the neck slasher “Once” though the sweet strumming intro. Here it’s posible to feel al the power and force the band delivers its fans honoring Power Metal traditions. With “Drink Our Blood” the band goes pouring some sugar in their song writing giving the album a more modern facete keyboarding inspired on bands as Metalite and others. Regardless, the band and the album go on with their coherence. My guess is that Vision Divine liked this facete so much as it goes on with tracks as “When Darkness Comes” and the sweet ballad “Man on a Mission,” as it would be expected due the coherence of the album and its theme. About “Man on a Mission” I felt a 1970’s soul inspiration in it.
“Blood and Angels’ Tears” is a very coherent album if my dear fan put it all together and think the album as a whole. A very competent band with great musicianship and talented musicians. By the way, thought the thematic I can’t say Vision Divine are a White Metal band.
“Blood and Angels’ Tears” will be released on Septem ber 20th via Scarlet Records.
Track Listing:
- War in Heaven
- The Ballet of Blood and Angels’ Tears
- Once Invincible
- Drink Our Blood
- When Darkness Comes
- Preys
- A Man on a Mission
- Go East
- The Broken Past
- Dice and Dancers
- Lost
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!