Review Summary: The Dark Times of Gothic/Symphonic Metal, Part 18
This seems to be Visions of Atlantis’s worst received album, both on Sputnik and the Metal Archives. Does it deserve all the hate?
Ethera is a fun power metal album about the sea and fantasy adventures, just like most Visions of Atlantis albums, no more, no less. It’s more pop than their previous stuff, even having a sort of 80s influence, but it sort of works. Or at least, it’s a mostly decent album.
For example, “The Ark” is a pretty good opening, with some electronic sounds and an irresistibly catchy chorus. It’s a good indicator of the album’s overall sound. “Machinage” has a similar melody and light industrial touches, but a much faster and more energetic riff. “Avatara” is another heavier track, with a sort of nu metal riff but a good old power metal chorus. “Vicious Circle” starts as a ballad before building up to a powerful chorus, showing off the album’s energy. But the best ballad-turning-heavy would have to be the creative, complex and absolutely catchy “Tlaloc’s Grace”
There’s one thing you can really count on with this album: it’s catchy, and fun. It’s power/symphonic metal mixed with 80s pop, but it works. It does a nice job at sounding light, breezy and summery. I’ve heard this album being recommended for fans of Nightwish and Roxette, and oddly enough, that’s a pretty good description. That’s at least one good thing it has going for it.
But there are a few problems with this album. Once you’ve heard one symphonic metal gone 80s song, you’ve heard them all. The album has two types of songs, the catchy power metal like “Ark” and “Machinage”, and the ballad turning heavier, like “Vicious Circle” or “Hypnotized”. Even then, it’s hard to say there are two different types of songs, because they all have the same melodies and simple riffs.
And of course, they have the same vocal melodies. The album has two singers, Mario Plank and Maxi Nil. None of them are the band’s original vocalists, they’re not exactly the best singers VOA’s ever had but they do a decent job. Maxi is more of a pop rock singer, with a nice if not extraordinary voice. She can handle catchy melodies, and brings a lot of energy to the songs. Meanwhile, Mario is often the weak link of the album, with his shaky and overwrought singing on ballads and his not very convincing lower vocals on “Avatara”, where he sounds like a really bad post-grunge singer. However, he can still bring some grit and power to his voice, and when he sings in unison with Maxi (which is on most of the choruses), they sound pretty good together. That’s my overall point about the album: it’s not exactly great, it has a few obvious flaws, but it’s not awful. The album goes by fast, because you have trouble telling the songs apart. It’s not the most memorable experience, but at least it’s not a painfully unpleasant one.
I didn’t hate this album as much as its reputation says I should. It’s not a particularly interesting or memorable album, it’s a little in one ear, out the other, but there’s a lot worse out there. It’s one of those albums that I just found OK, nothing more, nothing less. If you will, it’s a similar situation to “The Heart of Everything”: it may not be their best, but it’s probably one of the best albums I’ve reviewed in this series, along with some next cases.
