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Eighteen Visions

XVIII

Written by: PP on 30/04/2018 22:42:02

When Eighteen Visions announced their breakup in 2007, it didn't surprise anyone, least of all the undersigned. Their last album, 2006's self-titled effort, was what some dubbed a radical stylistic evolution and others merely dismissed as selling out given how far the band had ventured from their original, chaotic hardcore driven sound. In its place was Papa Roach style arena hard rock with none of the edge nor songwriting prowess of their earlier material, although if we're perfectly honest, Eighteen Visions were never really at the forefront of the metalcore scene back then either. Needless to say, the album was horrific and you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone fondly looking back at the record today.

Fast-forward to last year and the band has reunited. It's been long enough now for people to have forgotten and many were curious about a band whose name they've seen being thrown around when discussing the mid-2000s metalcore craze. Fortunately, the band has chosen to fully capitalize on that nostalgia and return to their roots on "XVIII", their sixth album overall, which effectively discards the self-titled album and quite possibly places itself as the heaviest, chunkiest Eighteen Visions album to date. Expect discordant horror chords, James Hart's trademark melancholic semi-clean shouts contrasting the throaty screams and a hint of southern hardcore groove in the process. If you forgot how that sounds like in practice, imagine standing in the middle of a triangle consisting of Poison The Well, Every Time I Die and He Is Legend and you pretty much have this album.

One part post-hardcore fueled melodies, one part crushing metalcore riffs and breakdowns, and one part rock'n'roll, "XVIII" comes off as surprisingly fresh from a band we didn't expect anything of in 2017. From the desperation-driven "Laid To Waste In The Shit Of A Man" to the bombastic "Crucified" or the crushing riffs of "For This I Sacrifice" that showcases a post-hardcore twist to the soundscape, the band explores their roots effectively without sounding dated in the process. But as usual, Eighteen Visions albums are an acquired taste due to the unmelodious approach and cacophonic screams the band aims for, but then again, so were Poison The Well's later albums, and well, ever heard an Every Time I Die record lately? Fans of the latter two will find lots to like here.

Download: For This I Sacrifice, Live Again, Crucified
For the fans of: Poison The Well, Every Time I Die, He Is Legend, Obey The Brave
Listen: Official website

Release date 02.07.2017
Rise Records