7 minute read
Visions Of Atlantis
Pirates Invade The City Of Angels
Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue
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The mighty Visions Of Atlantis made their way back into the wilds of the City Of Angels, opening for DragonForce at The Belasco Theater. Performing an explosive set of grand and epic symphonic metal, Visions Of Atlantic won over the early arrivals with their intriguing auditory odyssey. Right after their set, lead vocalist Clémentine Delauney sat down with Highwire Daze to discuss their brand new Pirates endeavor on Napalm Records, thoughts on the final days of the DragonForce US tour, how the pandemic affected the band, and more!
We’re here with Clémentine from Visions Of Atlantis immediately after their set. What goes through your mind when at this point of the show?
Actually, not much. It’s like all the adrenaline to start is coming down and I just want to catch my breath – I want to catch some water – I want to settle. After I settle, some impressions could come. I just know I enjoyed myself onstage, and the crowd was really having a good time it seems.
It was an incredible show. And just to let everyone know, Clémentine is doing this interview literally five minutes after she stepped off the stage. Let’s talk about the new album. Is there any overall story or concept behind the new album Pirates?
Well, it’s mostly us coming out there with a strong identity. When we came out in 2018 with Deep In The Dark, it really felt like we were coming back from deep in the dark. We started to wander on this journey of self-discovery as people and as a band – who are we now? We’ve changed lineup so much – there’s a huge history behind Visions Of Atlantis. I allowed myself to write for Visions also about my own journey in self-discovery – and Pirates was exactly the moment where the music got darker and heavier. We felt bolder and we said, “This is what we are!” But it was always there – the piracy was always there. If you followed us since Deep In The Dark, this is not coming out of nowhere.
How did the pandemic influence the writing of Pirates, if at all?
It did, in the sense that it gave us a lot of time – like suddenly we were stuck at home with other things to do – we had a lot more time to write than if we had to write Pirates within a regular tour schedule. Because we had the time, we also reflected on “What is Visions Of Atlantis? And what do we want to bring to this world music wise?” We figured out the assets of the characteristics of the band that we wanted to push further for this new release. And we wrote songs accordingly. We took time to reflect, and we took time to digest – to think and to write. And we wrote more songs than ended up on the record. We made different decisions during the entire process – if the process had been shorter we would have had to stick what had been decided. So, the pandemic actually totally helped us come up with that result. And we’re very happy about it.
I saw Visions Of Atlantis the last time you were out here in LA, and I believe that was one of your last dates before the pandemic took over everything. What was it like being a touring band on the road and then suddenly you’re stranded in this country because of a pandemic?
It’s completely surreal. We were in Minneapolis when they told us shows are cancelled all over the country. “Show are cancelled all over the country...” – you have to repeat the sentences in your mind to understand what they mean and to really face the reality that there really is a pandemic in the 21st century that is causing the Western world to shut down. And that was crazy! We were so excited and so looking forward to playing that tour. It was an immense opportunity for us back then. It is absolutely now of course, but now it feels like it’s a revenge. But in 2020 it was the possibility – the dream to hit the US. It was a huge bummer, but we made the best of it.
And now you’re back…
And we’re back on a tour that’s three times longer.
You did a song on the last Leaves’ Eyes album. Did you record it in person or was it over the Internet?
No, I went there. It was actually my first international trip after the first very long lockdown that we had in
France. It was amazing to be able to, in the middle of that crisis, to go to another country and record a song. I know them – I’ve been on tour with them several times, so they’re no strangers. I had a very good time – they were so nice – so kind – hosting me very well. And that was it. We wanted to tour together – Leaves’ Eyes and Visions – that’s the reason why we did that duet at first. Then that tour didn’t happen, but the song is there – and it was a very nice musical oasis in the desert.
Well maybe one day you’ll get to perform the song together.
Maybe one day of course.
Next year marks the 10-year anniversary of the album you did with Serenity entitled War Of Ages. When you look back on the album and that time in your career, what do you think of it now in retrospect?
I think it was a very first experience in a more professional, musical project, and I learned a lot through it. I learned a lot on my own mistakes also, and I loved the video that we did for Wings Of Madness. It was my first possibility to write lyrics for a project like that. It was like me being a newcomer discovering this entire world – and to me it was very positive because that was a good record – a lot of people got to know me through this and they followed me through Visions and Exit Eden and all. I’m very – I don’t like to say proud – but I like that period of time – and if I had to do it again, I would totally do it all again. It was really nice.
So, can you growl like Adrienne Cowan in Seven Spires - who are also on this amazing tour?
Well, she’s way more trained and she’s used to doing way more than I do. I can if I want to, but I would have to train in order to keep the notes for long and all. But it’s a different singing technique of course. If it’s not done properly, you can totally damage your vocal cords. So, you have to find the spot that vibrates – I discovered it some years ago. I could do it, but for now, it’s not something that we want to put into Visions Of Atlantis. I already have so much to explore with the clean register – from classical to pop to folk – my voice is very versatile which is good – but also, I have to make a lot of choices – what colors do I want to push here and there? And sometimes I get lost in the possibilities.
So, no need to growl.
No need to growl for now…
What goes through your mind knowing that this tour is almost over? You have one date left…
Yeah exactly! It’s pretty much the same feeling as going – like two months ago telling myself “Tomorrow you’re starting a US tour for two months!” It feels unreal. This is my new reality now. After two months of doing this every day, getting to know that after tomorrow, I’m back home, doesn’t make sense. So, we’ll soon realize that this is coming to an end. Also, I think that our bodies are starting to feel it, and I think we all need a good rest. So, it’s going to be sad that it’s over, but at the same time, it’s needed that we recover because it’s been demanding.
Do you have any messages for Visions Of Atlantis fans who are reading this right now?
Well, I want to thank everybody who’s been messaging us – writing us during the pandemic – making us feel like we’re still alive as a band – even though we couldn’t be on tour. I want to thank all the people who bought our DVD that we released during the pandemic – all the people who keep pre-ordering the record and buying merch – they support us directly. And I want to thank the people who joined my Patreon page as well during the pandemic, because all of this makes a real difference in an artist’s life.
Pirates by Visions Of Atlantis
