Visions Of Atlantis - The Deep & The Dark album review

On their first new record since 2013’s Ethera, Austria’s Visions Of Atlantis have come full circle with the re-introduction of the band’s founding members into their constantly shapeshifting line-up (they run a tight ship, but a lot of people have been thrown overboard). Joining them, if anyone is still keeping count, is their fifth new lead singer in French mezzo Clémentine Delauney, and the dark, crystalline tone of her voice grounds the songs of The Deep & The Dark, an otherwise fairly straightforward symphonic metal album. Nevertheless, songs like Return To Lemuria and the title track are rich in uplifting melodies, while the chorus of Ritual Night is like honey for the soul. The more dramatic moments on The Silent Mutiny and Book Of Nature would be more impactful if they were heavier, but overall, The Deep & The Dark is an easy album to get swept up in.