"Seven Seas" by Visions of Atlantis from Trinity

"I try to reach you through this fog of ancient fear, and I'll return to you one day, again, my dear…" opens operatic singer Melissa Ferlaak to a piano, and the slow rock begins.

Mario Plank sings a bit roughly, but it's an interesting contrast to Melissa. The Australian band Visions of Atlantis fits conventions of its musical genre(s) in the fantasy-themed songs. The power-metal influence doesn't appear much in this ballad-like song.

"Seven Seas" may be slower than the other Visions of Atlantis songs, but it's still skilled. The music expertly flows together; it consciously ebbs and flows, though aspects seem a tad predictable. That might just be me, though, after listening to the song enough times to review it.

Melissa Ferlaak sings extremely well, and Mario Plank does pretty well, but he could've done better. Also, the lyrics seem kinda like a not-so-great poem. They have their moments, but overall, I think they could've used work.

Essentially, the song's talking about leaving this world behind and passing onwards, but it's not necessarily in a Christian way. (But it can be interpreted in a Christian light, if you consider "Dark waters now await my branded soul".) The music does balance it out somewhat, though.

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Lyrics: 3/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 7/10

"At the Back of Beyond" by Visions of Atlantis from Trinity

"I am your guide out of the dark (at the back of beyond)" "I hear your cries although they are gone (although they are gone)."

The Austrian band Visions of Atlantis shows its flair for reminding listeners of Nightwish as "At the Back of Beyond" opens with its gothic-toned symphonic power metal. I'd try to name some of the instruments used, but I can only tell that some seem to be strings (maybe on keyboard?). At any rate, Visions of Atlantis offers symphonic metal music that is skilled and catchy throughout.

Okay, so I'm not the biggest fan of Mario Plank's rough style of singing in this song (and evidently throughout the Trinity album), but it's much-praised by fans of the vocal style. I personally prefer the operatic voice of the new American singer Melissa Ferlaak. Nonetheless, both suit 'At the Back of Beyond" and meld well into the song.

"Your rigid eyes stare into gloom; I'm pouring out my grief to you. Should I escape?" opens the song. It's a darker theme than you may want younger children to hear, but it speaks of a hope of escape from the trap. Okay, so it seems to be talking about a corpse with the "rigid eyes" and "I am by your side, but you are still alone". It's fantasy, not crass or anything.

And speaking of that, the language in "At the Back of Beyond is fully clean. Not even innuendo or references to lust appear in the song.

Overall, I think it's one of the top examples of symphonic power metal.

Visions of Atlantis currently offers most of the song as a free download from their site.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 5/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 9/10