Audiovision - Audiovision
Rivel Records - RRCD019 - 2005
By Patrick Walsh
If you happened to stumble across my recent review of the latest Divinefire cd and thought it was right up your street, then chances are Audiovision will also make you wet where it counts. For Audiovision also features the vocal talents of Christian Rivel of Narnia fame, and this self-titled debut is an amicable slice of epic power metal. Not stunning by any stretch, but certainly far less risible than the aforementioned Divinefire record at least.
Unlike the Finnish speed-metal overtones of Divinefire however, Audiovision lean in a more trad-metal direction. The songs range from mid-paced to speedy, and every single song contains numerous singalong choruses. Unfortunately, Audiovision shares Divinefire's penchant for lyrical religiosity, and Audiovision has an annoying habit of spewing such lyrical atrocities as 'You are the devil in disguise/You are the dark side that makes me sad'. Insightful. Luckily, however, all is not lost because the material itself (almost) makes up for this. It's mostly tolerable stuff, and Rivel at least has a great range and gives his all in that strange, robotic power metal kind of way. Furthermore, there's some interesting sounds to be heard in the guitar department, particularly in the frequently odd solo moments, so kudos for that. The same can't be said of the keyboards unfortunately, as they're of the sugar-coated variety that undermines the aggression of the material. This fails to detract too much from Audiovision's enthusiasm though, and rabid Euro-metal fans could do much worse than check these fellows out. They really could've done without that terrible cover of The Sweet's 'Love is Like Oxygen' though.
6.5/10
Rivel Records' Official Website
Rivel Records - RRCD019 - 2005
By Patrick Walsh
If you happened to stumble across my recent review of the latest Divinefire cd and thought it was right up your street, then chances are Audiovision will also make you wet where it counts. For Audiovision also features the vocal talents of Christian Rivel of Narnia fame, and this self-titled debut is an amicable slice of epic power metal. Not stunning by any stretch, but certainly far less risible than the aforementioned Divinefire record at least.
Unlike the Finnish speed-metal overtones of Divinefire however, Audiovision lean in a more trad-metal direction. The songs range from mid-paced to speedy, and every single song contains numerous singalong choruses. Unfortunately, Audiovision shares Divinefire's penchant for lyrical religiosity, and Audiovision has an annoying habit of spewing such lyrical atrocities as 'You are the devil in disguise/You are the dark side that makes me sad'. Insightful. Luckily, however, all is not lost because the material itself (almost) makes up for this. It's mostly tolerable stuff, and Rivel at least has a great range and gives his all in that strange, robotic power metal kind of way. Furthermore, there's some interesting sounds to be heard in the guitar department, particularly in the frequently odd solo moments, so kudos for that. The same can't be said of the keyboards unfortunately, as they're of the sugar-coated variety that undermines the aggression of the material. This fails to detract too much from Audiovision's enthusiasm though, and rabid Euro-metal fans could do much worse than check these fellows out. They really could've done without that terrible cover of The Sweet's 'Love is Like Oxygen' though.
6.5/10
Rivel Records' Official Website
