Vintersea
Illuminated

Illuminated is the second album by American progressive metallers Vintersea. It has a cover that makes me think of the latest album by Ayreon, The Source, it is the same kind of style but of course with some differences but the gist of it is the same I think. And it is also quite representative of the album and what kind of music it has to offer. The female vocalist Avienne has great influence of the band’s music in the way she sings, she offers a very varied style of vocals throughout the album and the music itself is very varied as well.

Relatively complex and progressive music with that is well balanced between the black/death metal elements and the melodies. And as I alluded to before, the vocals are great. The production is also excellent with a sound that has to be considered to be great. And they keep it short with only six tracks and a little under forty minutes of music, a sensible playing time that feels almost a bit short and has you wanting to hear more. It is an album with a rather fresh sound as well, I think they have found a voice of their own and not just copying others and that is always a positive.

Illuminated is an album that gives a positive impression all the way through. The songs are really good, the vocals, the music, and the production, there are no obvious weaknesses with the songs going from almost mainstream hit songs to the more extreme metallic – the title track being the favourite track for me and none of the tracks can be considered weak. It is a quite impressive album that should work for most of you, especially those enjoying the more extreme side of the progressive metal genre.

It may not be as brilliant as the absolutely best albums in the genre but it is a great album and it should not be a disappointment unless you really hate everything that has growly vocals in it. This album was a positive surprise and really enjoyable to listen to and I recommend that you give it a chance as there is a high probability that you will enjoy the album.

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