VISIONS OF ATLANTIS live up to their name, pirates, mythology and the love for the great waters. Shipping out from Austria, their "Pirates" album has 100% won my pirate heart. I can hear this album setting in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise it's powerful, mystical and adventurous. This is their 8th full-length album and they have been making epic music since 2000. They go even further back to the year 1995 as VIPERA ASPIS.

The slight creaking of a ship at sea and a beautiful dramatic piano entrance open the "Pirates" album with the track " Pirates will Return". Clementine's operatic voice lightly enters giving an eerie feeling with the organ sounds intensely playing in the background. The galloping of the drums with the symphonic sounds expresses exactly what melodic metal should be. "Melancholic Angel" is by far one of my favorite tracks on this album. Clementine's voice sounds like an angel as the name suggests. The chorus is memorable. Michele's vocals perfectly harmonize. I can picture a damsel staring at our sea looking for her lost love. The guitar solo that hits around minute 2:45 continues the story and gives the perfect climax.

Time heals wounds and shows how life goes by so fast is expressed in the track "Clocks". This song by far has one of the most catchy chorus I've heard in symphonic metal in a while. I've caught myself humming it a few times. "I will be gone" has a very intense Titanic feel with Irish sounds. It's the last track on the album and really ends the whole "Pirates" with an epic sadness. The drums mixed with the vocals from Clementina and Michele give a funeral beat, a pirate's funeral to be more precise. A hero who was lost out at sea and the body floats somewhere with flames burning forever. This song has a lot of power and emotion.

"Legion at Sea" is a battle song. The orchestrated beginning and the strong guitar solo. What makes this song stand out is the peaceful angelic vocals from Clementine. The song is just her singing at minute 3:17 with a light piano in the background. It's uplifting and almost makes you drift from the metal scene. "In My World", the 9th track on the album, sets the perfect tone for adventure. The song begins with a beautiful tin whistle, an instrument that is used in Irish folk music. I always feel like a story is about to unfold when I hear it. The joyful whistle sound with the mix of the beating drums and blasting guitar set the mood for the journey to find the treasure.

I've listened to this album over and over again. Especially on my long walks. The music keeps me company and takes me away to a faraway land surrounded by waters. A peaceful quiet island where many stories were told of long-lost sailors and pirates. This is the kind of music that will always keep me smiling. VISIONS OF ATLANTIS sets the perfect mood for every pirate lover out there. Keep on creating these nautical stories.