Customer Reviews

Trinity

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unlike VOA's two previous releases, I'd say this one is actually pretty good. They have a new female vocalist who, while faulting only a bit on her lower notes, really outshines the old vocalist when she goes for those higher notes. The songs are also a lot better. They still maintain the band's creative symphonic metal sound, but also have some catchier choruses, some nice guitar solos and some excellent drumming. Some really touching duets between the male and female vocalist are featured also.

The CD's only downfall would have to be its lyrics. The words can get a bit corny at times. Lines like "I'm so sorry 'cause you're dead" don't do it for me, personally. It'd also be nice if the vocalists put a bit more emotion into their voices and concentrate on what they're singing about instead of getting a perfect, crystal clear sound.

I'd recommend it, nonetheless, for symphonic metal fans.

This amazing band from Austria is on their way to greatness. For fans of Nightwish, Epica, After Forever, Lacuna Coil and the likes. Being their 3rd album, this is the best of the three. Melissa Ferlaak joins VoA with her amazing opera voice, so powerful that it rivals Nightwish's ex-vocalist Tarja Turunen. The lyrics are well written, and Mario Plank has greatly improved his English and vocal ability. They live up to their name: This is power symphonic fantasy epic metal. This ROCKS. Not recommended for people that don't have a lot of brain cells.

Haven't listened to the previous two albums but Trinity drives me to sanity! I love the vocals (no growling) and the female singer is different than the usual symphonic female singers and more opera-ish. I may not know what the hell I'm talking about but this is some great stuff. 5 stars

This album has exceeded all of my expectations and I look forward for their next release. These guys have great stick to it- ness by going through many line up changes. I especially love the drumming and the positive feel good vibe of the music. I have not gotten tired of their music, which happens quite a bit with many other bands. These guys and girls rock but it is upbeat and positive to listen to. So much metal is just negative and dark these days making Black Sabbath look angelic. I discovered these guys at the same time I found Lunatica and together they have added a lot of musical joy in my life.

More and more these days we are seeing female fronted groups backed by rough male vocalists. We see it in Nightwish, Epica and so many others. This group takes the concept and goes one step further. This is the first and only album that Melissa will do (she has left the group), and unfortunately, for them, it is by far their best.

The album sports some very fun and creative songs. Melissa's voice is good, yes, far better than Nicole's and much easier to understand than even T. from Nightwish (sorry T, love ya). She is classically trained, so you will see that in all her works.

Every song on the album, with maybe the expection of Dark Side Home is well done. I find dark side home very boring and has virtually no points of interest. It starts out strong with both At the Back of Beyond (typical symphonic metal piece here) and goes into the Secret which for some reason, really sticks in your head.

Overall, the album is very good, definately worth $9.

"Trinity" (2007) is the third release from Austrian female-fronted symphonic metal band Visions of Atlantis, and their first (and only) with singer Melissa Ferlaak.

Visions of Atlantis has improved in almost every conceivable area since their previous releases. The production is better, making the musicianship sound better, and Mario Plank's vocals are no longer annoying. Melissa Ferlaak is a perfectly good singer (although I liked what Nicole Bogner did for them).

One thing Visions of Atlantis was always good for, with their synth-pop approach to symphonic metal, was catchy melodies. That's something we're lacking here. And as always, the lyrics have their terrible moments.

If they can ever keep a vocalist and establish a consistent identity, they could be a band to watch.

This CD shows a marked improvement over Visions of Atlantis' two previous works in that, for one, the music is heavier, but also the vocal performances are much more comprehensible and impressive. The production is spot-on, the harmonies are great, and the songs are never too long or overdone, as can be a problem with a lot of flower metal bands. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from this band.

I'm from an older demographic. I like progressive and symphonic rock. This is an album that you play over and over and never tire of.
Forget their earlier releases, just get this one!
Great matching male/female vocals. Catchy choruses, heavier tempo, etc.

Not bad, but the band needs a couple of songs that make you want to listen to it over and over. I didn't find it with this band.

I first heard of VoA on Last.fm, and decided to check them out. After listening to the first track, At the Back of Beyond, I was intrigued enough to download the entire album. After listening to it over and over again, always satisfied, I decided to purchase the album (and their other two as well). I have yet to regret it. The vocals are clean, and while I generally prefer female-fronted groups, the combination of male and female voices that VoA provides is very good.

While VoA's first album has a sort of rough feel to it, technically, they've steadily improved, finally releasing this work of art, Trinity. I'm not going to call it a masterpiece because it simply isn't, but the music is solid and can be listened to over and over again, each time sounding just as good, if not better, as the times before.

A brief summary of each song:
At the Back of Beyond - The album starts out with a fast paced duet from the male and female leads; it's catchy and it's a great indicator of what's yet to come.
The Secret - Originally "just another song," but as I listened and re-listened, this quickly became one of my favorites. The vocals are predominately female, which may have something to do with it, but I love the tempo change on the bridge ("This muse of passion stealing my restless soul..."). The first time it comes around, it's an abrupt stop from the verse, keeping with the slow intro. The second time it's sung, though, it flows right with the song, keeping you going on the ride that this song provides. I love it.
Passing Dead End - Nothing special about this one, but on an album filled with great music, all that means is that it doesn't stand out. Both singers get about equal time, and the music, while similar to the other tracks, is still good.
The Poem - I'll be honest: I don't like this song. There's nothing wrong with the music, I guess, but the theme and lyrics just rub me the wrong way. Your mileage may vary, of course.
Nothing Left - Another of my favorites, again because of the tempo change near the end. The female lead solos the words from the first verse: "Every moment on the run, up a second, down next one. Far away reality, dry your tears!" The power of her voice for the last three words is remarkable, and sounds amazing.
My Darkside Home - One of the first songs I heard by VoA, and while it still sounds good, the almost exclusively male vocals make this less of a favorite.
Wing-Shaped Heart - I still enjoy this song (it used to be one of my favorites), but it's been overshadowed by ones like The Secret and Through My Eyes. I enjoy the lyrics, and although by this point the music format is clearly starting to get repetitive (female, male, duet for the chorus, male, female, duet for the chorus, tempo change with solos, duet for the chorus), I like that format, so I still like this song.
Return to You - A slower song that I often skip past, but it offers a welcome change from the repetitiveness of the earlier tracks. There are no male vocals in this one, and the female singer sounds just as good as ever, so it's definitely worth a listen.
Through My Eyes - This song just recently reached the top of my favorites list. It's a good song, but the part that I really like is VoA's classic tempo shift near the end of the song. "Forgotten! Forsaken! Awoken! Dissipated, raging mind. I can't ease the thirst for freedom from this answer; my world is full of disbelief and pain." Sure, my compliment on this part is old, but it's still true: The female lead sounds great.
Flow This Desert - As I listen to this song more, I find myself liking it more and more. However, by this point there's not too much to say that you haven't already heard. Even if the music isn't especially original anymore, it still is very enjoyable to listen to.
Seven Seas - VoA closes with this song. It starts out slowly, but quickly picks up. I don't know what it is, but there's a certain finality about this song that makes it ideal for the final spot on the album.

In conclusion, for an 11 track album, there are two that are tolerable and nine that I really enjoy (with three of those that I just love). There's no way to go wrong with that. I will say that apparently the reviewer who said "the songs all sound the same" was right, to some extent; I was listening to the album and after a while another person in the room commented, "That's a really long song." Naturally, I corrected her, but the fact remains that there's not a lot of uniqueness among the individual songs. But hey, when their point of conformation is the fact that they all sound fantastic, that's not a bad thing, right?

If you're on the fence, I recommend you buy this CD. If you like it and haven't bought it yet, what are you waiting for?