The Vision Ablaze – Embers
Release Date: 6th May 2022
Label: Prime Collective
Spotify
Genre: Metalcore, Melodic Metal, Groove Metal.
FFO: Killswitch Engage, Machine Head, Parkway Drive, Good Tiger, The Acacia Strain.
Review By: Kara Ketchum
The Vision Ablaze is on to something truly magnificent with their sophomore album, Embers. The band formed in 2010, with their first release hitting the scene in 2015. After a line-up shuffle, putting Tim Nederveen on vocals in 2017, and a few singles in 2018, TVA is ready to make waves with this upcoming release. What Embers brings to the table is a melodic epic with plenty of heart-wrenching vocal moments, brutal guitar chugs, and stories of triumph and loss.
The opening and title track “Embers” starts the album off with a text-book definition of melodic metal. Anyone who loves the genre will find room in their heart for this song. A varied vocal performance of cleans and screams, the deep guitar tone, and dutiful drumming round out this catchy tune. It instantly rocketed itself to a repeat-track status for me.
There is a switch that gets flipped from track one to track two, however. We meet “Star Born” with some speedy riffage and guitar squeals, and some of the cleanest growls on the album. This song definitely invokes the aesthetics of some Nordic black metal outfits, with layered, discordant vocals. Any listeners of The Acacia Strain will find familiarity here, and will feel the instant urge to jump in a pit. A similar, but more aggressive style that marked their 2015 album Youtopia continues into the opening of track three “Spiral” before hitting a chorus reminiscent of Good Tiger. The crooning is short-lived before the bridge hits, with the most brutal gutturals featured on the entire album.
Between these first three tracks, it’s clear that The Vision Ablaze has no problem putting on multiple hats and wearing them well. As such, another switch-up comes in with “Medicated Moments”, the fourth track on the album. While the song dances around being able to be called a ballad, it never quite dips into the uneasiness or trepidation that some other bands fall victim to when trying to be vulnerable. The song is a very confident placement, offering an emotional window into the writer’s life, but doesn’t shy away from being exposed.
After shaking off the softness of the fourth track, track five returns to the task at hand with “Turmoil Flame” which is where those familiar with Killswitch Engage will find the most similarities. There’s an easy-to-follow and comforting formula with this song, complete with a well-done guitar solo. If track five was to carry the torch of track three, track six was meant to carry on track four. While “Forever Haunted” doesn’t have the same melancholy of track four’s “Medicated Moments”, there is still a definite common thread of rawness and exposure. There is a similar vulnerability of telling an emotional story, but track six does maintain that more operatic vibe introduced on the fifth track.
As we reach the back third of the album, track seven’s “Edge of Existence” sets up the song to be slow with a bit of an analog feel, but ends up being lively. Tim sings in a very comfortable range throughout the song, but the chorus is catchy and makes me miss live music, wanting to sing back into the vocalist’s face.
There is another sharp return with track eight, “Water”, where we go back to deep and harsh vocals, and an actively notable guitar presence. The bridge offers that melodic reprieve, and some of the highest notes of the album. While muted and mixed in with the harsher tones, the exchange of control between the vocal styles is incredibly well done and offers one of my favorite moments on the album.
Opening with classic and electrifying guitar that almost feels like an homage to Randy Rhodes, track nine and most recent single “Violent Path” brings the rowdy on the album. Definitely something to romp around a circle pit to, with angry-finger pointing to top it off. This track is probably my favorite guitar work on the release, and anyone a fan of that arena style of 80s metal will find appeal.
Closing out the album is an amplified, acoustic call-to-action in the form of “Revolution.” A calm walk, metaphorically, after the hearty jaunt of an album, and stands in stark contrast to the opening track. When it comes to track set-up, the album almost feels like a mirror of itself, especially towards the middle. Taking this into account, the biggest and most opposite reflections come from track one and track ten, while similarities between contrasted tracks grow more-alike towards the middle. (Remember how I mentioned similarities between track four and six?)
If I were to offer criticism as a reviewer, it would mostly surround that this album feels very safe…which isn’t a bad thing per se. I would be interested to keep a pulse on future TVA releases, to see how the band grows and carves their own path in the genre. It’s easy to find genre influences as an avid listener of metalcore and melodic-metal over the years, but I do want to reiterate it’s not a bad thing. Staying in a safe-zone while toeing the line in trying different things is an excellent way to flex muscles and push boundaries.
In summary, the album overall feels like a well-deserved and expertly-crafted love letter to melodic metal, and definitely something I will listen to again over the coming months. The Vision Ablaze put together an extraordinary piece of art while the world goes through huge changes, but managed to create something classic in the midst of it all.
(4 / 5)
