Symphonic metal go getters Visions Of Atlantis will be releasing their sixth full-length album "The Deep and The Dark" via Napalm Records. They have already released some material off the album, that is making a lot of buzz about the release as a whole. One of the vocalists Siegfried Samer discusses all about the new album and more plans in term's of touring and much more!
1. So tell me, Visions Of Atlantis, why go with a name such as that one, for your band's namesake? What other ideas did you explore prior picking said name?
Siegfried: Well as our drummer Thomas is the only remaining founding member of the band, I cannot really tell you what other options were before settling on Visions of Atlantis! I think the idea was that, since the main lead vocals have always been sung by a female singer, and the band started out with a very classical and symphonic approach, a band name that conjures up images of mythical and long-forgotten lands and tales seemed appropriate. And when looking back at the albums the band has made over the years, I think that worked out pretty well!
2. Does the band's name Visions Of Atlantis, relate to the actual Atlantis, based off of "The Lost City of Atlantis"?
Siegfried: Again, that would be a question best posed to the former members of the band, and probably not the current lineup, that has only been part of Visions of Atlantis since 2013. But when you look at the back catalogue and the songs of Visions of Atlantis, it becomes quickly apparent that themes of seafaring (e.g. "Seven Seas", "Lords of the Seas", "Cast Away") and also mythical creatures and realms ("Lemuria", "Tlaloc's Grace") have always played an important part in the lyrical themes and direction of Visions of Atlantis.
3. Let's talk about your album "The Deep and The Dark", how did this idea come to be, how does the artwork relate to the content on the album itself?
Siegfried: The new album is basically the vision (no pun intended) of our drummer and only remaining founding member, Thomas Caser, who wanted to take the band back to its musical roots after two albums that had gone into a more modern, Rock-oriented direction ("Ethera" and "Delta") and that had also alienated some of the fans from the early days. So the musical direction was clear, and the artwork also needed to reflect that; and when you compare this artwork to earlier ones, especially to "Endless Eternal Infinity", "Cast Away" and also "Trinity", you will see that this new artwork, with the large image of Poseidon front and center, takes us back to those days where the same kind of feeling and themes were the focus of the band's songs.
4. Where did the title of "The Deep and The Dark", come from and what does it represent for the album?
Siegfried: First of all it's a really catchy sounding title, and it also relates very well to the emotions one might associate with the myth of Atlantis, as something that is long lost in the "deep and the dark" of the oceans. But it also relates to interpersonal relationships, which becomes clearer when you listen more closely to the lyrics of the title track.
5. Which tracks off this album, have been released and made into singles and or videos? How many more tracks will be made into these formats?
Siegfried: The first single was a lyrics video for the song "Return to Lemuria", which was written specifically to harken back to the "Cast Away" -days, as it has a very similar style to the original song "Lemuria" by Visions of Atlantis from that album. It was our way of showing the fans that we are indeed going back to the musical and lyrical roots of the band.
Another video will soon be released for the title track "The Deep & The Dark", and if we have time, we might make a third one as well, but it's still undecided for which song we'd do such a third video, if any.
6. What are your main musical influences? How huge of an influence are they in your sound?
Siegfried: Well, since Visions of Atlantis had their first big break at a time when bands like Nightwish and Epica had their first huge successes, and since the band also toured with those acts several times, I would say that it's definitely those two bands that have had the most influence on Visions of Atlantis, especially early-days Nightwish, around the "Century Child" era.
7. In your opinion, what is the best way to define the sound that Visions Of Atlantis makes?
Siegfried: It's very melodic metal with a lot of symphonic elements, spearheaded by a very versatile female singer and supported by clean male vocals.
8. How about the lyrical context, which themes or topics does your music tend to cover usually?Siegfried: I can only speak for the current incarnation of Visions of Atlantis obviously, and on this new album the lyrics were mostly based on ideas from our female singer Clémentine, who finally had the chance to incorporate more of her own thoughts into the lyrics of her band, something that had not been possible in her former projects. So the lyrics also cover a wide range of themes, from personal relationships in "The Deep & The Dark" to social issues in "Words of War" to more mythical themes in the Wicca-related "Ritual Night".
9. What is your personal strategy for making your music heard by a larger audience?
Siegfried: I think it's important to have a great hook; you need a melody that just sticks in the listener's ear. Everything else, the lyrics, the orchestration, the instrumentation, comes afterwards. If you have a big book in your song, then that song will reach its audience.
10. Are you all supported by your loved one's towards your devotion to music?
Siegfried: Absolutely! Even though my parents for example aren't exactly big into music and metal in particular, they still come to a lot of my shows both with Visions of Atlantis as well as with my other band Dragony! I am very thankful for that support!
11. What does the band have planned for 2018 that we can expect to see?
Siegfried: We are now about to start a three weeks European tour together with our countrymen and friends of Serenity, to promote the new album which will be released on 16th February.
For the summer, we are planning a few festival gigs of course, and another short tour is in the works for the fall, but it's still a bit too early to tell at this point.
12. Anything else you want to express or say?
Siegfried: We hope that "The Deep & The Dark" fulfills the promise the band made over four years ago, when our drummer Thomas announced the new lineup and told the fans that Visions of Atlantis would return to their musical roots. I think we have a very good selection of songs that cover many different styles both musically as well as vocally, and I hope that many of the VOA-Fans out there pick up the new album and are as happy about it as we are!
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