Eighteen Visions - "Eighteen Visions" (Trustkill / Epic)

Eighteen Visions have done something very weird with this album. Previous album, Obsession (2004), re-tooled their sound for something more commercial, yet still edgy. This eponymous release sees the band changing their sound yet again.

With this album, the band have trodden a path of more conventional song-writing and more rock-oriented, distancing themselves yet further from the hardcore scene that spawned them. Take, for example, “Truth Or Consequence”, which is a great, conventional and catchy rock song. Perhaps the best on the album.

“Broken Hearted” is pure pop. That, in itself, will likely scare a number of kohl-wearing boys off this album straight away, but in actual fact, it’s not a bad song. Bordering on saccharine-sweet, with the young-choir singing “You left me a little bit broken-hearted”, the song is still very listenable.

The choir-like choruses seem to be a new-found love of the band, cropping up not only on “Broken Hearted”, but also opening track “Our Darkest Days” and “Burned Us Alive”.

There are still songs that bear a great deal of resemblance to those found on Obsession, however, so the band probably won’t completely alienate their existing fans. “Pretty Suicide”, “Victim” (which has nice mosh-pit stomp potential, and is the well-chosen first single - check out the cool video on their MySpace) and “Black And Bruised” are notable examples of this. There’s plenty of deep, rumbling bass, too. These bottom-heavy moments offset the more poppy moments very well.

If marketed well, this album could potentially reap them a huge number of new ones, though – just as Avenged Sevenfold’s City Of Evil (2005) reaped them oodles of critical- and fan acclaim (for an album that was actually rather mediocre, if not completely sub-par, in my mind).

This is a really good album. Catchy, well written, full of memorable melodies, with some pleasantly heavier parts, and a very modern, competent rock sound. But, the band is probably going to annoy a number of their long-term fans… Which would be a real shame, as they’d be missing out on a very good album.

Not to worry, if people are able to grow with their favourite bands (something seemingly lacking in the rock and metal community) then Eighteen Visions have produced an album that should have them laughing all the way to the bank, with an increased fan-base.

Good stuff. Certainly much better than the bands who seem to receive all the attention these days (My Chemical Romance, Aiden, et al.). Well worth your hard-earned pennies.

www.eighteenvisions.com / www.myspace.com/eighteenvisions

Muse - "Black Holes & Revelations" (Taste)

The ‘new Radiohead’ accolade was spread so thin in the late 90s, that people began to stop caring about it. Practically every band received it, and most had no time for it. Ironically, on song-writing alone, Muse were the new Radiohead. Showbiz is a remarkable CD, and subsequent albums, particularly Absolution, showed off a band that was unlikely to suddenly peak and then fade.

However, this is the follow-up to Absolution. How do you follow such a phenomenal album? Do you do a Coldplay and produce more of the same, or do you do what Muse have done, and steer in a totally different direction? That’s right - all but gone are the dirty rock riffs and almost punky atmosphere. The Muse of 2006 is very much the Joy Division of 1980. Power has been substituted for electronica and obvious attempts have been made to ensure that this album is more commercial than the previous.

Does it detract from the quality? God no. “Starlight”, “Assassin” and the superb first single “Supermassive Black Hole” are all symbolic of a band still very much at their best. But it is not as instantly gripping as Showbiz. But then, only about five albums in the past few years have been, and one of those was another Muse album. There is no denying that hardcore Muse fans will be disappointed with this record. But even saying that, there isn’t a bad song on this album; just songs that are different from what most of the band's fans are used to.

All in all, it’s a bloody good record. That is a given. However, if Muse want to keep the bulk of their existing fanbase, the next album should really be another Absolution because a second one like this will not be enough and they could well find themselves ending up like Radiohead at about the same time in their career.

CMcG

www.muse.mu