VISIONOIR „The Waving Flame of Oblivion”

Self-released. 2017

Music: Darkwave/Gothic Metal/Progressive Metal

Website:

https://thevisionoir.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/visionoir/

Duration: 50:59 minutes (9 tracks)

Country: Italy

VISIONOIR was founded in 1998 in San Daniele del Friuli, a small town in north-eastern Italy. Currently, this is “one-man-band”, because Alessandro Sicur composed the music and played on all instruments on the album “The Waving Flame of Oblivion”. Previously, VISIONOIR was a duo. The guitarist Mattia Pascolini accompanied Alessandro. The result of this cooperation was only one demo released on a cassette in 1998. From the first to the second release passed until 19 years, during this time Alessandro collected ideas and slowly worked on the songs.

On the album was used a lot of various electronic instruments, a lot of sharp guitars that gives the music a Metal character. For this the piano, the drums, the bass. The arrangements are rich in instruments and sounds. The songs oscillate between moodiness and aggression. Everything is perfectly coordinated with each other, creating a coherent and interesting the whole. Alessandro Sicur is a very gifted composer and performer.

However, he is not a vocalist, the tracks are instrumental, with the exception of four ones, in which the archival radio records of poets declaring their works were used: T.S. Elliot, Ezra Pound, Antonin Artaud and Dylan Thomas. The spoken texts also include the final track. The use of poetic art on the album testifies to the broad interests of the Italian multi-instrumentalist, hardly anyone today reads the tied speech.

Stylistically, the music on the album can be classified as Gothic / Progressive Metal, with using of electronics. Some songs are sharp but melodious at the same time. Other are more peaceful, with a large share of the keyboards. “The Discouraging Doctrine of Chances” is full of momentum, it’s epic. Alessandro uses many different electronic instruments with great knowledge and talent. I think that he would not have any problems with recording a CD in the style of classical “el-music”, referring to TANGERINE DREAM and similar artists. Despite the fact that pessimistic poems have been used on the album and Alessandro declares himself a creator in the style of Dark / Doom, for me his music is positive and luminous. Except for the last track “Godspeed Radio Galaxy” – aggressive and dark, in the middle part heavy, referring to Doom Metal. In the background of the music you can hear men talking through radio’s communication, which creates an atmosphere of mystery.

VISIONOIR in its message does not express strong emotions, such as hatred, despair – typical for Extreme Metal. It is focused on the aesthetics of sounds. Devotees of MARDUK, MORBID ANGEL or Polish ARKONA will not find anything here. The purely musical value of “The Waving Flame of Oblivion” is however high.