Review:

Starting their discography in 2020 with the debut album “Mistress of the Gods”, the German trio Vision of Choice, recently hit us with the next chapter in their metal journey – “Second Sight”. What an intuitive title for creation number #2 in their career and let’s look deeper what it shall reveal.

Engaging with the pounding riffs of “She is Danger”, probably the band liaises to that same Mistress of the Gods we encounter in the debut’s name. The track is solid and aggressive, with typical Teutonic metal guitar play and picking solos to support a melodious chanting chorus. “Eyes of Freedom” greets us with more ease in the intro, changing into a galloping verse, dominated by clockwork precise rhythm section. Both singing and lyrics are captivating in a way that makes it natural to memorize the tune and sing along.  “High Roller” changes back the vibe towards more rough and primal sound. Lower vocal style of the frontman contrasts with the high backings in the chorus, followed by a speedy solo. This track certainly carries a bit of American classic rock mood to enrich the palette of the album. 

Tracks #4 and #5 – respectively “Demonize” and “Until the Night” come a bit as “fillers” not standing out with something strikingly different from their predecessors. Song writing structure and building of momentum towards the chorus clearly is an artistic approach favoured by Vision of Choice. “Ghost Chance” returns us to the fresh air with an enthusiastic intro and restored metal energy. It won’t be a long shot stating that the middle tracks of “Second Sight” are heavily influenced by the German power metal wave from the end of the nineties and early 2000s. A feature probably bringing them a lot of fanbase in their homeland and around. That feeling keeps ongoing in “Fatal Delusion” that makes one bold step further with banging drums and pumping riffs. By far this is the most recognizable song in the list, potential hit, fit for a single release. 

A funky bass intro opens for “To Zero”, announcing the comeback of the more melodic vocals we encountered in the beginning. The sensation of that one is kind of epic and relaxed at the same time – a typical trait for live performance favourite. No wonder if the most dedicated band followers feel it to the same level. “Hero’s Home” means no joke, catapulting us right away in the tense atmosphere with that same epic flavour we tasted in “To Zero”. Paying more attention to the small musical details here, one can easily spot akin elements with few famous bands we’ll honourably mention in the review’s recap. 

Another set of “heroes” in the title as we march onto album’s epilogue with “Forever the Heroes”. Kind of instinctively the slow, almost progressive interlude and crystal-clear vocals, beautifully decorated with keyboards in the background, invites that quintessential metal ballad sensual narrative. The strong Savatage aura, noticed in previous songs, really peaks here, contributing to the diversity and abundance of the listener experience. Being the longest in the release, this vesper- hymn echoes on and on to glorify all metal heroes. 

Conclusion: 

“Second sight is not an album you can easily swallow and identify with from a single take. The band is creative enough to put together a vibrant puzzle of songs and styles impossible to gather under a common denominator. While the initial tracks bring us memories from early Grave Digger era, middle part comes under the power mark of titans like Freedom Call and Iron Saviour, till the final we uncover some more modernistic Powerwolf like inclinations – Vision of Choice have offered a piece choice to us all. 

THENWOTHM SCORE: 6/10

Bandcamp: visionofchoice.bandcamp.com