Austrian symphonic metal band Visions of Atlantis returns with the second chapter of their epic pirate-themed saga. With “Pirates II – Armada“, the band continues to solidify their place as one of the top symphonic metal acts on the scene. To mark the release of their new full-length album and their ongoing European tour, we caught up with vocalist Clémentine Delauney to learn more about the journey.
Welcome to the Pirates
First of all, thank you for being here, and then I would like to welcome you back to Femme Metal Webzine. And yeah, how is “Pirates II—Armada” going so far?
We just started the real promo with interviews and feedback from journalists. But at the moment, everyone is very very happy, very enthusiastic about this second pirate album. We most like all of the feedback we have so far from journalists. They say themselves that it’s a fantastic album that we managed to do as good, not, if not as better than the previous “Pirates” album itself.
Welcome to the Pirates part 2
And what is also really nice to hear is that many of them have very different songs as their favorite. So it means that, once again, we managed to write an overall good album, and, not just a few very good songs and then more average ones. So now we’re very excited for the audience to hear the whole thing because singles are one thing. But the core and the essence of the album is you need to listen to get an idea about it.
Yeah, I agree with you, because I did the same. First, I want to congratulate you and the other guys from Visions of Atlantis for the work, the effort, and the great album. In my opinion, the bar was set even higher, in my opinion. And what I wanted to ask you is, didn’t you felt, feel any pressure?
Yes, of course. I mean, we were very aware that we made a difference with the first Pirates album, very aware that people like this way more than other things we’ve done in the past like it’s the album that got the best feedback from everybody. So we thought “Alright, we cannot mess up with that feedback we need to deliver something that is in the continuity of the quality that we’ve been able to deliver with “Pirates”
Keeping up with the expectations
Yet we also, you know, want to write for ourselves, and we want to be proud of what we are doing, and there is no way that we would release an album if we don’t feel like we are happy 120% with the song. It is that and the production that we came up with. So it’s our work ethics and our growth as people and musicians that drive us in our songwriting process. You know, when we listen to a song we’re like, have this objectivity about what we’re doing. Michele, wrote way more songs than those that ended up on the album because at some point we were able to choose. And we much wanted to go to top ourselves and to be happy with what we were doing.
We don’t want to repeat what we’ve done and we always want to improve ourselves. So we built “Pirates II – Armada” with that mindset, also knowing that people would expect us to be as good as with “Pirates” but also just for ourselves. At first, no one like our lives doesn’t depend on us releasing music. So if we release music, it’s because we were happy with it. We need to release this material. We love the song.
We’re carried by those songs. So, at first, the songwriting was, was just for ourselves, and then the pressure was more on the final result in choosing the right songs and making a good set list for the album. And this is where we make more of a final choice of how to build the record. But the songwriting process has to remain fun and an exploration, if I can say it like this, yes, sure.
Visions of Atlantis different musical elements
I have two songs for me, kind of the toppers, which are “The Dead of the Sea” and “Where the Sky and Ocean Blend”. I also went through some of the interviews released during the American leg, and there was one interview that you did in Toronto, Canada, where you said that there are a couple of elements that don’t seem to belong there. But if you consider the whole picture, you will see otherwise.
And I thought about this after listening to the album, and I thought, “These are the two songs that probably seem not to belong, but they belong because they have that element, they that symphonic elements, but are a little bit more progressive, in a way”. I don’t know if you agree with me. Or do you understand my point?
“The Dead of the Sea” and “Where the Sky and Ocean Blend”
I understand your point. Yes. I think songs like “The Dead of the Sea” and “Where the Sky and Ocean Blend” where “Master the Hurricane” comes from. You know, “Master the Hurricane” was released in “Pirates”, it has a very progressive introduction, like I said, one minute and a half introduction before the song starts with singing. And I think from the crafting of those two songs, it’s the same genre and the same pool of music as that “Master the Hurricane” was. However, what I was referring to in that interview weren’t those two songs, but I understand it could be interpreted this way, because these are the two longest songs of the album and the most complex in the writing. So I understand that you interpreted it like that. It makes sense.
“Collide” and “Tonight, I’m Alive”
But I was referring to a song like “Collide” rather than “Tonight, I’m Alive” because it has a very pop feel which we love. We also love to explore the limits between genres. And being two singers we’re addicted to good melodies, so having this singing is how pop is written most of the time. You know, rhythmically speaking “Collide” is a reggaeton, which might be something that will surprise people. However whether songs “The Dead of the Sea” and “Where the Sky and Ocean Blend” for me they might have a bit of a more progressive feel to them which set a mood, At the end, it belongs to me, to us. It resonates more with with what symphonic metal is about.
The filming of Visions of Atlantis “Monsters”
Given that, I want also to mention “Monsters”, which is another song that I love. First of all, my I also love the video. And about this, I want to ask you about the shooting and its script?
For the shooting of “Monsters” for the first time that we worked with VD pictures from Switzerland. They’re famous for making a lot of videos with with Powerwolf, for instance. They’re absolutely brilliant in mastering evocative sceneries and giving a cinematic feel to music videos. It was an absolute pleasure for me to work with them. Once again, I wrote the script because I want the videos for our band to be very much connected with the meaning of the song.
The truth behind “Monsters” part 1
And I feel like I’m the only one who can totally portray the meaning because I wrote the lyrics for them from the beginning. So, I wrote the script in which we portrayed two different ideas of what monsters can be. And of course, I mentioned I’m referring to the monsters within ourselves. I tried to depict the character traits, the trauma consequences, the dark emotions that we feel sometimes when we’re triggered about events in our life.
Indeed, we react in a way that is just harmful towards ourselves, others and towards our goals and dreams. You know when, when people get angry out of some little things because it triggers an old wound and they shout at other people. Or they they condemn themselves, or they are destructive against themselves. These thoughts they harm you and same with people who don’t believe that they can be happy. Or they don’t believe that they can do anything valuable.
The truth behind “Monsters” part 2
Or they don’t believe that they have a space or a place in this world then they will not achieve anything with that mindset. And it’s fighting against them. It’s not who they are, and it’s a bit of a psychological concept. But it’s a real one. We have to make it create a distance between our thoughts and who we are. And only when you start to analyze the situation you can you really identify “okay, this is not me reacting here”. It’s a wound I have because of a trauma in the past. Then, “Monsters” is an invitation to an inner journey to find out what we’re made of on both the good side and also on the darkest, darkest, darker side.
Visions of Atlantis and producer Felix Heldt
For the second time you worked with the producer Felix Heldt. Despite this, does make any sense to ask you, what did you learn from working with him? But how was working better? How was working with him together for the second time? I mean, by now, you have learned new things, how he works, his methods, maybe. So what is the the little thing that you have discovered this time by working with them.
When we started to write on “Pirates II – Armada”, we were so happy with the final work of “Pirates” that we decided to work with the same team. Consequently, we worked with the same mixer with and mastering of Jacob Henson. We worked again with Luki Knoebl for the orchestrations. We worked again with the same team because they understood our band and what we want to achieve with it.
Working with producer Felix Heldt
However, this time, it was easier, because we knew from the start that we would place everything into the “Pirates” universe. Given this, we were conscient how things would work out. We knew exactly the people we were working with. In short , it was the same team but with a different mindset and approach. Felix is amazing because he just takes our songs and push them, for transform them into perfect songs. He’s not doing much but his confidence about what we’re doing and his feedback help us very much. Being himself musician and songwriter, he precisely knows how to enhance our lyrics. I just feel like he’s a part of the entire Visions of Atlantis songwriting process. And we just love to work together with him.
Maybe you needed a different perspective…
A different perspective that can understood our workflow. Someone that could bring it to the next level in respect to what we have written. And recognize who we are musically and what we want to do. It was a decision that we made before “Pirates”, and we don’t regret it at all.
Visions of Atlantis statement
You know, there is also “Armada”, which is another of my favorite one, and the first moment that I’ve heard it literally stuck in my brain. I want to ask you, through your eyes, what represents for you this song?
[Laughs] This song is our battle call and our hymn. It’s our It’s a song that when you feel like you are losing ground, or that people over try to overstep you. This song will grab you and bring you back to your own battlefield. And let you fight for what you love, fight for what you want to do, fight for who you want to be. This is the call to action and not to remain in paralysis.We wanted to release “Armada” because it’s a statement. We’ve been lost in the deep and the dark. And now that we are pirates, now we are here to fight. We need to exist through the the pure force of nature which is fighting against the odds. It can be applied to many different fields. You can read the song in many different ways. What are you fighting about? It’s very personal, but this is, this is our song that states that we’re here, we exist, and we want to conquer the part of the world that is ours.
The ongoing European tour
I’m also looking forward to the upcoming European tour this fall. I was wondering, considering the album thematic, will you VoA’s stage props will change?
Actually, we already starting to extend our production. We brought a new stage structure on a very first Festival this weekend to Metal Fest. For the first time, we had our ship on stage with the whole structure which will follow us on the European tour (venues permitting). We’re taking it with us, and we really want to showcase the “Pirates” universe and let the audience imagine on board a ship with us. And it’s amazing. We’re so happy to finally see our show growing and going in the direction that we’re dreaming about.