Visions Of Atlantis: Armada - An Orchestral Voyage

When Visions Of Atlantis released Pirates II - Armada, they delivered a high-energy symphonic metal statement built on big hooks, dual vocal chemistry, and cinematic scope. It was dramatic, punchy, and unapologetically theatrical.

With Armada - An Orchestral Voyage, released again through Napalm Records, they remove the armor completely.

This is not a remix. It is a full orchestral reinterpretation of the entire album, with the same flow and the same track list… but no guitars, no drums, and no vocals. The arrangements were handled, produced, mixed, and mastered by Michele Guaitoli, and that internal involvement shows... and this feels intentional, not ornamental.

The voices of Clémentine Delauney and Siegfried Samer are gone, yet their melodic fingerprints remain. The string sections carry Clémentine’s soaring lines, while the lower strings and brass echo Siegfried’s dramatic phrasing. The songs are instantly recognizable, just reframed.

The real question is whether the material survives without distortion and vocal punch, and it certainly does.

“Ashes To The Sea� becomes delicate and almost fragile. “Armada� shifts from battle anthem to cinematic score. “The Land Of The Free� expands into something more immersive than explosive. Without the metal backbone pushing everything forward, the compositions breathe differently, the melodies have nowhere to hide, and that is precisely the point.

This version will not replace Pirates II. The energy and chemistry of the original are part of its identity. But what Armada An Orchestral Voyage proves is that these songs were never just metal tracks dressed in symphonic layers. The writing itself carries weight.

Personally, that is what impressed me most. Stripped of volume and spectacle, the emotional core remains intact… this is a headphone record, a sit back and absorb record, and for fans willing to revisit this chapter from a different angle, a reminder that beneath the storm, there was always structure and substance… cheers!

Track listing:
1. To Those Who Choose To Fight (2:12)
2. The Land Of The Free (4:33)
3. Monsters (3:34)
4. Tonight I’m Alive (4:07)
5. Armada (4:03)
6. The Dead Of The Sea (7:15)
7. Ashes To The Sea (3:36)
8. Hellfire (4:43)
9. Collide (3:15)
10. Magic Of The Night (4:06)
11. Underwater (4:15)
12. Where The Sky And Ocean Blend (7:14)

Added: February 24th 2026
Reviewer: Jose Antonio Marmol
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 135
Language: english

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