Viza
Aria
Architects of Melody/Graviton
2014
Viza continues its individual, artistic & imaginative musical journey that started half quarter years ago. Retaining their uncompromised yet successful & brilliant amalgam of different music elements such as rock, metal, acoustic, pop, melodic, atmospheric, alternative, rock & roll, punk, modern up to ethnic, folk, latin, oriental & world music… they have crafted a quite personal musical identity. Of course, that comical & loose side of theirs is present as always.
Evolution goes along with Viza. It’s in their blood. The moment they stop progressing, they will cease to exist. Possibly, some would love to listen to “Carnivalia” part 2 or something close to that. Thankfully, what happened in the past, belongs to the past and Viza are always looking forward to taking their own lonesome & strange way. I must admit that this is the kind of band that you either love or hate! I haven’t dealt with them in the past and even though I had listened to a few tracks here & there, I was never into them… till now.
“Aria” is a huge step ahead for the band. Their music has matured & they have integrated their influences into their own sound. Still, they are more melodic than before and the hooks here are brilliant! All the performances are great but it is the mastermind & vocalist K’noup (who is from Greece) who shines through the album.
“Midnight Hour (Dingle Rock)” is the lead single of the album but there are a few others like: “Vanished”, “The Girl That Doesn’t Exist” (what a title huh?!), “C’est La Vie” & “Brunette” which could have been released as singles or videos as well. Let’s hope they’ll release a video for at least one of those tracks in the future. Specifically, the “zeimpekiko” rhythm at the end of the magnificent “Brunette” has given me so much delight that I can’t get it off my mind. Ahh, there’s also a track for Viktor, “Viktor’s Vanguard”, but this will only make sense to the long-time followers of the band.
The exceptional production has been done by the band itself. The album was mixed by Warren Huart (Aerosmith, James Blunt, Korn, Brendan James etc.), with assistance from the engineer Phil Allen (Adele, Aerosmith, P!nk etc.) & was mastered by Adam Ayan (Queen, Rush, Sammy Hagar, Def Leppard, Alter Bridge etc.).
My only objection is about the short running play of the album which is around 36 minutes. It ain’t easy to press ‘play’ over and over again! All things considered, “Aria” is a distinctive album of animated music brilliance and art… so better not miss it!
Evolution goes along with Viza. It’s in their blood. The moment they stop progressing, they will cease to exist. Possibly, some would love to listen to “Carnivalia” part 2 or something close to that. Thankfully, what happened in the past, belongs to the past and Viza are always looking forward to taking their own lonesome & strange way. I must admit that this is the kind of band that you either love or hate! I haven’t dealt with them in the past and even though I had listened to a few tracks here & there, I was never into them… till now.
“Aria” is a huge step ahead for the band. Their music has matured & they have integrated their influences into their own sound. Still, they are more melodic than before and the hooks here are brilliant! All the performances are great but it is the mastermind & vocalist K’noup (who is from Greece) who shines through the album.
“Midnight Hour (Dingle Rock)” is the lead single of the album but there are a few others like: “Vanished”, “The Girl That Doesn’t Exist” (what a title huh?!), “C’est La Vie” & “Brunette” which could have been released as singles or videos as well. Let’s hope they’ll release a video for at least one of those tracks in the future. Specifically, the “zeimpekiko” rhythm at the end of the magnificent “Brunette” has given me so much delight that I can’t get it off my mind. Ahh, there’s also a track for Viktor, “Viktor’s Vanguard”, but this will only make sense to the long-time followers of the band.
The exceptional production has been done by the band itself. The album was mixed by Warren Huart (Aerosmith, James Blunt, Korn, Brendan James etc.), with assistance from the engineer Phil Allen (Adele, Aerosmith, P!nk etc.) & was mastered by Adam Ayan (Queen, Rush, Sammy Hagar, Def Leppard, Alter Bridge etc.).
My only objection is about the short running play of the album which is around 36 minutes. It ain’t easy to press ‘play’ over and over again! All things considered, “Aria” is a distinctive album of animated music brilliance and art… so better not miss it!