When Eighteen Visions released Obsession in 2004, Revolver magazine praised the group as one of a select few that form "the future of American metal." For a band that's always liberated itself from genre restrictions, the tag fit well. Fast-forward two years and a road-tightened and revitalized Eighteen Visions have returned with focus redefined and a monolithic album that puts them light years ahead of the pack.

Produced by Machine (Lamb of God), the self-titled Eighteen Visions is a massive leap forward in confidence, sound, and style. "People who thought they had us figured out will hear this album and be surprised," says singer and co-founder James Hart. "Some might even see us as a new band and that's okay, too. We want listeners to grasp the idea of what Eighteen Visions is now, not what we were a couple of years ago or even five years ago."

The electrifying new release builds on the groundwork laid with Obsession, the record Metal Hammer hailed as "the album of the year." The band toured heavily in support of the disc, tearing up stages on stateside runs with Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu, HIM, and the Warped Tour, before crossing the Atlantic for a barnstorming tour of the U.K. with Lostprophets. They maintained momentum throughout, particularly with video airplay for "I Let Go" and "Waiting For The Heavens"on both Headbangers' Ball and Fuse. But for the band, who have developed a diehard international following with three explosive indie albums (Until The Ink Runs Out, Lifeless, Vanity) and a blistering live show, Obsession turned out to be both an ending and a beginning, closing out its early days while pointing the way toward its evolution.

"We listened to the last record and realized there were a lot of elements that we liked, but needed to be taken to the next level," says Hart. "Everything is intensified here--the hooks, the melodies, that dirty, driving rock sound. We took an arena rock approach on a lot of the songs, including old-style gang vocals. The goal was to make everything sound
huge."

They nailed their target with Eighteen Visions, a blast-furnace mix of searing riffs, sharp melodies, and rich lyrical images. At the heart of the album's volcanic sound is Hart--an expressive vocalist who lends emotional depth to songs that slash and burn. The record offers endless highlights, including the stunning and hook-ridden lead single "Tonightless." "Ken [Floyd, guitarist] wrote that while we were making Obsession," says guitarist Keith Barney. "We didn't think much about it at the time because we didn't need any more songs for that album, but you could hear that it had a huge hook. He brought it back to the table for this record and we all agreed that it had to be on there."

"It's a little psalm I wrote after getting stood up," muses Floyd. "I was really hurt and lonely and defined those feelings as being 'tonightless.' I have trouble communicating my emotions without a guitar and that night really affected me. It's also the only song I've ever written about a girl. James did a great job of playing with the lyrics and translating the personal to the universal."

"Musically that song is a bit different for us," adds Hart. "But we didn't want to hold anything back with this record. Everyone was encouraged to contribute, whether they brought something that sounded like Goo Goo Dolls or Cannibal Corpse. No matter what the idea, it would get listened to and worked on."

The progress evident on "Tonightless" and several other new songs convinced producer Machine that he had to work with the group, which also includes bassist Mick Morris and drummer Trevor Friedrich. The band, likewise, was willing to take a chance with him. "We talked to a lot of producers, and we knew Machine had done some metal and hardcore records that we liked, but we were going for a big rock album," explains Barney. "The other guys we talked with were cool, but they didn't have the drive. When we sat down with Machine, his enthusiasm was just over the top. He understood us and our goal, and he wanted it way more than anyone else."

According to Hart, the producer was key in helping him achieve his personal goal of becoming a better singer. "I wanted to establish my own style, so it was really important for me to strengthen my voice and project different tones and inflections. Machine was a huge help in getting me there."

Hart's ambitions are reflected throughout the entire album, which is easily Eighteen Visions' most diverse selection of material to date. The most distinct example of the group's desire to push at the boundaries of heavy rock is the rhapsodic "Brokenhearted," an intoxicatingly bittersweet song about lost love. "The title tells it all," says Barney. "I wrote it about an ex-girlfriend--a five-year relationship that didn't just end badly, it was a life-changing event."

Hart admits that everyone in the band was originally "afraid" of the song. "It was almost scrapped because it was such a departure from anything Eighteen Visions had ever done, but the more we worked on it, the better we felt about it." At the other end of the spectrum is "Victim," which incorporates a healthy amount of Eighteen Visions' precise, relentlessly aggressive metalcore foundation. "We finished that one a week before Machine came into the picture," recalls the vocalist. "It has a vintage rock vibe in the verses and a big, in-your-face feel in the chorus. That song turned out to be a monster."

The singer also points to "Last Night" as another new favorite, calling it Eighteen Visions' "rock throwback ballad." But its subject matter was hardly the stuff of standard slow tunes. "I was in a very, very dark place when I wrote that," says Hart. "There was a death in the family, which was something I had never dealt with before. It's a very important and emotional song for me."

Having whittled some 30-odd songs down to 12, Eighteen Visions worked on both coasts to record the album--from the legendary Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles to the producer's own Machine Shop in New Jersey. And now that the record is finished, the band is eager to play it live for fans this spring, summer, and beyond. The self-assurance that explodes out of Eighteen Visions has extended into the band's entire vision for the project. "I see really big things for this record," says Barney. "We've been getting a lot of positive feedback and it feels like the planets have aligned for us. We're totally excited about how it came out and can't wait to take it on the road. I think it's gonna be f--king huge."

Written by Record Label
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