Visionaire - Within The Arcanum Hall (2000)
James Allin is back with his sophomore release as Visionaire and once again I am pleased to say that this album is one of the most moving pieces in recent memory. Musically "Within the Arcanum Hall" is a bit of a departure from "Mystical Dominion" in the fact that the songs are less guitar driven and are more "ambient" (bordering on "techno" at times). There is an overall sense of less power but it is nonetheless majestic. The new sound is romantic, surreal, and sorrowful, taking the listener from the present reality into Visionaire's world. The keyboards play the most integral role in this recording and are absolutely mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful (ie: tracks like "Arcanum Hall") and when mixed with the guitar melodies (ie: tracks like "Entwined..." and "Ascension Passage") they create and weave a soundscape that is both relaxing and disturbing at the same time. Although not as heavy as the first cd this new offering is much more consistent and cohesive whereas all the songs play together almost like a concept (although I do not believe this is a concept album, at least not technically). The biggest difference between this and the first Visionaire cd "Mystical Dominion" would be that there are no more "death" vocals, something that James excelled at I might add. The vocals are clear and ominous. Although this will probably be labelled "goth" by some the vocals are more akin to bands Pink Floyd. Lyrically I am a bit confused (cause I have yet to look up some of those cool words Visionaire uses! heh heh). This is definitely not an evangelical recording but more of a allegorical journey into the mind of Visionaire. With titles like "Entwined Beneath the Portal Star" you can see what I mean. Some of the "viking" themes that were first presented on "Mystical Dominion" resurface in songs like "Conquest". After several listens I am still finding many new things to love about this recording and that is a good thing. As before I can not recommend this highly enough. recommended for fans of Pink Floyd, Saviour Machine and new Betrayal. -- Review by Norm