When the news official broke that legendary and influential metalcore band 18 Visions were reuniting for both a new album and a reunion show (both on June 2nd), I pretty much flipped my shit, if I’m being honest. We’ve covered it multiple times over the past couple years (even putting Until The Ink Runs Out as 1 of 15 albums that shaped hardcore and metalcore forever), but essentially what you need to know is that 18 Visions went from being an early deathcore/metalcore band and evolved into a band that really should have dominated active rock radio in the way that their peers Avenged Sevenfold eventually did. They were pretty ahead of the curve on just about everything, really.
Their return with a new album, XVIII, is nothing short of miraculous. And it’s far from a cash grab or a half-hearted attempt to make a comeback – instead, it’s an absolutely monumental testament to songcraft and aggression that recalls both the band’s glory days (Until The Ink Runs Out, Vanity) as well as occasional bits of melody that are closer to Obsession-era 18V. And the breakdowns? Oh, they’re back too. All you need to do is listen to “The Disease, The Decline, The Wasted Time” and initial single “Oath” for a taste of some of the heaviest metalcore you’ll likely hear in 2017, while the mid-album track “Live Again” is a heavy, emotional tribute to the late Mick Morris. Other killer tracks include the straight up ridiculously heavy “Spit” and the melodic/heavy balance of “Picture Perfect”, which features some absolutely plastering vocals from James Hart.
The fact that 18 Visions is back at all is rather impressive to say the least. The fact that XVIII is this good, though, is truly something to behold. If you somehow missed the boat on 18 Visions’ initial decade-long run, now is the perfect time to find out what you’ve been missing. XVIII gets our highest recommendation for being both an extremely well-crafted comeback album, as well as being one of the best albums of 2017, period.
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