VISUALIS
“Rites Of The Eclipse”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

8/10

Visualis are a heavy metal band from Australia formed in 2018 releasing their debut E.P. ‘Sunrise In Black’ in 2021, and debut full length album ‘Rites Of The Eclipse’ in 2025…

…featuring eleven songs across an immense fifty five minutes. ‘Rites Of The Eclipse’ has a sound that can only be described as eclectic, Visualis running up and down the metal spectrum to deliver melodic heavy, groove, speed, power and a little doom metal – the one and a half instrumental ‘Rites Of The Eclipse’ setting the album on its way with an eerie, tension filled yet highly anticipative atmosphere, ‘Away’ moving in a progressive direction, building a crescendo over the first minute to adopt a mid tempo march – a very heavy march with a mix of clean and harsh vocals. The changes of gear and tempo are aplenty, Visualis offering incredible variety across the albums opener as ‘War And Pain’ descends upon ‘Rites Of The Eclipse’ (the album).

And when I say descend, I mean descend like fog on a cool winters day – the doom heavy style of metal engulfing every listener as the band assume a mid tempo thunder stomp, ‘War And Pain’ more menacing than the previous song by the proverbial country mile! The variation across the opening brace has been wide, very wide, and is only gonna get wider as ‘Heritage’ enters the fray with an up tempo, lively nature similar to folk metal, Visualis changing the tempo after just a minute to ooze a Southern style hip swinging swagger – imagine a combination of Skyclad, Aerosmith and sixties swing, and you’ll have a little idea of how the album sounds right now! ‘The Ones We Lost’ slow burns into life on the crest of a mellow wave, the band hymn-like in their approach, the Australian outfit surging on with a pace changing, texture altering progressive metaller that’s gonna take more than just the one listen to fully appreciate everything that’s on offer.

The myriad of metal styles on show is mind boggling, Visualis offering more variety than Heinz as ‘Rites Of The Eclipse’ (the album) explodes furiously into life with electrifying pace courtesy of the power metal driven ‘Dreamchaser’ – and in all honesty the first opportunity for some serious head banging. So come on readers, listeners, metallers and moshers, get those necks moving and head bang hard as methinks these opportunities are gonna be rare – ‘Faith To Hell’ resuming the albums slow and steady root stance, albeit at ground shuddering heaviness, the vocals snarling and spitting venom as Visualis toughen up their sound to a level not heard previously. I just can’t stress enough the plethora of styles on offer, can there be too many? Yes, is both the short and long answer, as too many can blur the border lines of a bands soundscape and leave listeners wondering just where the band is coming from, ‘Coma’ striding forth with a doom, alternative, Grunge metal feel and the continuation of the snarling vocals from the previous song.

I know heavy metal territory is very wide, but I didn’t think it was this wide, Visualis covering every inch and beyond with their debut album, continually stepping over borders and boundaries to deliver more styles than those featured at a week long fashion show! And with no end in sight of the bands nomadic tendencies, ‘Human’ has a slight industrial metal feel about it, Visualis broadening their musical horizons to new widths as hard rock, shock rock, and doom metal also get a look-in here – ‘Metal Oath’ the most “heavy metal” song on the album by a long shot! The band are at full tilt with snarling vocals and a traditional metal gallop to set the world alight as a new anthem for all metalheads comes surging forth outta Sydney – the chorus a dead cert to be sung, screeched and screamed by everyone everywhere “metal, metal oath, fist pumping in the air, metal, metal oath, let’s celebrate, brothers and sisters everywhere”. ‘Sons Of The Sun’ brings the album to a close with the band showcasing every style of metal music they have in their vast arsenal across the songs entire seven and a half minute run time.

Overall, a meandering march of varying styles, ‘Rites Of The Eclipse’ features a mix of traditional, progressive, power, alternative and doom metal.

TRACKLIST

Rites Of The Eclipse
Away
War And Pain
Heritage
The Ones We Lost
Dreamchaser
Faith To Hell
Coma
Human
Metal Oath
Sons Of The Sun

https://visualis.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VisualisBand

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