For many years, the Newtown Creek, located on the far side of Williamsburg just north of Flushing Avenue, was traversed by countless seafaring vessels. In the golden age of ship transportation, it was the fastest way for the factories that lined the waterway to load ships docked in Brooklyn, which would then connect with the nearby East River and sail north up the Hudson River, or to the east to the Atlantic Ocean.
It is only fitting then that pirates, one of the greatest threats to captains and sailors alike, would make landfall in Brooklyn just a few blocks from where mighty merchant and industrial ships once dropped anchor.
Indeed, it was at The Meadows where Visions of Atlantis made port, albeit with a bus and not a schooner, on their first North American headlining tour. Together with The Spider Accomplice, Brooklynites were in an evening of song and dance that would make even the saltiest of seadogs smile.
Hailing from Los Angeles, The Spider Accomplice know all about the extraordinary task of filling a room with sound as a duo. "If you haven't noticed, there are only two of us up here tonight," said vocalist VK Lynne, brushing her iconic pink locks away from her eyes, "but we're going to do all we can to sound like there are a thousand of us!"
Fusing elements of pop and blues with driving guitar riffs, delivered by ax slinger Arno Nurmisto, it would be impossible to believe there was anything short of a full band on stage.
With roots in New York, the performance was in some ways a homecoming. Still, there was no mistaking the call of the Sunset Strip that rang out with every song; any of the band's songs would fit perfectly in a playlist next to Guns N' Roses and Joan Jett.
Given the line of fans eager to meet the band before and after the show, and even those who got the chance to do mid-set, there is no doubt that The Spider Accomplice is welcome in the Big Apple and there are many hoping to see them in town again soon.
Metal historians generally agree that Germany's Running Wild pioneered the concept of pirate themes in heavy metal, particularly with 1984's Under Jolly Roger. Nearly forty years later, Visions of Atlantis of neighboring Austria continue that legacy with their unique breed of symphonic power metal based musically and lyrically on nautical tales and legends.
Transforming The Meadows from a concert hall into the groaning hull of a Man O' War carving through stormy waters, "Master the Hurricane" brought the spirit of the high seas to the shores of Brooklyn.
Between Clémentine Delauney's haunting highs and Michele Guaitoli's thundering lows, the anthemic "Clocks" had the crowd singing and swaying. This was promptly followed by a legion of pumping fists as guitarist Christian Douscha's solo kicked in, backed by the grooves of bassist Herbert Glos and drummer Thomas Caser.
Producing a spyglass and scouring the audience, the dual vocalists asked "Are there any pirates out there tonight?" To which the whole of The Meadows roared in approval as the opening notes to "The Silent Mutiny" began.
While far from the only metal band to sing of shipwrecks, seasick hearts, and a lust for rum, Visions of Atlantis delivered more than just a concert: they delivered a show. The chemistry between Delauney and Guaitoli was nothing short of cinematic and, from "Melancholy Angel", to "New Dawn", to closer "Pirates Will Return", each song was its own oceanic epic.
Even after this show and last year's performance at Irving Plaza supporting Dragonforce, fans new and old now anxiously await for the black sails, or at least the black windows of a tour bus, to bring Visions of Atlantis back to New York.
Press and photo pass courtesy of Freeman Promotions
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