Band:	Inner Visions
Album:	Control Of The Past
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	2004
A review by:	Jeff

01. Intro - Asleep
02. Big Brother
03. Behind The Grid
04. Eliminate
05. In The Name Of
06. Control The Past
07. Maze Of Nowhere
08. Wake Up With A Smile
09. The Prophecy
10. When We'll Be Kings
11. Insecure [Japan bonus]

Inner Visions is a new combo of Power Metal from France. Through the rebirth of the French label NTS under the name of Replica Records, they release this year their first album "Control Of The Past". Inner Visions plays a good old Power Metal but however it's easy to feel that there is also some little touches of Prog in it. No doubt that for a first release, it's not bad at all, and yeah if you like this kind of music, it could be a good idea for you to have a look in this new album.

Maybe you don't know it, but Inner Visions is a real good combo of great talented musicians. First the very good guitarist Dominique Leurquin who was before a member of Dream Child, and also plays for the live sessions of Rhapsody, but also the best bassist without any doubts in France nowadays, Mr Patrice Guers [also with Rondat and Rhapsody]. In additions, Laurent Nafissi for the drums, Philippe Jaccoud for the Keyboards and a very charismatic and talented young singer Julien Jacquemond. Even if two of the members of Inner Visions plays with Rhapsody don't expect any very "high" vocals on this album, no, Julien have a very low voice, very deep and impressive. It's maybe nothing very important, but' really it's good to see that we can do Power with the voice of a "real" man, if you see what I mean? At the end even if the music is a bit classic in the style the voice of the singer gives a lot to the music an to its originality. The music of Inner Visions is as I said just before, a bit classic in the style, very speedy, with catchy and melodic riffs but however it's easy to see that the band also try to touch Prog Metal [the sound of the keyboards will remind you Prog Metal for sure]. In my opinion it's a good idea and I really think that they could develop this aspect of their music for the future, it could give us something really interesting. Because the songs of this albums are well done, it's professional and right as hell, and it's good to see that we can have bands of such quality in France, and damn when you'll hear the numerous and impressive Bass break by Patrice, holy god, you'll see how a lot of Bassist should learn to play with their instrument, and I don't talk about the excellent guitar solo of Dominique Leurquin.
But there are also some bad points for me, some songs are really good, some other a bit more "classic" and not really "new", and the recording suffer of a bad production for the drums. If all the rest is very good, damn the drums don't really sound good? Sometime we have the feeling to listen a poor Drums kit and well we all know that it's not the case? That's something which needs to be changed in the future?

However "Control Of The Past" is a very good first album, if you like this kind of band, have a look in it, maybe even just to see the impressive musical level of all these musicians. This is not really new in the style but in the form there is some special touches in the music of this band that I really like, then why not you? You're a fan of Power Metal and want a good new release, no doubt that you must check the first album of Inner Visions. A band which must be followed and needs all our encouragements for the future?