If you ever needed a CD to represent the word diverse, Visi by Excision would certainly be a contender for the definition. This album takes you on a trip from start to finish, and you never really know where you are going or where you will end up. All I can say is that you will most likely end up with a smile on your face. That is if you are open to electronically influenced music.
As you may or may not know Excision is the side/solo project of Jeffray (guitarist for extreme black metallers Kekal) and Visi is the second release from him, and the first to be released on CD. What we are given is a vastly improved Excision with tons better production quality here. But it's the music that really catches you. Obviously Jeff is a guitarist at heart. As such the guitars are as varied as anything else on this disc. From psycho extreme black riffs, to moody 'Beck' influenced pieces, to dreamy acoustic interludes. It's never boring and you will find yourself wondering what is going to come next. Infused throughout the album is various amounts of interesting electronic elements. Keyboards, and drum loops coming in and out weaving through the music both changing it and adding to it. It's not a set pattern so it's pretty difficult to nail down one reference to the musical style, but over all it's done very well.
This album is not as angry as the previous Excision release (The Quality of Mankind) and actually seems to be more introspective and at times a bit depressed. Overall the lyrics are simply about living life. A few Christian references do pop up now and again and reinforce the struggles of the life we lead as Christians. I personally can fully relate to the chorus of the first track 'Broken' which states:
i know we have to enjoy the life
yet i'm still complaining everything
where is my faith as i had in the past
i need to get it back right now
I was also very moved with the words of 'If I Have To Die':
every tick of a second, i must ready to die
if i have to die
if you allow me to die
let me die in your hands...
...and take my fear away from me
if i have to die
if you allow me to die
let me die in your arms...
make me sure that i am not alone
in the darkness of nights
in the coldness of winters
make my eyes blind to see what's beyond
living in the faith to the one they believe is dead
I've listened to this CD a countless number of times, and have enjoyed it over and over again. That's not to say that all Dead readers will be into this music. It has a definite electronic side to it and the vocals are mostly soft singing. This is about as close to emo as I can get and those emo/indie people out there who may be interested in hearing something with some electronic flare will definitely want to check this out. Others who are more stringent on listening only to the extreme might want to stay away from Visi.
8.5/10
Other coverage for this album
Art for the Ears 2001Reviewed by Marco PovervestI regret this, I really do. What you can hear on this disc is the solo work of Jefray, guitarist of Kekal. His work for Excision is an amalgam of several styles and influences. The first song has an atmospheric feel with clear singing and it builds up quite nicely. In fact, I love this song. The second song starts with that atmospheric feel too. Jeff isn't the world's best singer but he has a…
