Eighteen Visions have been around since the 90s, bringing eccentricity to heavy music from the very beginning. It's not a stretch to say that James Hart and Co. are pioneers and visionaries of the heavy metal scene. Their sound has inspired generations of core music.
I could dive more into their activity through the 2000s, but I want to focus more recently. 18V went on hiatus after their self-titled album in the year 2006 (a controversial release which I happen to love), and didn't see a reunion until over a decade later.
A return to their roots and a memorial to late bassist, Mick Morris, “XVIII” was a full length album released in 2017. As a long time fan, I was incredibly excited about the band's release, which was via Rise Records. It wasn't a commercial success, which seems to be a trend with these guys as they continue to fly relatively under the radar. In 2020, EV released an incredibly hard-hitting EP titled “Inferno”. IMO, these are some of the best riffs to come from the band so far.
It's not very often that bands will re-record an album, but Eighteen Visions thought it was time for the classic “Vanity” to be updated. From the ground up, guitars were tuned down, tones were dialed in, and production leveled up, new life was breathed into a dated classic to highlight just how ahead of the time these guys were.
If you're wondering why you may not have heard much about any of this, from what I can tell, the band sticks mostly to Instagram to communicate with the world. I missed a few vinyl releases, unfortunately, because I slack on my Instagram attendance. They have been doing some great marketing over there so make sure to give them a follow!
The new track is titled, “Rot of Humanity”. It's a bit of a teaser, clocking in just above 2 minutes with a bit of that being a (sampled?) monologue. It comes in hard and heavy as ever. This appears to be just the beginning as the band has taken to social media noting that there is much more to come!
While you're checking out the new single, don't sleep on the collection of covers featuring some great classics from artists like, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains, and Metallica. The album is titled “1996”.
Are you excited to hear more from Eighteen Visions? Have you been keeping up with the band since their return? Let us know in the comments!