VIXIT

BATTLESTATIONS are a mysterious band out of Belgium who purposely keep a lot of information to themselves about the music. I'm pretty sure they are fans of Horror movies judging from the album covers of "In A Cold Embrace" and "The Extent Of Damage" and this is especially true of that video link that some got with "The Extent Of Damage". I am so not into disturbing images or videos. Anyway the music on both of those albums didn't come across as being as creepy or evil as the album covers and video would suggest.

So they really threw me a curve with this their latest album 'Vixit". The music sounds like something you'd hear in a centuries old church in Europe somewhere. We get mostly synths and orchestration(usually in the form of strings) plus real choirs. There's also some piano, percussion and maybe electronics at one point and maybe some guitar. The Latin word "Vixit" means "lived" and the Romans often used this when referring to someone who died not wanting to focus on the loss but on the fact the person did live. Of course the album cover shows a person who is clearly dead floating upwards to the sky and the music here would seem to be the soundtrack to this event. Yes this record comes across heavily as being a soundtrack album in my opinion.

The album is divided into three passages or songs ranging from the 24 minute opener to the 3 1/2 middle section to the 14 minute closer. The music sounds samey so it could easily have been one seamless piece but the divisions are there for a reason. There's so much atmosphere usually in the form of synths or strings and the choirs I swear at some points cry "Holy" over and over. This is pretty cool but maybe for me it's just me and my beliefs that when I die it will be all about light and love with no darkness to be found.

I have played this many times and it's just not appealing to me at all even though I think it should. Two reviewers on here who I respect gave it 5 stars but I can't even give it 4 stars as I really have no desire to spin this again. I was glad of course to hear this and this new direction they have taken. Clearly I'm in the minority looking around the internet at some other reviews. Check it out!