Vieon - The Sound Of The Future

You know, there are a lot of sci-fi inspired bands out there that try to recreate that dystopian feeling that films and cinematic scores of the 70s/80s brought to life. And, while some do succeed, few really hit the nail on the head and manage to drive out an album that can make you think of towering metallic skyscrapers painted by neon signs and lights, as both men, cyborgs, and machines go from street to street without batting an eye at one another. But, in this case, I find myself surrounded by an authority of music that puts me deep within the pits of a futuristic city filled with its share of glamour and glitz and greed and corruption thanks to the mind behind Vieon.

I've already listened to the single, Starfighter previously, which served as a teaser to this full length release, and I quite enjoyed what was displayed. However, tightly wrapping it up with a selection of other well orchestrated tracks makes for an album that the inner sci-fi geek in you explode with jubilation.

The Sound of the Future, the title track of the album, lands you right in the center of the creative world of Vieon, the synths and striking keys that come across setting you further into an exotic land. The vocals that come in, digitally cyber in themselves perfectly fit with the laid back style of the song; it was exhilarating. At seven minutes and twenty five seconds, this track really moved and mashed you up with so much love for a digital age that I was ready to take in the rest of this album with glee.

Starfighter I've already covered in a previous review, but that does not make it any less better than when I first heard it. The third track, City Lights, once again cranked out an awesome cybernetic song of the forthcoming age, and the vocals were spot on once more. It sounded as if you a robot was speaking to you as it guided you throughout a different world.

Sonic Highway once again allowed for an immersion like no other; the sound of the song, the synths slow to show off a huge fascination with the gadget infested earth around you, while the quickened drum and bass pounded out the excitement of traveling fast on a road you've never experienced before.

Lost Worlds was fairly nice, the samples placed nicely, and the lighter, more quiet nature of the song changed the pace of the album. Minimal with most other sounds other than the drum work coming through, the synth work was successful in the album. During the last few minutes of the song, a more steady beat arrived, and the backing synth molded right into it with ease.

Sevastopol delivered out another righteous song to add into the already stellar mix, instrumental, no samples, and just a groovy way to sit back and relax to a great track. Coast to Coast offered a more gritty take on the album, and even had some electronic guitar like sounds to it, in a retro, sort of electronic sense. I really liked it.

I was very pleased when the digitally altered vocals came back in on Only Human, granting another A+ effort to the artist. And, lastly, with some water effects in the beginning to pronounce a peaceful track, Emerald marked the end of the album. Almost romantic, you could say this was not only a goodbye song, but also the track that locked in my love for the music I was just pushed through.

Vieon is a master at creating sounds of the future. I don't think I have ever come across an album that has so fully emerged myself into a future landscape filled with technological advances that some can't even begin to think of. Fifty minutes of cyber-dystopian bliss awaits you in this album, and you'll adore every minute of sound that stretches itself from one ear to the next. Sep 18 2014