Album Review: Viza – The Unorthodox Revival: Volume II

We recently had the opportunity to do an album review for a Los Angeles, California based band named Viza. They are a very unique and interesting band to say the least. When we looked up Viza to see what genre they were classified as it said they were a rock band with Eastern and Western cultural influences, we would have to say that is a pretty great description as you can hear both worlds in their songs on this album. On one of the pages we referenced to get to know the band, it said that they were a mix of Armenian and Greek influenced styles with both aggressive and modern rock mixed in. We also found that they are on the Record Label Serjical Strike Records the Architects of Melody which is headed by Serj Tankian from the Band System of a Down. Viza are definitely architects of melody and you can hear that in this album within every song. I could hear some of the influence that they received from cultures all over the world.

When we first received the album to review we looked at the cover art and it really grabbed our attention with that great graphics that they have for each of the songs that are on this album. We were really wondering what we would think of this album when we looked to see what their influences were and what other people are saying about them and their sound. With everything that we read there was nothing negative about them and thought we would give it a chance and check it out and see what we thought about this band as it is not what we usually would listen to. We can tell you that we were quite surprised once we listened to the album the first time and really liked it. It was a very captivating fresh sound to the ears and their music makes your body and soul want to get up and move. Before you know it your whole mood has changed for the better when listening to this album.

The songs on this album were great and there was a wide variety of tones and riffs that all blended together very nicely. The very first song of the album titles ‘Pinches’ was very nice from start to finish with the amazing guitar playing and drums that draw you in as soon as it starts and then the vocals start and you begin to be captivated by the singers vocals as he starts out into the song and sings about the loving and loathing of a previous lover. The whole song is great from start to finish. The next song on the album is titled ‘Sheep’ and we believe that this song is up to interpretation on what you think that it could truly be about. It starts out with the statement that we our all sheep and this is the last night that we will meet. This song has some instruments that we usually have not heard in songs before like that oud and duduk which actually very nice to listen to and they make it all blend together elegantly. The song ‘Diabolical Angel’ comes in next with a little bit faster pace and interesting sounds and lyrics that make the song sound happy and a little bit of sadness all at the same time. Following ‘Diabolical Angel’ is a song titled ‘Dancing Twig’ which has a very nice story telling type of atmosphere and it really makes you want to get up and move around. All the different instruments that they use in this song is very pleasing to your ears and soul. You can tell that this song is meant to be a little like a love story as you truly listen to the words. The second to last song on this EP is titled ‘Tom Waits For Her’ and as soon as this music starts you can hear a different voice start in with the vocals that is a very deep and mysterious sound like you would hear from a narrator telling a very unique story along the way. This song is very mellow with soft instruments in the background until you reach towards the end of the song and you hear the duduk being played very nice and mysterious sounding. Suddenly and explosive guitar riff and some explosive vocals start in and finish out the song leaving you wanting just a little bit more of the story. The final song that ends this EP is titled “Pathway” and as soon as it starts off there is some very deep melodic guitar riffs followed by the loud playing and the chanting of pathway to war. We believe that this song could be a statement about the current state of the country that we live in and that we are on a pathway to war and that they wolf is standing there staring at us just waiting to attack.

As we finished this album for the first time we found ourselves really liking the vibe and mysteriousness that this band brings to you with their music. We listened to this album several times over the last couple of weeks at various times of the day and while we were doing different things around the house and at work. We even went and searched for more of their music so that we could listen to it and get to know the band and their music a little more. We never grew tired of listening to them and would really like to catch one of their live shows and see all of the story telling and mystery in person. You definitely need to check this out if you are a music lover and I believe that you will become fans of this band just like we did.

Review by Craig Youngblood