imagine dragnos night visions imagine dragons albums

‘Demons’ sways along to a slow tempo, crooning “it’s where my demons hide” overtop of an intense, groovy rhythm. ‘Radioactive’ thrives on an offbeat verse consisting of the line “this is it, the apocalypse” and a triumphant chorus that announces its arrival via the passage, “welcome to the new age.” Obviously, ‘It’s Time’ anchors Night Visions with its infectious melody, but there is yet another track that rivals the former for best song on the album.

It’s rather unfortunate that they must rely on a prior EP to create their debut LP’s best moments, but nevertheless they are strong. Night Visions does manage to put its best foot forward first, but it’s a quality that can be mostly attributed to four Continued Silence tracks being presented within the first five songs. ‘Fallen’ is a prime instance, employing a heavy drum beat, echoed vocals, and a chorus that soars to ridiculous heights for not being very catchy. All of this results in something that sounds overblown. Every song is offered upon a gold platter of lively hooks, huge drums, and hand claps – but at the heart of every grandiose sonic expedition is a very repetitive structure that fails to stand on the same level as the production.

It’s not that Night Visions isn’t listenable, in fact it’s quite the contrary. Unfortunately, the majority of the band’s work here lacks the pleasing aesthetic qualities of their already famous single, allowing the virtually incalculable momentum that they’ve ascertained to be squandered on a commonplace stadium rock album.

With genre influences ranging from hip-hop to folk, along with an affinity for peculiar instrumental/synth inclusions, it was easy to see why Night Visions took its place among the year’s most anticipated records. If it delivered upon the promise of ‘It’s Time’ and Imagine Dragon’s earlier 2012 counterpart, the EP Continued Silence, then there would be little doubt that we’d be staring at one of the best and most unabashedly mainstream rock albums of the year.

The mandolin introduction to Imagine Dragons’ ‘It’s Time’ was the soundtrack to many a radio-rock goers’ summer, and with its unique progression building to one of the year’s most unforgettable choruses, nobody could be blamed for eagerly awaiting the band’s first full-length album. Review Summary: So polished that it slips right in one ear and out the other.

Imagine dragnos night visions imagine dragons albums