VISIONS IN THE DARK

Frequently cited in error as a Swiss MARILLION clone band which although some similarities (keyboards and art work) may exist does stand completely on its own as a solid piece of work. Fans of Steve HACKETT's fine work will clearly love this one as both musically and stylistically DEYSS draw on many "HACKETT'isms". This is clearly articulated in Giovanni De-Vita's guitar playing which is simply exceptional and fits the music to perfection. Vocals are sung in English and are well done by a guy who is called Jester (another MARILLION'ism I guess?). Overall DEYSS has a highly neo symphonic prog sound (Love it or Hate it!) which is delivered with great energy and emotion.

Finally this is an important step ahead, in the direction of such symphonic, quite original and accessible progressive music, sometimes in the vein of YES (listen to the splendid final suite, the title track, or to such a fine mini-suite, entitled "Untouchable Ghost" & "The Crazy Life of Mister Tale"). Apart from the accented English of the Swiss vocalist and the bad mixing, the rest is worth checking out!! Quite recommended after all and you could also add an half star, in spite of some defects!!

"Visions in the Dark" is the second full-length studio album by Swiss progressive rock act Deyss. The album was independently release on both vinyl and CD in 1987. In 1995 the album saw a more widespread release when the Musea Records label picked it up for a reissue (in the CD format).

Stylistically "Visions in the Dark" is a continuation of the neo-progressive rock sound which Deyss initiated on their 1985 debut full-length studio album "At-King". Two new important additions have been made to the lineup as Jester (yup that´s the very Marillion influnced pseudonym he is working under) has joined on lead vocals and Francois Bauer is the band´s new drummer. It´s still contemporary Marillion which is the greatest influences on Deyss, but also artists like late 70s Genesis, IQ, and Pendragon can be mentioned as valid references.

Compared to "At-King" everything is better on "Visions in the Dark". The sound production is better sounding (although the album still features a relatively trebly and thin sound), the band are arguably more well playing and especially the drums are much more interesting and better performed on this album. Bauer isn´t the most interesting or distinct sounding vocalist, but he gets the job done reasonably well. It´s still the melancholic keyboards and guitar leads which are the greatest assets of the band´s sound, but this time around there are actually also a few songwriting moments which I find at least partially intiguing.

Upon conclusion I wouldn´t be honest if I told you that I think that "Visions in the Dark" is a great quality release, but it´s decent enough and for the all eating fan of neo-progressive rock it may even have some value. To most of the rest of us, we´ll probably live fine with the best works of the above mentioned influences. A 2.5 (50%) rating is warranted.

There are a few things that puzzle me with this second release by Deyss. First of all it's the line-up of songs on this album page. It shows that it's the line-up of a vinyl but if that's true it's a vinyl with three sides. THREE ??? Huh ? I'm curious what that looked like. The release year is 1987 so the CD was just arising and it is very likely we're talking about a vinyl as original production system. I myself have the disc and the line-up of songs is different from shown above on this page. Well, only slightly different. So that's all pretty interesting I would say.

Another thing I would like to know is who in fact Jester was. He's the vocalist on this second album, a different one compared to the debut At King. And the reason I would like to know this is that he sounds a lot like Aluisio Maggini, the vocalist of Clepsydra, a band that produced their albums in the nineties mainly. And they are both Swiss bands so it's not impossible they are one and the same person but I haven't found the answer yet.

Whilst I was digging for this information I noticed on other websites that they were actually quite positive about Deyss whereas on our site comments aren't that enthusiastic to say the least. And since it's our duty to inform our readers, there's an interesting task ahead of me now with Vision in the Dark. I will try to inform as good as I can of course.

One of the key factors why the opinions about Deyss vary so much could be the amount of experience you have in neo prog or even in prog in general. I think it makes a big difference whether you're newbie on the scene or if you have heard another 100 neobands before (like me). Because if you're new you could be quite impressed with the band for the music, and then I mean mainly the compositions, aren't bad at all. If you are an experienced listener you might detect some flaws especially in the quality sound and another problem could be you heard music like this many times before and done in a better way. Whichever, always realize this was done in the eighties and sound quality (in general) improved big time last twenty years.

My first encounter with Deyss was their debut At King and on that release the title track was slightly worthwhile to me and the rest hardly or not at all. With that in the back of my mind and the rumours that this second album was supposed to be a lot better I have been checking this one out last few months playing it every now and then. My conclusion is that sound quality has only improved somewhat but the compositions are a lot better. The songs have much more substance and are more energetic and emotional sounding than those on the debut. On the other hand it's especially the long epical title track that impresses most and the other songs are just remotely better than At King, the stream track on our site.

So that should tell the story you might say and it brings me to the convinced conclusion that 3 stars is the only right outcome. It goes way too far to call this album an excellent addition to any prog rock collection but it's a good album nevertheless. Mainly for neo fans that is.

DEYSS were a Neo-Prog band out of Switzerland and this is their second and apparently best release from 1987.They are very much in the GENESIS / MARILLION style but man do these guys pale when compared to either band, I mean they aren't in the same universe even.The vocals have a strong accent and besides the fact the music isn't original in any way, it's just so uninspiring to my ears.

"Passage" is an instrumental and the best of the bunch. Unfortunately that's not saying a whole lot although it has it's moments. "Take Yourself Back" is where it seems to go downhill fairly quickly. Again the vocals are a distraction. "Chained Human" is ballad-like with some soaring guitar later on. "Untouchable Ghost" has this catchy beat with synths early on. Vocals join in and we get a guitar solo before 2 1/2 minutes.

"The Crazy Life Of Mister Tale" opens with some GENESIS-like keyboards as the guitar joins in playing over top.The tempo picks up 2 minutes in.This is good. A calm with gentle guitar then reserved vocals. Some theatrics after 4 minutes then pulsating keys. "Last Chance Flight" is an uptempo track with vocals leading the way. "Vision In The Dark" is the over 17 minute closing suite. It's pastoral to start with vocals and strummed guitar as the song begins to forge it's own path until we get a calm 10 1/2 minutes in with atmosphere. Nature sounds a minute later then the music slowly returns to end it.

It's albums like this that give Neo-Prog a bad reputation i'm afraid. 2 stars.

Neo prog band Deyss formed in early '80's is the swiss answer to Marillion and IQ in musical terms. Influenced by such bands they release in the mid to late '80's two albums, first in 1985 and second and their best two years later in 1987 named Visions in the dark. Well, to me this release is a pleasent one from start to finish, I have nothing to complain, maybe some variety in the arrangements were better to be, otherwise the album is played in good neo prog tradition. The new voice of Jester is better then on previous album, the music has improved aswell and here are some excellent passages that almost every neo prog fan can appreciate. Take yourself back, The Crazy Life Of Mister Tale and Fifteenth Century Fox are worthy examples of great neo prog with lush keyboards and good guitar work. The ending track , Visons in the dark , the longest tune of the album clocking around 18 min divided in small little pieces is another good one from the band where all musicians tries and I think succeded to come with some intresting passages. All in all I don't know why is so bad treated this release, to me is a good towards great neo prog, ok is not original but has some really good moments. Fans of Marillion, IQ, Abel Ganz , danish Zaragon can take some spins, I think worth the time. The album was re released on CD by Musea in 1995. Excellent gatefold cover.3.5 stars rounded up to 4, and aswell one of my fav albums ever not only from neo prog zone.

Deyss's debut received critics, ranging from mediocre to even laughable thoughts and propably this was a good reason for the group to move on to corrective actions.They recruited a regular drummer named Francois Bauer and a new vocalist entered the band, mysteriously hidden under the pseudonym Jester.In November 86' the rebuilt Deyss line-up entered the Relief Studios in Belfaux to record their second work, which was finished three months later and released privately as double-vinyl and CD pressings.

Deyss had taken their lesson and the new album is extraordinary MARILION-esque Neo Prog, this time with a great vocalist, having his own identity, amd some pretty solid musicianship, containg symphonic touches and memorable melodies.Despite the presence of two guitarists the sound still is keyboard-dominated with Slavati strengthen his flashy synthesizers with frequent moves on Hammond B3 and Mellotron.The overall style is extremely British-influenced with ABEL GANZ, IQ and of course MARILLION stylings throughout, from the nervous synth passages to the melodic and striking guitar solos.The tracks move from atmospheric parts with multi-layered keyboards to great guitar-based textures, including Jester's very good vocals somewhere in the middle.The same stands for the sound, which goes from emphatic, symphonic and dynamic movements to laid-back and more lyrical moments.A couple of nice ballads are thrown in for good measure, far from the cheesy offerings of ''At-king'' and keeping much of the artistic style of the group.The 17-min. title track epitomizes Deyss' mature playing, switching from intricate and rich instrumental parts to more melodic and sensitive soundscapes, definitely among the great pieces of 80's Classic-styled Progressive Rock.

The same year the band put out the picture disc compilation ''For your eyes only'', pressed in the limited number of 1,000 copies, but this meant to be also the farewell offering by Deyss, that seemed to have been stabilized under the new core.Nevertheless, ''Visions in the dark'' is an excellent album of Neo/Symphonic Prog with some fine melodies, superb keyboard work and pretty great vocals.Highly recommended.