John 3:16 – Visions of The Hereafter – Visions of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory (2012)

Delivering over 50 minutes of stylish music, today we have John 3:16 and his latest release “Visions of The Hereafter – Visions of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory”. Competing for the longest album name ever, this one-man outfit that morphs between every release continues with his traditional cinematic approach to music delivering nine tracks of brilliant sound layers that evoke emotions and transport the listener to different realms.

Opening with the atmospheric “The Ninth Circle”, this album sets a very somber and martial mood very early. This track is quite enigmatic and keeps the listener on edge to what’s coming next. Immediately after, we have another momentum builder with some minor Drone influences that keeps the atmosphere evolving. “Throne of God / Angel of The Lord” also features some nice Post-Rock stokes that help paint this song.

Hypnotically moving through tracks like “Ascent of the Blessed” and “God’s Holy Fire”, the electronic infused percussions are quite engaging and some ethereal voices really help set a very unique mood filled with Post-Rock-ish elements. One of our favorite tracks is the trippy “Star of the Sea” and its Drone/Trip-hop elements that greatly enhance the aural experience of this release.

“The Inner Life of God / The Father , The Son and The Holy Spirit” nicely continues the flow of brilliant Post-Rock foundations with ethereal percussions. Even when the track climaxes with the distorted guitars, the sense of melody and harmony is never lost. Bringing this released to a perfectly crafted climax, “Fall of the Damned” is our favorite track since it combines all the elements we love about John 3:16 and this release, in particular the majestic combination of lush guitar work and dreamy ambient sounds.

Overall, John 3:16 keeps pushing the boundaries of his music and delivers a very well-crafted and free-flowing release that is pure atmospheric bliss. For the duration of the 50 minutes of music presented in this album, we felt like floating in space (no need for drugs on this one) thanks to the dreamy atmosphere created. Packed in an excellent digipack, this release is totally worth your money if you are looking for experimental music that puts a high emphasis on atmosphere and flow of the songs.

Release: October 16th, 2012

Genre: Ambient / Post-Rock / Cold-Wave

Country: Switzerland