Imagine Dragons – Night Visions

Imagine Dragons, the quartet pop-rock band from Las Vegas, USA, are soon to release their debut album Night Visions in Britain, on 1^st April. Their single It’s Time has been occupying radio airwaves since its release, receiving a lot of positive attention. Undoubtedly, their album arrives amidst great expectations.

The opening track is explosive, and throws you straight into what Imagine Dragons are all about: powerful, emotional anthems. Radioactive is woven together with a heavy synth loop, giving it an almost apocalyptic sound. With powerful lyrics, such as “I’m waking up, I feel it my bones, enough to make my systems blow, welcome to the new age,” there is every opportunity for a fist-pumping performance.

The album features a number of songs released on previous EPs, which gives the second track an important role as one of the freshly pressed numbers. Tiptoe follows the same blueprint as the rest of the album, with the emphasis on synth melody and a strong, peaking chorus, but seems to fall flat in comparison to Radioactive.

Unsurprisingly, the standout track on the album is It’s Time, with its fun hand claps and enigmatic mandolin riff that engages you throughout. It’s a shameless feel-good tune, on which Imagine Dragons demonstrate pure musical precision, and the result is fantastic.

There is an obvious parallel to be drawn with The Killers. Both bands hail from glamorous Las Vegas and produce similarly powerful choruses that hook their listeners. Hear Me, for example, wouldn’t sound out of place on a Killers album, but Imagine Dragons push the genre just enough to create something that is novel and often beautiful.

This mainstream rock album is a polished production, and listening to it in its entirety provides an epic and emotional ride. Night Visions is a solid debut from Imagine Dragons, who look to become a big name within their genre.

 Simon Franklin 

Night Visions is released on 1^st April 2013. For further information or to order the album visit Imagine Dragons’ website here.

Listen to It’s Time here: