Visions Of Atlantis, Warkings and Induction
O2 Academy Islington – February 11, 2026
The “Pirates & Kings” tour had been billed as an epic adventure, which, it turned out, wasn’t far from the truth. Label-mates Visions Of Atlantis and Warkings, who co-headline this tour, lure European audiences into parallel worlds inhabited by an array of swashbuckling characters, guitar-wielding warriors and entrancing sirens.
To top it all up, Induction were tasked with breaking the ice. A few months earlier I had seen this German band open for Savatage so I knew they wouldn’t settle for a sub-par show.
Sure enough…..
Induction
Unfortunately a cock-up with press passes meant that power metal combo Induction had already started their performance by the time I entered the main venue. “Love Kills!” – the newest baby of Induction – was only a few days old when the band hit the stage of Islington Academy so the band’s eagerness to share their wares with the audience was understandable.
With songs such as “Steel & Thunder” and “Queens Of Light,” Induction seem to have designed their setlist to fit in the ‘epic’ slant of the show. All the quintet displayed a youthful exuberance on stage and did their utmost to connect with the audience. All in all, Induction put on a good show and I’m sure this won’t be the last time London will host the band.
Warkings
Right before the intro to the first song of Warkings, I noticed that the venue DJ played Manowar’s “Fighting The World.” Somehow I suspect this was no mere co-incidence as the albums of Warkings are all about famous warriors and battles throughout history. The band members themselves adopt personas of famous warriors…the Roman Empire (The Tribune), the Spartan, the Crusader…and all performed in attire reflecting their character.
Incidentally a few years ago I had talked to lead vocalist The Tribune when he was fronting another band and during the interview he had mentioned that his full-time job was a University professor/lecturer in History. So one may easily speculate that Warkings is a vehicle for him to indulge in his fascination with the subject.
But I digress….
The set of Warkings kicked off with the catchy “Genghis Khan” and then proceeded to deliver numbers from most of their discography, such as “Odin’s Sons,” “We Are The Fire” and “Gladiator. “All the while the audience took every opportunity to indicate their approval via battle grunts and singing along to the songs’ choruses. Their reaction to “Hangman’s Night” was a perfect example of this. Towards the end of the show, a crew member surfed the crowd in a huge rubber tire – Warkings seemed to take every opportunity to make their show as immersive as possible. This was particularly important because Warkings were recording tonight’s show.
For most of the set, lead vocals were shared between The Tribune and Morgana Le Fey. Morgana added a wide range of vocal styles to the band’s music; her singing included both clean singing and death metal growls.
I have read academic studies that have drawn parallels between Metal gigs and tribal gatherings of centuries past. So in a way it makes sense to combine the two elements. In any case tonight Warkings delivered a fun, tight and visually striking show.
Visions Of Atlantis
The last three albums from Visions Of Atlantis are focused on pirate lore and tonight’s show was clearly going to be a reflection of that. The stage was elaborately set up to look like the deck of a pirate ship including props such as cannons, lanterns and a hangman’s noose.
From the moment the band members set foot on stage, Visions Of Atlantis had the audience in the palm of their hand. Whether it was “Legions of the Seas,” “Hellfire” or “Tonight I’m Alive,” the audience cheered and sang along. The piano melody preceding “Pirates Will Return” introduced one of the show’s highlights and offered some contrast to the more uptempo numbers.
A few songs into their set, some members of Warkings joined Visions Of Atlantis on stage to deliver a couple of numbers together….much to the crowd’s delight.
Co-lead vocalist Clémentine Delauney, who had her birthday tonight, gave a particularly strong performance but all the band members sounded tight together.
Against a backdrop of impending real-world turmoil, Visions Of Atlantis and Warkings offered some escapism and an opportunity to tune out of life’s preoccupations…even if just for a couple of hours.
