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Visions of China
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 From noodles to calligraphy, golf, ice-cream, opera, fireworks, philosophy, and ceramics, China claims responsibility for these inventions and many more. In their expansive history, the Chinese have made some of the greatest innovative and artistic contributions to humankind. Yet their fascination for Western music, Symphonic Metal for that matter, had a few Chinese promoters working hard to organize the tour of a lifetime: To gap the bureaucratic divide and bring both VISIONS OF ATLANTIS and labelmates EDENBRIDGE to the Far East.
In summary: It was amazing! I consider it the highlight of my career to date. It was that wonderful. — Melissa Ferlaak
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS arrived in Taipei, Taiwan on 28 Dec after a twelve-hour exhausting trip by way of Dubai and Hong Kong. Though delirious from lack of sleep, the excitement of being in their new surroundings readily got them out sight seeing before their first show at the Armed Forces Cultural Center.
 In front of over 100 fans, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS tore into their set, premiering three new songs from the upcoming Trinity release to the ecstatic crowd and gracing them with an exhilaring set comprising the entire album Cast Away, as well as the tracks "The Quest" and "Lords of the Sea".
The next day, the tour headed three hours south of Taipei to the city of Taichung. Following the narrow streets, the bus pulled up to a very small club with no sound engineer — a problem abated by Frankie's (EDENBRIDGE Road Crew) sound engineering abilities. Plagued by myriad technical problems (broken guitar amps and monitors), the band delivered an extraordinary set, including a rendition of Metallicas's "Enter Sandman", in an effort to keep the crowd going after experiencing more difficulties.
After our first song, the hard drive quit. So in an effort to keep our audience going, Mario, Tom, Mike and Wops played "Enter Sandman" by Metallica..a typical aside in the practice room! — Melissa Ferlaak
 December 31 took VISIONS OF ATLANTIS to the city of Shenzhen and to a complicated array of customs formalities, before finally arriving at the hotel and heading out to a dance club to ring in the New Year. An exploration of the city, bargain shopping, and a realization that a vigilent form of Communism is alive and well in this at times seemingly capitalistic country, prepared VISIONS OF ATLANTIS for their first show on Mainland China, the following day. The club's opulent decor clashed with the humility of the Communistic dogma, and clearly catered to a wealthier clientele.
The following day, VOA headed out to Guangzhou, a 170km drive across China's vast countryside. A tragic, polluted drive that never attempted to mask the problems of poverty and globalization.
Once in the city of Guangzhou, the polluted outskirts gave way to a much cleaner business-oriented city. The band had a day off, as the promoters were unable to obtain the necessary government permits. After a bite to eat, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS treated the fans to a quick Q&A session before continuing their journey vía a flight to Shanghai the following day, where they were scheduled to play "The Ark" in Xintiandi, a very upscale and European-influenced area of Shanghai.
 Arriving in Beijing on 5 Jan. two hours late for their press conference, due to a delayed flight, VOA rushed to Melody KTV. Behind a beautiful and large cardboard backdrop set with photos of the band, 30-40 members of the press engaged VISIONS OF ATLANTIS in a Q&A session followed by a guitar signing, and the handing out of gifts to the band members by Painkiller Mag and Rock Empire.
The final show of the tour took place on 6 Jan in Live House, a gigantic and decadent club in the Chinese capital. With a sound engineer from Chicago, none the less, and camera teams preparing for the DVD shoot of the concert, VOA got psyched for a high energy show, despite Mario Plank and Melissa Ferlaak's worsening health, in front of over 500 fans.
 The audience started out quite reserved, but we were able to get them going after much headbanging and cheerleading. — Melissa Ferlaak
VISION OF ATLANTIS' final day in Beijing began early. Between radio and TV interviews, shopping, and the obligatory and well worth sight seeing tour of the Forbidden City, the band bid farewell to Beijing and the wonderful experience that their first Tour of China brought them. Sad to leave their newfound friends behind, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS promised to return to in the near future to promote their upcoming album Trinity and to relive the band's very own visions of China.
It is definitely one place I would love to go to again. The people were all so amazing..Space, William, Kenny, Mel, everyone at Rock Empire and Painkiller Mag and also GuitarChina.com..Everyone was so damned generous and wonderful. I feel so privileged to have been given these amazing memories by these wonderful people. — Melissa Ferlaak
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