Vanishing point are an australian equipe of prog/power metallers. Normally not my cup of tea, I discovered them when wondering who Sonata Arctica were covering on their latest ‘Don’t Say A Word’ EP (‘Two Minds, One Soul’). After hearing some samples I immediately got ‘Tangled In Dream’ and ‘Embrace The Silence’ and I absolutely never did regret my spontaneuos acquisitions.

These albums are full of songs that are driven by enjoyable melodies, mid- and up-tempo rhythms and excellent vocals that express moods ranging from gentle grief to pure agony. What especially cought my ears was the relatively unpolished guitarsound which grants the music a bit of a robust sound, thereby particularly strengthening the faster songs albums on the albums.
Since they are about the only prog metalband that I’ve heard I can’t really tell how they stand among their peers. So no statements about harder/faster/better/worse than this or that band, I’m sorry. To at least present an intelligible assessment I’ll review this effort in the light of their other albums.
This is a re-release of their first album.

And this is, sadly, a debut album as so many others: less accomplished songs, less sharp leads, and, most bothersome, a vocalist that has not as yet found his muse. While Silvio Massaro has an absolutely warm and emotive voice, on ‘In Thought’ he makes the classical mistakes: attempts to reach notes beyond his reach and, especially ear-bending, sustains these a few seconds too long. There certainly are noteworthy songs on the 10-piece effort, such as ‘Vanishing Point’ and ‘Sunlit Windows’, but a lot of moments are better avoided because of this. The album follows more or less the same pattern as the others; faster prog tracks alternated with more tranquil, at times almost dreamy songs. In the latter half of the album you find a lengthy piano-driven ballad, ‘A Memory’, which could have been quite good if not for the terrible…well I’ve probably said enough about it. This is recommended if you are willing to take the singing for what it is and celebrate the good parts, or if you just want to know how this excellent band started their career …