Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Vanishing Point, Octane Records 2020.
Metal is not usually my thing but when it contains strong melodic elements then I become interested.
Melbourne’s Vanishing Point are wonderful exponents of the progressive rock genre and they are due to release their eagerly anticipated new album, Dead Elysium, for world-wide release on August 28.
It’s been six years since their last album, Distant Is The Sun, so it’d be an understatement to say that there has been a good deal of anticipation from their fans for this new release.
Dead Elysium is their sixth album and in a way it heralds a return to the epic sounds of their debut release, In Thought.
That album, released in 1997, brought the six-piece outfit to the attention of the Australian heavy metal scene and spread their reputation well beyond our shores.
Over the years Vanishing Point has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the heavy rock genre including; Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, and Iron Maiden.
Six years is a long time between albums and Vanishing Point needed to show that they still have what it takes to make a splash in a crowded and competitive market.
Guitarist Chris Porcianko says that the band “faced many obstacles in the years between Distant Is The Sun and Dead Elysium. We’d like to think that this album is also a kind of reflection on the journey we had as a band and as individuals over the last few years.”
The outcome of their efforts is an outstanding album that is certainly up there with Distant Is The Sun.
The sound is huge, stadium filling, and probably the heaviest they have recorded.
They didn’t set out with that as an aim, it’s just the way the songs developed as they pursued the central theme of responding to the current deplorable state of world affairs.
Dead Elysium is a heavy album but we are experiencing heavy and disruptive times so it’s completely appropriate.
