The evolution of heavy metal has been a long talked about subject. The directions it has went into and how much it has changed has been a great debate. Yet with the latest CD effort of the band Vanishing Point entitled “Distant is the sun” is a great example of what made metal great in the first place and is still relevant with just adding some killer leads, harmonies, and lyrics.
Distant is the sun features great performances from every member of the band. Vocalist Silvio Massaro’s vocals sound huge and can capture the listener’s attention with very few words sung. The guitar work of Chris Porcianko and James Maier play very well off of each other as the twin harmonies excel and are very reminiscent of the triple guitar threat of Iron Maiden, yet the two of them sound just as big. What brings this sound together is the work of Simon Best and Christian Nativo, the ones that hold the fort together and keep the beat down. The drum patterns of Christian match the guitar perfectly while Simon finds a way to make the bass take the sound as a whole to another level.
While I enjoy this CD from start to finish the three songs that stand out the most to me are “Kings of Empty Promises”, “When Truth Lies”, and “Story of Misery”. Each one of these songs has a raw emotion that make you feel and want to sing along. Each song has epic melodies, leads to make you smile, and riffs to make you bang your head.
For a band that has been around for quite some time and toured with some of the biggest names in metal, I feel that this is definitely their strongest release to date. It takes what made heavy metal so great in the first place, infused some new elements of the evolution of what metal has become, yet manages to keep it original. Getting a favorite song on the CD will surely be different for everyone. Every song has a little something different to offer, come to it with melodies, choruses or verses it all depends on the listener. But if you like melodic metal with a classic feel and a modern sound “Distant of the sun” is definitely for you.
Jon Hadbavny, HMS
Older reviews