Vision Divine 9 Degrees West of the Moon
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Frontiers seems to be making a major push lately, beyond the AOR and melodic rock it is so well known for, into power metal territory with releases by Saint Deamon, Primal Fear and now Vision Divine. The band, long a fixture in the somewhat incestuous Italian power metal scene, is back with their sixth studio offering, entitled 9 Degrees West of the Moon. As usual, founding guitarist Olaf Thorsen (ex-Labyrinth) remains the only permanent fixture in Vision Divine’s lineup. This time around his band features another former Labyrinth man in bassist Cristiano Bertocchi, as well as his old bandmate in both Labyrinth and Vision Divine, vocalist Fabio Lione, who is able to devote his time to Vision Divine since his main band Rhapsody of Fire is on hiatus. Additionally, former Stratovarius (and current Revolution Renaissance) guitarist Timo Tolkki is back on board as producer.
It doesn’t take too long to realize how 9 Degrees West of the Moon ended up on Frontiers. It’s much more melodic than earlier Vision Divine albums (though it undeniably remains a metal album). Vision Divine has always been somewhat less predictable than their countrymen, and that holds true with this album. Where Labyrinth has traveled a fairly straight progressive metal path and Rhapsody of Fire has stuck to a tried and true power metal formula, Vision Divine has been willing to flow between progressive and power metal, now putting greater emphasis on melody. Songs like “Violet Loneliness” and “Angels in Disguise” in particular are much more laid back and accessible.
As melodic as 9 Degrees West of the Moon is, there is still plenty of heaviness. Witness the speed and aggression of “The Killing Speed of Time”, which is almost a thrash song. “Out in Open Space” is another heavy number, and sounds very much like a Helloween song. Album closer “Touch of Evil” ends things on a heavy note, but what else would you expect from a Judas Priest song? The flow of the album moves almost effortlessly between heavy and melodic elements, and has an atmosphere (perhaps this is Tolkki’s touch) that remains consistent throughout. It’s the kind of atmosphere that will allow you, years later, to hear a song like “Fading Shadow” and recognize instantly that it came from this particular Vision Divine album.
Thorsen’s guitar work is incredible as always, and his songwriting skills continue to improve with each new release. The most notable individual performance on the album is Fabio Lione’s though. Lione still has that melodramatic power metal delivery, but his voice is strong and instantly recognizable, and it’s at least 9 degrees beyond refreshing to hear him singing about something besides dragons and unicorns for a change.
It’s definitely not business as usual for Vision Divine, but 9 Degrees West of the Moon should satisfy the band’s fans, as well as those who enjoy Labyrinth and Rhapsody of Fire (though at this point, Vision Divine seems to have emerged as the best of the three). Beyond the Italian metal scene, 9 Degrees West of the Moon should appeal to anyone who enjoys high quality melodic metal along the lines of Circus Maximus, Primal Fear, Saint Deamon and even the Jorn and Allen/Lande type melodic hard rock.
Lineup:
Olaf Thorsen: Guitar
Fabio Lione: Vocals
Alessio Lucatti: Keyboards
Cristiano Bertocchi: Bass
Federico Puleri: Guitar
Alessandro Bissa: Drums
Track Listing:
1. Letter To My Child Never Born
2. Violet Loneliness
3. Fading Shadow
4. Angels in Disguise
5. The Killing Speed of Time
6. The Streets of Laudomia
7. Fly
8. Out in Open Space
9. 9 Degrees West of the Moon
10. Touch of Evil
11. Fading Shadow (demo version)
Online: www.visiondivine.com
HRH Rating: 7/10