Any fan of symphonic, power, and/or progressive metal simply has to be impressed with the multitude of gems spewing forth in 2012. Seemingly every notable band that has released an album thus far has exceeded expectations, especially those bands whose past performances forced them a little higher. It has been three long years since Italy’s Vision Divine released “9 Degrees West of the Moon,” so the expectations for “Destination Set to Nowhere” were high enough from the fans, but nothing compared to what composer Olaf Thörsen places on himself. Well, Olaf can rest easy. With top notch writing, crystal clear production, and the always stunning vocals of Fabio Lione, “Destination Set to Nowhere” easily ranks among the band’s best releases.
Though many will likely pigeon hole Vision Divine into the power/progressive genre, the soundtrack to this science fiction tale draws influences from a wide spectrum of music. At its true core, Genesis (“The House of Angels”), Marillion (“Destination Set to Nowhere”), and Fates Warning (“The Ark”) can be heard gleefully gushing through Tom Lucatti’s molten keys like liquid beauty oozing through the mesh of Thörsen’s heavy riffs. And like a Maraschino cherry on the top of a progressive metal sundae, Fabio Lione proves why he is arguably the greatest voice in metal. But fear not power fans, your urge is fully satisfied on “Here We Die” and one of the album’s best tracks “The Lighthouse.”
