Men At Work might have some cause for concern. . . They’re at risk of losing their place as my 2nd-favorite Australian band (no one will ever unseat The Wiggles at #1). I kid Colin Hay and Capt. Feathersword, but I’m serious about the excellence of Vanishing Point. This band possesses a near-perfect Power Metal sound. Their blend of driving drums, powerful vocals, bold synths, and complex guitar parts - - lead and rhythm - - just feels entirely comfortable in the ear buds, perfectly right. Silvio Massaro is one of the best singers in Metal. Amend that: he’s one of the best singers in music today. His shining, clarion voice is like an elemental force unto itself. The muted guitars and double-bass kicks are in a constant mathematically complex dialogue throughout every track. You layer Silvio’s vocal melodies and the almost-choral synths over the top, and you really can’t fail.

Vanishing Point’s strong foundation is fortunate, because while “Dead Elysium” is a welcome return from a great Power Prog band, the record suffers from some filler tracks; it potholes with some just-OK formulaic stuff in the middle. Their only other sin is sometimes indulging in sameness from one song to the next, even echoing back to some patterns from their magnificent 2014 release, “Distant is the Sun.”
It’s a thrill to have these guys back with a new album again. The opening title track has a hypnotic verse rhythm, with a perfect 10 of a chorus. “Count Your Days” is almost a highlight, and “Salvus” is a fascinating almost-win, like a channelling blend of Devin Townsend and Journey. “Free” has a fantastic piano outro, “Recreate the Impossible,” “The Healing,” and “The Ocean” (not a Led Zeppelin cover) also work well. Overall, I prefer “Distant is the Sun” as an album, but “Dead Elysium” is still a worthy follow-up. I hope we don’t have to wait 6 years for the next one.