Destination Set To Nowhere

What was first Olaf Thörsen's (Labyrinth) solo project and then quickly became a band properly speaking - Vision Divine - returns with a 7th studio album entitled Destination Set to Nowhere. Fabio Lione (Rhapsody of Fire) who returned in the last album 9 Degrees West of the Moon is once again rallying the sci-fi-themed Progressive Powerfest. Now, do the guys deliver what is expected of them? The answer is a straight 'yes'. I can already hear the backbiters say the title fits perfectly the ever-present guitar and keyboards wankery in this album, and they would only be half wrong: while it is true the album displays a lot of technical and frenetic guitar sections and proggy keyboards maelströms, they also do make sense. All instrumental sections (and they are legion...) somehow serve the storyline and are not too much of a useless distraction, or a showcase promoting the great musicianship of these boys. I said: "not too much". Technique is not everything however, and Vision Divine knows it. Ballads can be also found here and they will remind a lot of Dream Theater, perhaps even a bit too much. Lione's vocals are reasonable, he stays pretty quiet and controlled throughout the album, never trying to demonstrate über range extravagance or obscene apnoea skills. Soaring vocals sections are peaceful, rather spacey, and always pleasant. A personal special mention would go to the story dealing with a man searching to escape planet Earth. If nothing spectacular happens, the voyage itself is actually what pleased me the most in that album. I'll let you judge, but two thumbs up from me. Definitely. But then, what does the album lack? Well, simply put: memorable moments. Catchier melodies. I remember a time when Lione would go a bit higher and faster. Oh, he is on top of his form in The Lighthouse and also tries harsher singing in The House of the Angels, which is appreciated, but I would not have minded a bit more grandiloquence here and there. Which precisely leads me to my conclusion: expect a Progressive Power Metal album actually much more "Progressive" than "Power", and do not expect to be utterly speechless and dazzled. The true beauty of this album is somewhere else... somewhere out in space.