TrackListe :

1. My Angel Died 01:03
2. The 25th Hour 06:41
3. Out of a Distant Night (Voices) 06:34
4. Alpha & Omega 06:58
5. Eildes of a Child 05:58
6. The Daemon you Hide 05:48
7. Waiting for the Dawn 02:09
8. Essence of Time 05:39
9. A Perfect Suicide 06:25
10. Heaven Calling 04:22
11. Ascension 02:42

Probably Vision Divine have arrived at the point in which nobody could doubt that they’re one of the most valid bands of the power/prog landscape, and one of the Italian metal glories. Already with works like ‘stream of unconsciousness’ and ‘the perfect machine’ our guys had sustained this thesis, and with the last fatigue they confirm it.

Now, nothing to say to Fabio Lione, but Michele Luppi gave the start for VD’s evolution, coating really tasty music with so elegant and technical vocal lines. A talent not easy to find, this Luppi!

If Vision Divine found the perfection with ‘Stream of Unconsciousness’ –unforgettable- , with ‘the 25th hour’ they sure come close it, the producer Timo Tolkki could be proud. Good chasing songs, loud guitars, syncopated drums, and we don’t miss Oleg Smirnoff at the keyboars, ‘cause the new purchase Alessio Lucatti knows firmly what he does.

One general little negative note is about the excessive ‘happiness’ of the album… not to be bad, but if a blackster should hear this album, he would accuse Vision Divine of causing him diabetes!

However, never mind! Starting with the intro ‘My angel died’, let’s already enchanting ourselves by Luppi’s voice, to be then transported in the 2nd track, the title track, that has all the elements to be considered a real power song, so fast and pushy. But is with ‘voices-out of a distant night’ that VD give us the best they could offer us about the uneasiness and the sublime; this is an enigmatic and mysterious song, in which we could hear some Iron Maiden influences and an fright talked intro.

The next ‘Alpha & Omega’ slows down the beats, with persuasive singing and a refrain maybe a few petty; it is however a nice mid-time ,that finds his exploit in a solo actually substantive.

Going on, ‘Eyes of a child’ touches us with his intro that retrieves the refrain melody, but we have to recreate ourselves because it become a strictly power episode, and the drums hammer pleasantly our heads with the stabbings and the fastest guitars. Then it is the time for ‘The deamon you hide’, sweet song , reminding us ‘Here in 6048’, with a pre-solo frame that recalls deep purple sounds, and the solo itself really remarkable.

The instrumental ‘Waiting for the dawn’ accompanies us to the more particular and experimental song of the album , ‘Essence of time’, while ‘A perfect suicide’, with an almost Arabic sound, proposes us power metal stuff of first class.

We arrive to the warmest song of this work, a ballad in the middle between sweetness and bitterness. Congratulations, this is a pearl, especially if linked to the next ‘ascension’, in which VD take the motif of ‘Identities’ ( Stream of unconsciousness’ last song.) . A good way to close an album that didn’t fail our expectations. Vision Divine know how to get high their name!

 

Rating : 8/10