Thursday, July 24, 2008

VANISHING POINT: Embrace the Silence


Released: 2005


Vanishing Point spent five years working on this album through lean periods, personnel reshuffles and battles with former managers and labels. But it seems that every moment and every tribulation paid off. Embrace the Silence is a monster of an album, with 13 songs and a playing time of almost 80 minutes as well as one of the most striking cover illustrations of any Australian metal album.

It isn't that often I’ll listen to the same album five times in a row but that’s exactly what happened with Embrace the Silence. This is a majestic, mesmerising listening experience. It is Vanishing Point’s songwriting and true mastery of melody that makes this record. This time however they’ve made the guitars significantly crunchier and heavier and combined them with stunning production and Leonard Koplias’ Dream Theater-inspired keyboards that surge and swell and fill out every track. Previous Vanishing Point releases haven’t been known for extended guitar soloing as twin melodies have been the focus and that’s the case once again, but now and then a simple, understated lead break does emerge. The fine singing of Silvio Massaro completes the package. With more than a passing vocal resemblance to Jon Stevens, particularly on the ballads “Embrace” and “As I Reflect”, he is one of the finest singers of melodic metal in the world today.

This is a masterpiece, one of the finest releases of 2005.


  1. Hollow
  2. My Virtue
  3. If Only I
  4. Live to Live
  5. Embraced
  6. Season of Sundays
  7. Once a Believer
  8. Reason
  9. Breathe
  10. Somebody Save Me
  11. Insight
  12. A Life Less
  13. As I Reflect

Rating: 95%

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