tracklist:
1)Stream of Unconsciousness (0:57)
2) The Secret of Life (5:21)
3) Colours of My World (7:24)
4) In the Light (1:03)
5) The Fallen Feather (5:59)
6) La Vita Fugge (4:40)
7) Versions of the Same (4:43)
8) Through the Eyes of God (4:30)
9) Shades (5:59)
10) We Are, We Are Not (5:31)
11) Fool's Garden (1:51)
12) The Fall of Reason (1:48)
13) Out of the Maze (6:29)
14) Identities (5:367)
Total Time: 61:59

Publisher: Metal Blade
Released: 05/04/2004

-= Current Lineup =-

Vocals : Michele Luppi
Guitar : Olaf Thorsen
Bass : Andrea Torricini
Keyboards : Andrea De Paoli (Labyrinth)
Drums : Matt Stancioiu (Labyrinth)



A Review by Kevin Buffington

I have to come clean; I'm starting to get tired of the European power metal scene. It seems like every European band with a guitar and a double kick drum has decided to release a power metal album. Granted there are a few standouts in the genre and their output never seems to get old, but those are the exceptions to the rule, and it's rare when a new band comes along that has anything interesting or exciting to play.

That said I was poised to really dislike Vision Divine's newest CD Stream of Consciousness. Vision Divine is from Italy which meant they probably wouldn't be as influenced by the German/Scandinavian metal scene, but I still wasn't expecting much. As I sat down to listen to the album the first time, my fears seemed justified. This was a competent band with solid musicianship that did nothing to move me. However, as I got deeper into the album and listened to it a few more times, it began to grow on me. It isn't perfect, but there is a lot to like about Stream of Consciousness.

Vision Divine was formed back in 1998 as a side project of Olaf Thцrsen, the former guitarist of Labyrinth. The band had released a couple of albums that were only available in Europe. Earlier this year they signed a distribution deal with Metal Blade and so Stream of Consciousness becomes the band's first release to be available stateside.

The main problem with this album is that the band doesn't have enough hooks in their music. It's obvious that every member of the band is extremely talented, and they can write a decent song, but there isn't a whole lot that really stands out. I found myself enjoying almost everything, but forgetting the songs as soon as they finished playing.

The extremely capable Michele Luppi handles the vocals, but he's the one responsible for imparting most of the melodies on the album, which limits the effectiveness of the rest of the band. You're not going to find very many standout riffs on this album. When the band does decide to come up with a strong instrumental line and let the vocals follow along, such as on the stellar "La Vita Fugge", you can really see the promise the band has. The guitar sits up front and center on that song starting off with a killer opening riff and then moving into a recognizable verse. Maybe the band doesn't like to follow such a simplistic formula, but it works to create something truly memorable.

One thing I don't really understand is the inclusion of four short "instrumental" pieces scattered about the album. They consist mainly of sound effects that are often rather annoying. They have an industrial quality to them that would seem to be more at home on a Nine Inch Nails record than a European metal band's release. The short and delicate acoustic piano/guitar solo "Fool's Garden" is the one exception and the only track that deserves to be included on here (sans the industrial sound effects of course).

Vision Divine avoids the neo-classical motif on every track except for the exceptional "Shades" where Olaf Thцrsen shows that he can do a mean Yngwie Malmsteen impersonation. Michele Luppi's soaring vocal line adds a nice dimensionality to the song that elevates it above the standard power metal track and once again we have something great.

In fact, Luppi is the real gem on Stream of Consciousness. He replaces departed singer Fabio Lione (of Rhapsody) and I'm guessing the band really doesn't miss him. Luppi's voice is higher than most metal singers but he never gets so high as to be shrill or otherwise annoying. In fact, he carries a lot of this album all by himself and is definitely worth checking out.

Matteo Amoroso's drumming is the standard double kick drum you'll find on a hundred other power metal albums and never really proves to be very engaging or even all that impressive. "Out of the Maze" contains probably his best playing on the album but that song never manages to rise above our expectations.

I hate to sound so down on this album, but I'm mainly just disappointed that the whole seems to be less than the sum of the band's parts. I find myself coming back to the same two or three songs every time I listen to it, and I enjoy just about everything else although there's nothing particularly memorable. I'm curious to find how the band's previous two albums compare to Stream of Consciousness and hopefully Metal Blade will see fit to re-release them. I can't unequivocally recommend this album, but those who appreciate a power metal band with a strong melodic side will probably appreciate Stream of Consciousness, even if they don't fall in love with Vision Divine.