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2014 has certainly been a year of strong Power Metal releases and Australia's Vanishing Point isn't a band to be left behind so we get their fifth full-length, Distant is the Sun. I've not heard much from this band's back catalog but if Distant is the Sun is an indication, they are a solid, if unadventurous, band. The music is well played and the sound is clean. The vocals are mid-range and powerful, the leads tasteful and the tempos varied. Sound familiar? It should. Distant is the Sun is about the safest Power Metal album I've heard in a long time. It is by no means bad but I would have a damn hard time picking it out of a crowd. While I was listening, words like "mature," "reserved" and even "staid" ran through my mind. It reminds me of the late 70s/early 80s rock music from bands like Journey and REO Speedwagon that got tagged as "corporate rock" for following a formula and sounding a lot like what came before. I'm not trying to create a new sub-genre here, but Vanishing Point certainly makes a case for "Corporate Power Metal." It isn't all bad and while most of the up-tempo stuff is completely faceless, the ballads "Let the River Run" and "Story of Misery" are the album's highlights, something I've found to be unusual for Power Metal releases.

If you dig bands like Silent Force and especially Masterplan, Vanishing Point's Distant is the Sun is going to fit right in, but it is more of a "change of pace" album and won't likely replace any of your existing favorites.