Anyone who knows anything about Italian Progressive Power Metal will be familiar with Vision Divine. This is their ninth album, spread out since their debut back in 1999 which featured their first in an impressive trio of vocalists to have adorned their music. For those unfamiliar, the debut featured ex-Rhapsody Of Fire and current Angra singer Fabio Lione, who left after two albums to be ably replaced by Secret Sphere frontman Michele Luppi. Lione returned for another stint in 2008, recording a couple more albums before departing once more in 2018, this time replaced by Ivan Giannini (also in Derdian) who debuted with great gravitas on 2019’s “When All The Heroes Are Dead” and continues his journey on “Blood Angel’s Tears”.

Although an obvious focal point, Vision Divine aren’t all about the vocalists though. Labyrinth guitarist Olaf Thorsen remains from that debut alongside fellow debut bassist Andrea Torricini. Deathless Legacy keyboardist Frederico Puleri is also still there as he has been since 2002, with Matt Peruzzi replacing Mike Terrana on the drums this time around, which immediately proves he’s non too shabby either. Therefore, most of the line-up which recorded “When All The Heroes Are Dead”, a healthy dose of classy Prog/Power Metal with melodic leanings, continues here, but with a bit more emphasis on the speedier Power Metal side, which suits the band and particularly Giannini’s multi-octave range even more.

The energy and power levels are high for the first few songs, after the epic narrated intro, which sets the scene for what we are promised is the first of a two-part conceptual story. Energetic drums switch tempos effortlessly and allow the band to deliver some of the smoothest, easy-flowing Progressive Power Metal you’ll hear this year. There’s no particular ballad as such apart from the two minute ‘Man On A Mission’, however this does then segue into ‘Go East’, which is by far the album’s most commercial and, dare I say, Arena Rock composition. OK, it shows they’re adept at the style, but apart from the 80’s synth style intro to ‘Drink Our Blood’, this approach seems to jar a little from the driving heaviness of the other tracks. Thankfully the approach of the earlier tracks pretty much resumes to the end of the album.

Vision Divine are a class act and display this quality throughout “Blood Angel’s Tears”. Quite wonderfully Italian in their flamboyant approach to the genre, but never eschewing melody for technicality, the song remains key throughout the album, which is another admirable trait. Excellent vocals top some moments of fabulous musicianship, during arrangements that have such a slick, effortless quality to them. Guest vocal appearances come courtesy of Ray Alder (Fates Warning), Alle Conti (Twilight Force) and AC Wild (Bulldozer), just to add a further spark of interest, if one was needed. If “When All The Heroes Are Dead” was a return to form, then “Blood Angel’s Tears” is most definitely another step further on that upward trajectory.

(8/10 Andy Barker)

https://www.facebook.com/visiondivineofficial

https://scarletrecords.bandcamp.com/album/blood-and-angels-tears