This band first caught my ear with their Embrace The Silence album released a couple of years back. That album was the first album in 5 years from this Australian band and many had wondered if they were ever going to return. That particular album offered the listener a hugely melodic slant in the prog metal genre that was both impressive and refreshing. With The Fourth Season, Vanishing Point has returned with another outstanding effort and one that will undoubtedly put them into the upper echelon of the prog metal genre.

Embrace The Silence was an expansive almost 80 minute listening experience and even though a very solid album, it is a little overwhelming in it's length. Sometimes, a shorter, more concisely written album with strong emphasis on cohererent song writing and vocal melodies provides the perfect balance for an amazing listening experience. That my friends is exactly what we get with The Fourth Season. A big epic keyboard/guitar blend with a great balance between heaviness and melody accompanied by the amazing and strong vocals of Silvio Massaro provides the backdrop for what might be the prog metal album of the year. Vanishing Point has taken a few pages from the Kamelot recipe book but have taken it a step further with the extensive use of layered vocals and huge soaring choruses. Tracks like Embodiment, Tyranny Of Distance, Hope Among The Heartless, Ashen Sky and Wake Me highlight an album that is full of killer and very memorable tracks that are just bursting with melody. Tempos range from speedier power/prog metal to more mid tempo but with just the right balance to enhance the overall dynamics of the album. Each and every track has a killer get-stuck-in-your-head chorus and I find that my favorite tracks keep changing as I listen to the album. That for me, is the sign of a truly outstanding album.

A much stronger emphasis, without sacrificing heaviness, is placed on the melodic hooks and overall song structure this time over Embrace The Silence. Vanishing Point's music has a heavy edge but the guitar riffs are blended in with the keyboards and overall melodies with the vocal melodies being such a special component of their sound. One could write volumes about an album like this and with the level of consistency throughout, I find myself in disbelief that an album can have such strong melodies yet still retain enough of the heavy prog metal edge. There's nothing overly technical with this album instead, there's a lots of guitar harmonies and keyboard fills that add the finishing touches to these little masterpieces.

Vanishing Point has shown a continued evolvement album after album with each one showing improvement over the previous one. With The Fourth Season, Vanishing Point has produced the crowning achievement of their career so far. I can't imagine how they are going to top this one but I'm certainly anxious to hear the results. I'm a big fan of harmony and melody in the music I like whether it be hard rock, progressive rock, metal, power metal or prog metal. Never have I heard so much melody in a progressive metal release. This album simply floored me. A very strong candidate for my album of the year, this one's a masterpiece and a must for fans of melodic progressive metal.