Album Review — Vanishing Signs

Vanishing Signs — Vanishing Signs

After two straight weeks of reviewing two of the biggest releases of the year we get a band that I had never heard of until last week. Vanishing Signs is a new band out of Europe comprised of members of bands you might have heard of. The major names are Dilana Smith, who was the runner-up on Rock Star:Supernova and has released a few albums of her own, and Neil Otupacca, formerly of Swiss band Gotthard.

I had no idea what to expect when I started the record. The first thing I noticed on the opening track, “The Right Time”, was the heavy Hammond organ sound followed by this powerful voice that reminded me of Sass Jordan. The song sounds like something off of Sass Jordan’s Rats record (a personal favorite) but infused with Deep Purple Hammond organ sound.

“Tripping The Light” is next and has a little more progressive metal feel to it. Dilana sound great here as well. I’m generally not a big organ fan but the blend here works. There’s enough guitar to carry the song.

A cover of “House Of The Rising Sun” is next, and although the last thing the world needs is another cover of this song, I like this version. The arrangement is interesting and we get a cool bass solo among other strong instrumental moments. Again, Dilana sounds at home here. She has a great rasp to her voice and sings with emotion. She’s clearly the star here.

Vocalist Maggy Luyten guests on a couple of tracks (No Regrets and Too Far From Never) and although she sounds good, I think it’s unnecessary to add another vocalist to the mix. Dilana is a star and should be up front at every opportunity.

The same could be said for “Heavy Hammond” and “Rollin’ On”. I don’t know who takes lead vocal and they do a pretty good job, but there’s no reason for Dilana not to sing every song. With only nine songs, having four songs with other vocalists diminishes from the feel of this being a band.

The title track, “Vanishing Signs”, is an album highlight. Dilana is back we get a little more melodic. Clearly she can sing anything. This is one of the best songs of the year.

“That Ship Has Sailed” starts with just vocals and has a Kansas type of feel. There’s a more progressive rock feel in the verse with a more straight ahead chorus. Another good song.

The four original songs with Dilana on vocals has the potential for me as an Album of the Year candidate. They are that good. Dilana is fantastic and those four songs make me want to buy anything she’s ever done. It’s unfortunate that we don’t get a full record. The five other songs are good, but they don’t measure up to the others.

I can only hope the band decides to do a full record of original songs with Dilana at the helm. There’s so much potential for a truly great band.

90 out of 100

Track Listing

01. The Right Time *

02. Tripping the Light *

03. House of the Rising Sun

04. No Regrets

05. Heavy Hammond

06. Vanishing Signs *

07. That Ship Has Sailed *

08. Rollin’ On

09. Too Far from Never

*Best Songs