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Discography Overview: Vision Divine

From Greece, I move on to Rome—present-day Italy—to meet Labyrinth’s sibling, Vision Divine.
Vision Divine was formed by Olaf Thörsen (Labyrinth), who teamed up with Fabio Lione (ex–Rhapsody of Fire) in 1998, operating under the tag of progressive power metal. The band’s name is a combination taken from the title of an Olaf solo release that never came to fruition.

Michele Luppi eventually replaced Fabio on the album Stream of Consciousness until 2008, then the role returned to Fabio, and later Ivan Giannini (Derdian) filled the position from 2018 until Michele took it back again last year. Beyond the vocalist changes, there have naturally been many shifts in the core lineup, but Olaf Thörsen has remained steadfast since the very beginning. Other Labyrinth members still active here are Matt Peruzzi (drums) and Oleg Smirnoff (keyboards).

Current members:

  • Olaf Thörsen (guitar)
  • Andrea Torricini (bass)
  • Federico Puleri (guitar)
  • Oleg Smirnoff (keyboards)
  • Matt Peruzzi (drums)
  • Michele Luppi (vocals)

Discography:

  • Vision Divine (1999)
  • Send Me an Angel (2002)
  • Stream of Consciousness (2004)
  • The Perfect Machine (2005)
  • The 25th Hour (2007)
  • 9 Degrees West of the Moon (2009)
  • Destination Set to Nowhere (2012)
  • Angel of Revenge (single, 2018)
  • When All the Heroes Are Dead (2019)
  • Blood and Angels' Tears (2024)

What’s the impression?

I first discovered Vision Divine years ago through an Andrea Boma Boccarusso YouTube video featuring “Colours of My World” from Stream of Consciousness, which—well—was quite clearly influenced by or inspired by Dream Theater. I only dug deeper into this band a few months ago, and my review stalled at The Perfect Machine. So only today did I dare to finish off the rest of their releases, with a sense of emptiness, which I’m trying to put into words here.

The first two albums feel fairly standard, carrying the Rhapsody of Fire flavor brought in by Fabio Lione. The Perfect Machine becomes a chasm between two conceptual albums that I admittedly find stronger. Michele Luppi’s departure turns out to merely restore the feel already present on the first two albums—especially with Fabio Lione returning, most notably on 9 Degrees West of the Moon. Ivan Giannini’s often high-pitched voice eventually closes out the last two releases quite nicely and with a fresh feel, instrumentally as well.

Another thing worth mentioning is the band’s consistency in featuring angelic figures on every album cover, except for Destination Set to Nowhere, which leans more toward outer-space sci-fi. Beyond that, Vision Divine have performed several cover songs over the years, but the most memorable is “Take on Me” by A-ha on Send Me an Angel.

So, in conclusion, I think Vision Divine were at their golden age when highlighting Michele Luppi and Ivan Giannini, even though there are still plenty of good songs from the Fabio Lione era. How does that even happen?
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