More than six years since the release of “Distant Is The Sun”, Vanishing Point are once again ready to take on the world with their world-class melodic metal assault on the senses. Released on August 28th via Octane Records in Australia and AFM Records worldwide, their sixth full-length album “Dead Elysium” is a revisit to the epic and bombastic sounds of soaring vocals, heavy guitars and mesmerizing orchestral elements. We caught up with guitarist Chris Porcianko to find out the back story behind the length of time between releases as well as get into the the band’s history.
It’s been 7 years since the last album, how does it feel to finally get the new album “Dead Elysium” out?
Chris: Very happy and relieved at the same time as the album was sitting there waiting for a release for quite some time, plus I think in general it was nice to get the album out in the open during this period to give anyone a chance to listen to it .
It was a long time in the making as there were circumstances that stalled the progress of it but at the same time after all this time it feels like a little bit of weight has been lifted off our shoulders to finally have it out there.
What does it feel like as an artist waiting for the songs you’ve lived with for some time to get released to the fans? Is there a sense of excitement or a little panic in there too?
Chris: A total release and weight off the old shoulders heheh, its just great to finally have it out there after all this time. Sure there is excitement to it as well after all that time because finally something that we held close to our chests is now finally out there free and flying on its own.
What was the writing and recording like for the new songs?
Chris: When writing music I generally just go with the flow and let the creativity happen, I’m not one of those musicians who will force something if it doesn’t feel right, I think at times ones headspace has to be right as well when creating music like this otherwise it can become too complicated heheh.
With the Dead Elysium album it was the first time in our career where we had someone else produce it and it was good to have Dean Wells come onboard and do the job, not only for his independent ear and experience but also because he understands what kind of sound we have and what we wanted to achieve with the songs.
Dean was quite instrumental with the album in terms of vocal dynamics and at times alternative vocal melodies as well which helped us get a really good balance in terms of song dynamics, so he definitely earned his production title there for sure.
What were some of the things you wanted to achieve with the release?
Chris: I think its more a case that we didn’t want to be seen as dormant for too much longer as we now have a full line up again and we felt it was time to get the album out there. I think its more a case of also giving the people who have supported us over the years something new as well, so that’s been a focus more or less to reward the people for their support.
In terms of what we wanted to achieve? Hmm that’s a hard one because I’m not one to overly analyse if the album will get us to the next level or anything like that, I leave that totally to the listener hehehe.
What has the response been like since it’s release?
Chris: The response has been really great and our listeners are really enjoying the album so we are very humbled with that. In terms of the response from the press I think its been very positive as well which is nice. We seem to be one of those bands where people will really like what we do or hate us hehe so we don’t really mind because at the end of the day we aren’t writing and recording albums of music to “keep traction” , it’s gotta feel right and I think we have created something cool with the Dead Elysium album.
So far everything is going ok, it’s not going to make us rich or anything like that but its nice to have the album finally out there and we thank everyone for their support as it means a lot to us.
How does it compare to previous releases?
Chris: I personally think it’s a very strong album in comparison to our previous albums as it feels that everything just felt right with the album and the songs this time. It feels fresh and that’s the main thing to be honest, how it feels in two or twenty years time who knows? I think overall it’s a great addition as a chapter to the bands pages so to speak and it compliments our back catalogue pretty well.
What were the lyrical themes of the songs?
Chris: The title track Dead Elysium is more or less a theme in regards to the whole world enviroment at the moment, there seems to be a lot of instability and disconnection going on in terms of our ability to communicate yet we are absolutely hammered everyday with slogans and chest beating and the rest of the bullshit that comes with it, while still there is poverty put there.
There’s no need to celebrate the powerful criminals of the world through slogans etc, instead we should celebrate in my opinion compassion and respect with one another, it’s not really that hard. Also the title track Dead Elysium represents a play on words being that heaven and hell are both here on earth yet we are slowly killing it with selfishness and greed.
In general the album lyrically touches upon subject matter like anxiety for instance in the song “Free” and also we lyrically venture into the territory of being a provider, a teacher to our children with the song Salvus which simply means safe or safe haven in Latin. It’s more or less a song about providing that safe haven to freely express how you feel and just be who you are without all the outside pressure.
What were the main inspirations for the new album?
Chris: To a degree real life I guess, I suppose there are days when we feel that things are going great and there are days that we feel “what’s the point “ so instead of getting all frustrated we just write about what affects us, it’s a creative outlet that has worked personally for me for many years and I think it seems to keep me relatively grounded heheh.
At the end of the day we just write and play music and if something is positive or negative I think for us its easy to express our feeling through music.
Any favorite moments or songs on the release?
Chris: Ah that’s a hard question to answer hehe, all of them are close obviously but the two main songs that really get me going are probably Free and Dead Elysium, with that being said in a months time that could be a completely different answer hahaha.
Did you imagine how these songs would play out in a live situation?
Chris: I think when finishing up demos on any new songs we write that at times comes into consideration because we want to do these songs live, so it’s definitely a case of wanting the song to be strong but at the same time able to reproduce it live and have it sound full.
The songs are definitely in some parts quite technical but at the same time we can play them so it’s not too much of a stress. I’m not a technical guitar player, so if I can play them then I think anyone can.
Read the review of Dead Elysium
How did Vanishing Point form and get started?
Chris: Vanishing Point started many years ago under the name Eye and it changed its name when Silvo joined the band back in 1995 or so, I joined the band back in 1997. The original lineup for Vanishing Point before I joined was Silvio Massaro , Tommy Vucur , Joe Del Mastro , Jack Lukic and Andrew Whitehead.
I think the general theme always with the band has been throughout the years to just write melodic music and that focus has remained the same from even before I joined the band to be honest.
What have been your greatest challenges to date, and your favourite moments musically?
Chris: Honestly the great challenge is always lack of finances because playing this kind of music is not for the money but a creative outlet which costs a shitload of money more or less.
Of course there have been times when some previous members were a pain in the arse and that was hard and quite challenging because at the end of the day when you are in a band then you have to accept that at times it simply wont work out because it can get stressful , the other times when it has been challenging is when we have been ripped off by promoters, that of course leaves a bad impression which reminds you who to deal with and who to avoid.
To be honest there have been many awesome times as well, there have been so many great times when we’ve been on tour and recording, its hard to remember them all but they definitely outweigh the negative stuff we’ve had to deal with in the past.
From what you’ve learned so far what is the most valuable advice you’ve been given so far as a musician?
Chris: I think it has definitely been to listen to what’s on the inside, if it feels right and you’re honest with yourself then that’s the main thing.
The other one has been to focus on what your individual strengths are and accept that as a musician you have flaws in your architecture yet accept them and be true to yourself, there’s already a million awesome players out there, there’s no point trying to keep up with that race, but write a good song that makes you feel good and that makes it all worth it. If other people out there like your music then that is a bonus.
The advice I’d probably like to give is that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of your craft, if you feel deep inside that it’s right and it makes you feel good then go for it.
Who are some of your main influences?
Chris: Ah so many !! Everything from The Scorpions, Iron Maiden , Tori Amos, Loreena KcKennit, Yanni, Queensryche , celtic music , death metal , prog metal , black metal , instrumental music ….. I don’t know heheh, at the end of the day if it’s a good song then it’s a good song regardless of genre for me.
Who or what inspired you to be in a band and play music?
Chris: I would say The Scorpions and Iron Maiden to a degree, but I think it just naturally happened that way in my teenage years because I loved the hard rock / metal music that was coming out at the time and I thought to myself , ‘Man I’d love to figure out what they hell they are doing there’, hehe .
As a guitarist I naturally also wanted to play guitar after hearing Far Beyond The Sun by Yngwie Malmsteen and of course after hearing Gary Moore during the Victims Of The Future and Run For Cover era. I’ve been pretty much playing ever since and still enjoy creating music to this day, there are of course times when I don’t get a chance to pick up the guitar because I run my own business and have a family as well which is my priority, but I’m thankful that I have a supportive family who also likes what I do, so that definitely helps J
How do you feel about the current music scene right now?
Chris: I think there are a lot of great bands out there doing their best and that’s always a positive especially with the younger musicians/ bands doing some amazing stuff. The only thing that concerns me is what will change in the future because right now under the pandemic there seems to be many venues closing and bands trying to look at other avenues to perform with live streaming etc which in my opinion is a good alternative to playing live in front of an audience BUT playing live to an audience in the same room, taking in that energy is so much better because it feels better.
I look at live streaming like doing a music video, sure it looks good and all but it kinda doesn’t feel right for me to be honest, I don’t know what’s going to happen but I hope that governments all over the world can step in a provide some form of assistance to the arts sector because it does contribute a lot of stimulus to an open minded economy.
The industry has changed so much since I’ve been in Vanishing Point and in a way some of the newer methods of getting ones music out there are still very strange for me, I grew up in a time when I went and watched original bands play three to four times and week, I learnt a lot in that time so in a sense I think its great that there are many options to get your music out there but at the end of the day playing it live to an audience and having that exchange of energy is what keeps it alive for me.
Do you believe music can still change the world?
Chris: That’s a really hard question because it depends on who’s ears the music falls upon but I don’t think all hope is lost. “Imagine” by John Lennon is a brilliant song with very poignant lyrics in which I think that the world could look at, it could definitely change the world for the better.
Overall I think a world without music or art in general would be a very grey world to be honest, all it takes is for a little colour and you can see how great it can make people feel, so I still do believe music can change the world.
If you could be a fly on the wall for the recording of any album in history, what album would it be?
Chris: Probably none because I know how frustrating at times it can be recording an album and the amount of time it takes to get it right hehehe. Trust me the last thing I want to hear is the sound of my own music for a while after leaving a recording session hehehehe.
What is the meaning of life?
Chris: Oh man, I don’t know, be honest and humble, don’t stress too much and if there is a roof over your head and food on the table then live is pretty good. Look out for those less fortunate.
