The somewhat redundantly-named PINNACLE POINT formed in 2016 as an online collaboration of Jerome Mazza and Torben Enevoldsen, the latter of Danish prog group SECTION A. This album, "Winds of Change", is their 2017 debut. Early on, the reminded me of Austrian prog group CIRCLE OF ILLUSION, a comparison which the overture-like opener "Prelude" certainly reinforced. The other artist that comes to mind is Michael Bolton, particularly with the character of Mazza's voice and the melodies themselves. The band that most comes to mind for the group's louder moments, however, is Italian group MIND KEY - decent technical chops combined with flamboyant melodies.

It's largely a pretty mild album, despite the electric guitar and other elements that technically count as metal. There are keyboards; they're exceptionally dilute. There's a Hammond organ effect in the background of "Damage is Done" but it's so quiet it could be mistaken for speaker fuzz. "All We Need to Know" is a particularly saccharine Disney channel entry. The pace picks up with "Changes", which moves back to the previously established prog ground after the dalliance with retro rock. It ends up sounding a little like EVERGREY on Prozac. "Winds of Change" brings the MIND KEY influence to the fore. We're then treated to "What Will It Take" and "With You", definitely the worst tracks on the album, approaching COASTLAND RIDE levels of corny (although the use of violin on the latter at least raises the brow a bit higher, and the fact that the two are separated by the somewhat jazzy "Never Let Go" helps).

It's a fairly solid release. The melodies are a bit cheesy, but they're well-done and for the most part the band still manage to retain a decent amount of energy throughout the album. The stated Brit prog influences are mitigated a little bit by the retro rock style, but otherwise they synthesize well enough. Not a standout but nothing terrible.