The nation of German has long been one of the most exuberant supporters of heavy music and can boast a very robust national scene; one of the examples of German metal potency is VANISH. Calling the city of Stuttgart home, VANISH are seasoned and finely tuned craftsmen of the intricacies of Prog Metal with a glaze of hard rock groove and swagger. With a legacy spanning over fifteen years in the European theatre, they are no strangers to the festival scene; the bands current line-up has been consistent for nearly a decade and they have been the opening act for bands like QUEENSRYCHE.

And now they present to you an example of their prowess in the form of their current album, "The Insanity Abstract", released by Fastball Music/Soulfood. From the opening note to the last gasp, "The Insanity Abstract" draws the listener in and takes you on a multi-faceted journey where traditional elements of heavy metal are interwoven with modern synth sounds. The musicianship on this recording is really quite something to behold; if there was a word that I could use to adequately describe this album, it would be "moods". There is not a single shade of the emotional landscape this doesn't seem to explore. It really is all here; technical and impressive speed, slow and catchy heavy 'chugs' with keyboard, peppered heavy rhythms that soar and dive.

But I think that by far the crowning jewel for VANISH is the vocalist. He seems to perfectly articulate every track with what is, by all accounts, a near limitless power and range. At no point are the vocal melodies or phrasing ever bland or overdone, that common criticism of, "the vocals always sound the same", is most definitely not applicable here.
If I had to pick out the most standout moments of the twelve tracks, they would have to be "Make Believe", "We Become What We Are" and "That Way Madness Lies".

Now I know that I have significantly sung the praises of this album, but I do want to confirm that "The Insanity Abstract" isn't a groundbreaking release that is going to establish a fresh perspective to their entire subgenre. But even though they haven't reinvented the wheel, they have successfully given it an excellent spin. This is an expertly produced release from a band that is clearly in top form, I tremendously enjoyed this album and I highly recommend it.