This act can hit hard when they put their mind to it.

I'm not sure how inspiring the name Sailing To Nowhere really is, images of a band with no real direction conjured up before a note is struck. In many ways it's a sign of what's to come on 'To The Unknown', as an obviously talented bunch finding themselves sitting somewhere between Progressive and Power Metal without really being either. Add in a slightly, but never full-on, Symphonic edge and what should be a melding of well acquainted musical bedfellows feels forced and remote.

As we often see these days, this outfit attempt to get their message across through twin vocalists, one female, Veronica Bultrini and a male counterpart, Marco Palazzi. In itself that's a powerful weapon, yet Palazzi's voice proves a challenge, his rasping tones sometimes too rough for the sounds his band create, although the slightly Carol Decker (T'Pau) sounding vocals from Bultrini are far more readily palatable.

Musically the star is keyboard player Valentina De Iuliis, her sumptuous melodies, atmospheric interventions and proud clarion calls are continually impressive. However too often the music itself is happy to sit, whether bold and chest beating or intimate and seductive, at mid-pace causing even the most attentive to lose interest as things unfold.

Add in a production which isolates the drums and causes them to sound obtrusive and cluttered ('Fallen Angel' being the worst culprit) and the undoubted talent on show becomes buried so deep that you stop listening out for it. 'Strange Dimension' does offer a more rounded feel, as the keyboards set heartfelt themes with a real sense of believability, while the energetic 'Sailing To Nowhere' proves this act can hit hard when they put their mind to it. However all too often the songs are simply satisfied to follow a similar path and reach an expected outcome.

'To The Unknown' is not a bad debut but in a musical field rammed with quality acts young and old, Sailing To Nowhere will need to decide on their destination soon, or they may find themselves all at sea.

Steven Reid