Recent Reviews

November 2024

October 2024

September 2024

August 2024

[ More Music Reviews ]


Pinnacle Point: Symphony Of Mind
Pinnacle Point - Symphony Of Mind Album Art

Pinnacle Point: Symphony Of Mind

Melodic/Symphonic/Progressive Rock
5.0/5.0

Facebook
Escape Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 17.07.2020 | Released: 17.07.2020

Kansas. Not the state in America. Kansas the band. That's who Pinnacle Point reminds me of. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Pinnacle Point was founded by Danish guitarist Torben Enevoldsen (Fate, Acacia Avenue, Section A) and American vocalist Jerome Mazza, who admits to being a huge Kansas fan. Their 2017 debut album Winds Of Change struck a chord with AOR fans worldwide, becoming a bestseller. Now Pinnacle Point returns with their sophomore album, Symphony Of Mind on the Escape Music label.

Pinnacle Point's Torben Enevoldsen - Click For Larger Image

Pinnacle Point's Torben Enevoldsen

The Kansas inference and influence is undeniable. One, Jerome Mazza sounds a great deal like Steve Walsh. In fact, Mazza and Walsh did a duet on Born Of Fire from Walsh's 2017 solo album Black Butterfly. Mazza also sang lead on several songs. I remember thinking how difficult is was to distinguish between the two voices. Second, in most every song within Symphony Of Mind there's a strong violin presence. Valeria Pozharitskaya's style will quickly remind Kansas fans of Robbie Steinhardt. Third, also like Kansas, in composition, Pinnacle Point succeeds at creating lightly complex melodic progressive songs that turn upon strong song melody and harmony, memorable refrains, lavish keyboard stylings including the use of a Hammond B3, and powerful guitar solos. Enevoldsen continues to be wizard on the fretboard.

At this point, some readers might say, "Okay, you made your point. Pinnacle Point is a Kansas clone." Perhaps not clone or exact copy. But as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerist from flattery. In other words, it's all good.

I'm not going to dissect so many tunes, only mention a few favorites. But it's enough say that every song within Symphony Of Mind is terrific. My personal favorites were the opening instrumental Ascent, Hero, The Wake Of Hope, Weight Of The World, and the closing title cut Symphony Of Mind. For something more akin to AOR melodic hard rock than prog, listen for the catchy Never Surreneder.

All said, if you enjoy classic melodic and symphonic progressive rock, and yes, highly reminiscent of Kansas, you will enjoy Pinnacle Point and their latest and second album Symphony Of Mind. Quite recommended.



CraigHartranft.net - New fiction, crime fiction by Craig Hartranft

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

The Bottom Line

If you enjoy classic melodic and symphonic progressive rock, and yes, highly reminiscent of Kansas, you will enjoy Pinnacle Point and their latest and second album Symphony Of Mind. Quite recommended.

Find A Review

Alphabetical Index

a b c d e f g h i j
k l m n o p q r s t
u v w x y z #
New & Notable
Read the Lionville: Supernatural Album Review

eviewing my archives, I was pleased to find that I have had the privilege to review every Lionville since their self-titled debut in 2011. Formed by Stefano Lionetti, a songwriter, singer and guitarist based in ... [ Read More ]

From The Archives
Read the Angra: Cycles Of Pain Album Review

We haven't had a new studio album from Brazil's Angra since prior to the COVID pandemic, 2018's Omni. But the quintet has been busy. In 2021, they released Omni Live in Japan where they have a huge fan base ... [ Read More ]