Chris Porcianko – Vanishing Point

Vanishing Point are one of the biggest names in Australia’s metal scene, having begun their career over 15 years ago, and in that time, have experienced much – both highs and lows – and grown significantly as a band. Metal Obsession recently had the pleasure of speaking with guitarist Chris Porcianko. We discussed his time with the band, taking over sole writing duties for the new album ‘Distant is the Sun’, how music is a “release” for him, and what fans can look forward to with the new album.

While unfortunately Vanishing Point’s planned album launch for next weekend had to be postponed due to a family member of the band being admitted to hospital, Chris had initially expressed his enthusiasm for the event stating, “It’s been a while since we have had a chance to play in Melbourne again… as there are more and more international bands booking shows here which makes it a little harder for us small bands to sometimes book a venue, and it’s a relief to finally be able to launch the album live a little later than never”. On behalf of Metal Obsession, we wish the family member all the best, and look forward to when Vanishing Point can return to Melbourne soon. It’ll undoubtedly be worth the wait.

With ‘Distant is the Sun’, Vanishing Point returned with a bang. The album’s been doing the rounds over the past few months and has been receiving stellar reviews across the board – Metal Obsession included (check out our review here). It was, however, also a rather turbulent period for Vanishing Point too. Seven years have passed since Vanishing Point’s previous effort, that being 2007’s ‘The Fourth Season’, and Chris went on to say how “it was more or less a relief to finally be moving forward”. As he went on to add “considering the time period we were away [it] nearly broke up the band in 2010”. This was due to several members who left Vanishing Point at the time. It was a difficult time for the band then and things were “tough”.

It wasn’t even just that members had left though, as Chris also mentioned, “while we had some really busy times after ‘The Fourth Season’ was released, we also had some quiet times due to virtually being broke and not getting any money from sales due to our previous record label going under. And then having the album domestically hit a snag here took its toll on the band.” This continued for some time, and things only seemed to grow from bad to worse, with Chris adding how certain people “always want to be your friend regarding the cash is right”. As a result, this led to Vanishing Point dealing with scam-artists and people who pretended to be genuine but took them for their worth, both financially and emotionally. The band felt at a loss, and Chris made the point how when the time came to write the new record, they all made the conscious decision to set aside all the negativity which had been “holding them back from years before”.

When you hear this, it helps put a lot of things in perspective. So many bands start out naive, unaware of what to truly expect when they enter the music business. And unfortunately there will always be those who exploit this aspect, and sadly many bands much like Vanishing Point have themselves been hapless victims of this. It’s cruel and unfair, but I think it makes the triumphant return of bands like Vanishing Point all the more potent. They arise as a phoenix with a renewed vigour and purpose behind them. That’s what’s incredible: when you see bands that have gone through this, it takes real bravery and strength to return from situations like that as even the strongest men can be broken when you’re forced into falling on hard times. To bounce back is the miracle.

And when it comes to Chris, he noted how “To be honest with you, I never stopped making music during the seven years since ‘The Fourth Season’. I just wanted to be really comfortable within my writing headspace while learning how to record at home”. This was initially quite “challenging” for him as instead of the usual approach of “having five members to bounce ideas off and recording it in a studio, all of a sudden it was a ‘fuck , okay, ah, what does this do if I do this?’ scenario which took a little time to get used to doing”.

Having been a part of the fifth annual The New Dead metal festival last week in Adelaide, Chris stated how he thought this year’s festival to be “a great lineup with a really good mix of bands within the metal genre. There should be more like it” and how he’d been “looking forward to playing the fest as from the many reports [he’d] heard about the festival [was] that it is professionally run and the organisation is spot on”. Not to mention he was also looking forward to “catching up with friends who I hadn’t seen since we supported Dragonforce back in 2007”. And from all accounts that I’ve read, The New Dead was a great success!

When it comes to the latest recording effort ‘Distant is the Sun’, Chris was quite contented with how it all turned out. Amazingly, this entire album was solely written by Chris himself, which is an impressive feat by any account. “In regards to writing Distant is the Sun on my own,” Chris began, “it was challenging and although initially I was thinking to myself ‘what the fuck do I do with all this recording gear and fancy shit?’ I was lucky to have Christian Nativo help me through some of the more technical aspects, to recording demos and doing the pre-production to the album.” Chris was very grateful for Nativo’s help along the way, making note of how “without Christian [Nativo]’s help and guidance it would have been very difficult to get the album to where we felt we were happy with it, so I have a lot of thanks and respect for Christian for giving me a kick up the arse and actually doing it.”

Chris continued on to say how he’d felt “comfortable” making ‘Distant is the Sun’ and enjoyed the extra bit of time he’d had to work on it, making mention of how “it wasn’t as if I had to sit there and feel as if I was recording it under a stopwatch to a degree which can be daunting”. As with the majority of his answers, Chris was humble in his follow-up. “I think it’s Vanishing Point’s best work to my ears and I’m happy with the way things have turned out with it. But at the same time it’s up to the rest of the listening public to judge if it’s a good album. I’ve never been one to be overly analytical about if it’s a hit or miss with the people out there, I just like making music and enjoying it for what it is.”

While unfortunately, Chris couldn’t tell me much about the recent news that was teased on their official Facebook page – after making the joking remark “otherwise my balls will be on a plate [laughs]” – about a mysterious new record deal Vanishing Point had made somewhere in the world, and also of a tour they’d be conducting somewhere for the first time ever in November, he was able to say in its place that “it’s [somewhere] we have always wanted to play at [and] it’s a place where we should have been over ten years ago . So it’s nice to finally have the chance to go there and have the album backed up by a good label on the ground there”. It’s definitely got me intrigued, I’ll say that! I look forward to finding out more details as they emerge.

One of the things me and Chris discussed afterwards was his long-running membership in the band. Chris has been with Vanishing Point almost since the very beginning, having joined the band in 1997, and it wasn’t long before he took over duties as one of the bands key songwriters. I asked him about his motivations as a lyricist and songwriter, and his response was both amusing and apt. “I’m going to sound like a wanker here, but fuck it, life in general inspires me and when something makes me happy or pissed off I generally tend to have some kind of music in the back of my head. I always have some tunes going on up in that silly head of mine and occasionally I get a chance to put it to practice [laughs]”. I think one of the more fascinating things though was how Chris made the point of how music is for him, as it is for many others, an emotional “release”. “I don’t smoke anymore, I don’t take drugs and I seldom drink if at all so I need to create music to keep me relatively level headed and not thinking about stupid things or negative things which I don’t want to consume my every waking moments.” He then added, “The thing is in regards to Vanishing Point’s style of music, I’ve never aimed for being unique or different or even groundbreaking. All I’ve ever wanted to do was write good songs that people remember in a way, that’s all I’ve really ever wanted to do. The rest of the competitive bands can keep going at being competitive and then wonder in the end what they were competing against. I’m more than happy to stay where I am and just write the music that makes me feel okay and if it makes other people out there feel okay then that’s cool for me”.

The above paragraph summarises what I feel is the best thing about Chris’ work ethic and as a person. He doesn’t seem to let the petty quarrels or hardships involved in the music business take hold of him. While, like the majority of bands, Chris has been exposed to the ugly side of the music world with scammers and people always trying to be your ‘friend’ before ripping you off, his light-hearted spirit and morale – while admittedly having been shaken at times – hasn’t been destroyed, as such. Chris does what does because it makes him happy and if it makes others happy then that’s great too. But at the end of the day, writing songs and music is what’s important, not all the other stuff.

He then light-heartedly made the off-hand remark, “In regards to my lyrics I just put pen to paper and go for it. I don’t think too much about it, I just do it. Luckily most of it has made sense to somebody along the way [laughs]”.

Distant Is The Sun – out now via AFM Records

One of the things most interesting about Chris’ time with Vanishing Point was how in the short-space of time from when he first joined the band in 1997, he was quickly invited as a songwriter for the group. “When I was trying out for the band I showed them a few songs which I had written during those weeks, one of the songs became “Inner Peace” which went onto the ‘In Thought’ album when it was re-released. The other two songs I brought to the band at that time were “Samsara” and “Two Minds, One Soul”.” He then added, “I think to a degree it was by default that I started to come up with many ideas. Yet at the same time, even back then in the early days, not all of my ideas came to fruition. It was more or less a case that I came up with many riffs and ideas that among with the other guys back then we could create songs with as we used to jam in a five setting – just five or six of us when we [still] had a keyboard player – and just going for it.” Chris made the point how “it wasn’t a ‘here I am and this is the shit you’ve gotta play otherwise I’m outta here’ sort of deal. It was more or less like ‘I have these full songs that I’d like to put forward and let’s see if you guys like the ideas I have’.”

Years ago, Vanishing Point used to jam three days a week. They had their own studio where they all put in ideas and there was a good “symbiosis” there I was told. However, Chris noted that while things were “good back then”, “at the same time, as things went along, arguments over where something should go or shouldn’t go were becoming quite regular. So in a way we went through rough patches as any band does, and as hard and harsh as it sounds, that’s the reality of being in a band: sometimes things come your way and it can cruise smoothly, and then there are times where it’s all a constant battle to get anything done because someone hasn’t learnt a particular idea or someone hasn’t had time to give a shit”. Unfortunately there is a great deal of truth in that statement. I don’t think there’s a band alive that I know of that hasn’t gone through these stage and frustrations. As Chris added, ‘It’s nothing new. It’s the way it goes”.

But as for the process of working on ‘Distant is the Sun’, Chris enjoyed the freedom it gave him creatively. “I didn’t have to argue with anyone, I didn’t even have to be hard on myself as everything seemed to flow quite nicely,” he said. And it was in the great deal of reading and studying the process of recording at home that made the production process all the more “smoother” for him. “I was reading a lot in regards to recording at home and was often reading forums and getting a lot of good information as to what kind of sound libraries and VST’s (Virtual Studio Technology) I should use, as well as what kind of digital workstation I would feel most comfortable with.” All of this made a large difference especially when considering that Chris doesn’t know much about music theory. “I’ll be honest and say that I don’t even know my modes on the guitar. Even though I know I should and it would help me further expand the music I write, I’m happy that what I have up in my head I can put it down and record it within the comforts of my own home and not have to rely on musicians sometimes who don’t understand my ‘non-musical theory lingo’ on describing what I’m thinking [laughs]”. You’ve got the respect the brutal honesty there. I was pleased to hear though that if the time came for Chris to take it up again, he’d “absolutely” be up for it. “Now that I know how to operate most of the stuff I use then I would say for sure,” before going on to add, “I’m already writing many bits and pieces for the next album when I get a spare moment so I’d say that I would definitely do it all again. This time having James and Simon in the band also is a plus as they are proactive and want to put ideas forward as well which is always welcome.” Bring on the next release, I say!

Chris is well known for his work away from Vanishing Point too, having starred on records for such bands as LORD and Stu Marshall’s project Empires of Eden on tracks like “Be My Guest” and “Songs of War and Vengeance” respectively. Often appearing in guest spots performing guitar solos and the like, I asked him what it is about these bands that inspired him and made him want to work with them. “They are all just great blokes and I’ve known them in the Australian metal scene for many years. So from time to time I’d get a message like ‘dude, we want you to play a solo in this part of the tune where your solo will start at 3:28 and end at 4:15. Can you do it and have it to us tonight; like, in half an hour? [laughs]” Noting how they were each “monsters on the guitar” as well as being “highly respected guitarists and nice guys”, he then added how he was “more than happy to have been a part of their releases”. Maintaining a good working relationship with people such as Tim “Lord Tim” Grose from LORD, Chris mentioned how when it came to working on ‘Distant is the Sun’, he’d been having some issues with the orchestral arrangements, and it was actually L.T. who gave him a solution to the problem. “It was L.T. who sent me a message with a solution which in turn saved a lot of time and money. I respect that and hopefully in the future I will be in the position where if they need any help then I will gladly assist them too.” It’s always wonderful to see fellow bands helping one another. There should be more of it.

While he couldn’t say if there were any other potential guest spots on the horizon, he did state, “If I had more time then I would like to collaborate with some really good musicians here and overseas but it would be premature at this point to do anything like that especially when there are some things on the horizon for Vanishing Point”, before closing with, “I could never say never but all in good time and if there is any solid interest, as well”.

One of the things I found most fascinating when I researching up on Chris (totally not stalker-ish at all!) was that he actually composes his own music away from Vanishing Point. The music is quite ambient and atmospheric and has a real beauty and solemnity to it. It was once proposed by Chris himself that this music could one be released to the general public. I asked him about whether they’d been any further movement on this and whether people could perhaps expect a release sometime soon. “The ambient music I create I’d like to release one day for sure. I have many ideas for it and I’m sure that one day I’ll release it digitally where people if they want can make a donation, but other than that it will be free for people to download and check out. It’s music that I like to compose that, to be honest, sometimes doesn’t fit the Vanishing Point sound so I’m gonna keep that avenue open in the future.” He then continued on to say, “Sometimes I come up with music that’s just ambient and relaxing and in many ways a little journey for me. I can’t say too much with words sometimes as I tend to jumble a lot and then I never have the chance to say what I really feel. The music that I create instrumentally gives me an avenue to express perhaps in a calmer sense what I’m thinking without me sounding like a complete nutter! [laughs]”. (check out some of his work here at Chris’ official Soundcloud)

Whilst Chris is a fan of “many guitars and their various sounds” he is known to use Ibanez almost exclusively. When I asked him about why this is his answer was both interesting and in-depth. “…with Ibanez I have guitars that for me feel really good and sound really good for my tastes. I like to play in the neck position for most of my solos yet I love the hard edge scooped tones I can get from the bridge position in many of the RG’s that I have, especially with the Japanese Prestige RGT320 they sent me years ago. It has a beautiful razor-sharp tone in the bridge, but then switching to the neck position, it just sings so warmly; it’s like velvet.” He went on to add how all of the rhythm guitar parts that are played on ‘Distant is the Sun’ were performed using his Ibanez SZ320. The guitar itself has “a full mahogany body with no paint on it – just in its natural form. Its tone was just clear and heavy and sounded really good to my ears so we went with that.” That’s quite impressive considering this was something he bought from a close friend of his for only a few hundred bucks. It’s since become a “studio only guitar” for him (as he doesn’t want it to “lost its character or get broken”) and he has it in a collection now that comprises many other Ibanez guitars. “They just do it for me: they look nice; they feel nice; they play nice; and they suit my needs as a player,” he said. That being said, on the odd occasion, Chris does like mixing it up, “I once played a beautiful Gibson Les Paul in the studio back when I did the solos for the Embrace the Silence album,” he began. “That guitar absolutely sang and I did all my solos in that one session. It was just right for the moment.” He mentioned afterwards how “unfortunately when the guitar was up for sale I didn’t have the cash otherwise I would have paid some dollars for it. It’s one guitar that I kick myself for missing”.

As our interview drew to a close, I took a note out of Anwar Rizk’s book here and asked Chris whether he had any famous last words. He then made the humble remark, “I’d just like to thank everyone out there who has supported Vanishing Point, shown an interest in us, and most of all has had patience and stuck with us during the quiet years when a lot of shit happened. It means a lot to us.” Going on to add from this, he closed with, “I’d also like to thank you guys at Metal Obsession for doing what you guys believe in, and that is putting the word out there on bands just like us in the Australian scene. Unfortunately, as is the case with most bands, we don’t have much cash to spend on publicity campaigns, etc., and you guys have always shown an interest and done things from the ground up and you do it for all the right reasons. You support the bands and for that I sincerely am appreciative of any support you give us. Much respect to you all.”

Indeed a charming fellow and an absolute pleasure to speak with. ‘Distant is the Sun’ is available now via JB Hi-Fi and AFM Records.

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