Olaf Thörsen

Olaf Thörsen — born in Italy in 1971 — is a guitarist, composer and the founder of Vision Divine, as well as a member of Labÿrinth. His importance lies in having sustained two reference bands of Italian metal at the same time, and in being the principal author of both repertoires. Labÿrinth already existed when he created Vision Divine in 1998, and the new band was not a side project made of leftovers: it was born with an identity of its own, darker and more progressive, with long structures and elaborate concepts that Labÿrinth's melodic power metal could not accommodate. As a composer, the sound of Vision Divine bears his signature — riffs of neoclassical cut, harmonies in thirds with the keyboard, and arrangements that move away from the verse-chorus formula. Records such as Stream of Consciousness (2004) and The 25th Hour (2007) are concept albums built as continuous narrative, a format that requires the guitarist to think of the whole piece rather than track by track. He has crossed every line-up of the band since 1998, including Fabio Lione's two spells and the changes of singer, remaining the only constant element in almost three decades of the group's history.