Progressive Metal Reviews
Progressive Metal Reviews
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The God Thing VANDEN PLAS |
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Vanden Plas have been around in the same line-up since 1990. The band comes from Germany and they share one common vision. To play expressive music with a spiritual and emotional meaning, but maintaining a melodic, heavy rock sound.
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Musicians: Additional musicians: Tracklisting: The first time I heard about the progressive metal band Vanden Plas was on the Dream Theater mailing list Ytsejam. I recognised that in a short period of time Vanden Plas was discussed quite often. With this their third release I finally got to hear them, and now I understand why they appeared in the discussions on Ytsejam. First of all they are very good, but more important is that they musically have a lot in common with Dream Theater. What's separating Vanden Plas from Dream Theater then? Well, Dream Theater lean more against their technical skills while Vanden Plas have, and forgive me for saying it, stronger melodies than Dream Theater. Vanden Plas are also highly technically skilled musicians but they never let their instrumental passages take too much space in their songs. All in all I think that both the bands are outstanding but in two different ways. The production is very good too. The highlight are "Inside Of Your Head", "Iodic Rain" and "Fields of Hope". The last track is a cover of Dokken's "Kiss Of Death". Vanden Plas is high
above the average progressive metal bands. If you're living in France
you can buy a special edition of this album with a 32-page photo booklet
at Virgin Megastores. Go get it! -Reviewed by Greger Rönnqvist- ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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Germany's Vanden Plas takes the yawn out of Progressive Metal on their sixth record, offering gripping intros and voice raising choruses housed within tighter structures that belie typically web-weaving self-gratifying intricacies that become difficult to follow without the effectual life sucking constrict. "Nightwalker" has the makings for top pick, led by an insurgent riffing and mighty roar while "Cold Wind" boasts a melodic easy to hold solo amidst a windy backdrop and heavy E-chording-another early highpoint. It's as easy to pick apart Progressive bands, as it is to praise them, the main difference being the quality of the song versus the quantitative instrumentalist leaps. Here we've got the best of both worlds, art for art's sake, and musically triumphant works that work within a manageable time frame wielding a widely spread mix of power, might, mellow and majesty-"Scarlet Flower Fields" is a whispery power ballad recalling 1970s Art Rock splendor; "End Of All Days" plucks a few pedals before unearthing a double-bass fury for one of the more structurally diverse pieces; "Phoenix" is the sleeper hit here, studiously clever, in a generally slow, sultry acoustic phase, hurriedly percussive oft and again, harmonically compelling and commercially viable in any other capacity; "Beyond Daylight," the closing title track, ties the pieces together in a ten minute finale encompassing the breadth of their creativity for an unwitting conceptual craft. "Beyond Daylight,"
derived of gazing eyes and wandering spirit, a year removed from
"Spirit of Live," waves goodbye to past predilection
for a next level leap into new frontiers. Released by InsideOut Music. InsideOut Music America Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252
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