Final (maybe) post on the new Vanden Plas...

[Bryant]

I have been on this board for many, many years, yet still I normally try and apologize for trying to "push" a band/release on people, especially considering I have done that on about four or five releases.

No apology here. If you have two ears and a heartbeat, you need to buy the new Vanden Plas release, "Christ0." It's not "oldschool" but pure Vanden Plas. If you haven't heard of them, they are far from "new school" either. They have been around for over 12 years and are Germany's premiere prog metal band. What seperates them from most prog metal is simply emotion, passion and hook. This is in my top five releases of all-time. It may end up being my absolute favorite. I guess it is easy to see why I recommend it so much.


Bryant

 

[Death Animal]

Well everybody want to push theyr favourite bands to others.
Like I do very often to my friends.
But If that band is so good I have to chek it.

 

[Bryant]

Well everybody want to push theyr favourite bands to others.
Like I do very often to my friends.
But If that band is so good I have to chek it.

Thank you my brother. We all have different tastes and you may not like them, but their official American site is:

www.faroffgrace.com

There are free samples there.



Bryant

 

[Death Animal]

hmmm....
I did chek this video and those samples.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IZC7Jjslso&search=Vanden Plas
Sound good for my ears.
It reminds litle bitt of stratovarius.
I could now find that album.

 

[Bryant]

hmmm....
I did chek this video and those samples.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IZC7Jjslso&search=Vanden%20Plas
Sound good for my ears.
It reminds litle bitt of stratovarius.
I could now find that album.

That is cool. There is also a homemade video for Fireroses Dance from the same release..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB5a-GUwOHA&search=Vanden%20Plas

Bryant

 

[ElectricWiz]

Bryant knows I second him on this for sure. As of now this is my top album of the year, early as it may be. Further, sound samples of these songs don't really do them justice. You pretty much HAVE to hear them in juxtaposition to all their brother and sisters on the album to fully appreciate how great it all is. I mean, any single off Christ O would be great, but the ballads are better next to the riff monsters next to the catchy hook songs next to the epics etc.
It's an absolute stunner of a record.

I've sent copies to two people already with "you have to hear this," letters attached.

Vanden Plas is my personal discovery of the year. Hadn't known of them before, but am hooked for sure now. And I owe Bryant for this by the way....

 

[Bryant]

The pleasure is all mine. I think it is great someone else has been blown away by these guys as I have. While VP hasn't exactly broken new ground in their career, they seem to be able to bring a very unique balance of power, passion, songwriting and musicality into their work. I am buying other music so I don't absolutely burn this thing out, but everything else pretty much sounds like shit on a comparative basis.

Bryant

Bryant knows I second him on this for sure. As of now this is my top album of the year, early as it may be. Further, sound samples of these songs don't really do them justice. You pretty much HAVE to hear them in juxtaposition to all their brother and sisters on the album to fully appreciate how great it all is. I mean, any single off Christ O would be great, but the ballads are better next to the riff monsters next to the catchy hook songs next to the epics etc.
It's an absolute stunner of a record.

I've sent copies to two people already with "you have to hear this," letters attached.

Vanden Plas is my personal discovery of the year. Hadn't known of them before, but am hooked for sure now. And I owe Bryant for this by the way....

 

[ElectricWiz]

....they seem to be able to bring a very unique balance of power, passion, songwriting and musicality into their work.
Bryant

This comment is right on the money. All the above qualities are all too rare in metal. And while I may vaguely understand the Stratovarius comparisons etc., these exact qualities are (for me) exactly what so many power metal bands lack in spades. Vanden Plas injects a heavy dose of emotion and heart that sets them apart.

 

[Wyvern]

Very off topic, but I found this:

This is the Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas 2006

The overwhelming selection of the most discerning chauffeur-driven passengers. Based on the long wheelbase XJ.

Featuring:
• 3-stage heated front and rear seats
• Premium soft-grain leather front and rear seats with contrast piping
• Burl Walnut veneer trim with Peruvian boxwood inlays
• Luxurious lambswool rugs
• 320-watt Alpine Premium Sound System
• Touchscreen DVD-based navigation
• Folding rear picnic trays, suitable for a laptop computer
(for more info http://www.jaguar.com/ca/en/vehicle...ricing_models_pricing@__link__InfoBlockLink_3)

 

[ElectricWiz]

Haha.

Nice.

 

[Walter_Langkowski]

Bryant, if you push this new release anymore then I am going to have to call you Iron Maiden on the Brave New World tour soon!


Of course I will be getting it (someday). Kinda w/o a residence right now...

 

[Bryant]

This comment is right on the money. All the above qualities are all too rare in metal. And while I may vaguely understand the Stratovarius comparisons etc., these exact qualities are (for me) exactly what so many power metal bands lack in spades. Vanden Plas injects a heavy dose of emotion and heart that sets them apart.

Vanden Plas is "considered" prog-metal, where Strato is labeled as powermetal. The sub-genre thing kind of sucks in the first place, but I suppose it is a necessary evil. I don't like the "typical" powermetal bands myself, but bands like Tad Morose and Angel Dust are lumped in the same category as Helloween/Blind Guardian etc. They could easily be dismissed due to the fact they are considered powermetal. I suppose the same is true for vanden Plas. Some people may view prog-metal as being a bit fidgety, flighty, self-indulged or wankery. While Vanden Plas certainly qualifies as prog-metal with their symphonic and choir arrangements on this release, and multiple time changes/epic length songs, etc. The songs are so well written and are silky smooth in the transitions between the different movements (less Silently which has rather abrupt changes) that I don't really relize I am listening to something "prog." They are simply a step above most others in the genre.


Bryant

 

[Bryant]

Bryant, if you push this new release anymore then I am going to have to call you Iron Maiden on the Brave New World tour soon!


Of course I will be getting it (someday). Kinda w/o a residence right now...

I pushed Tad Morose's "Modus Vivendi" even harder than this one.... on this forum anyway, as it has much more of an "oldschool" feel to it.

Being without a residence pretty much sucks. Hope things get in order for you very soon bud.


Bryant

 

[Wyvern]

Of course I will be getting it (someday). Kinda w/o a residence right now...

Shite! I hope you get something soon Walter

 

[Death Animal]

Well I was thinking to go check some cd stores tomorrow.
Hope I can find anything. I was thinking to check some Celtic Frost and
Sodom albums too.

 

[Bryant]

Well I was thinking to go check some cd stores tomorrow.
Hope I can find anything. I was thinking to check some Celtic Frost and
Sodom albums too.

Hmmm...... well I suppose if the land of ice and snow is the North Pole, maybe Santa has a spare copy of Christ0 laying around. Maybe you are in The Netherlands ? Greenland ? Anyway... hope it is easier to find locally than it is in the USA.

Here is the making of Christ0 video if you are interested.

http://www.faroffgrace.com/new/


Bryant

 

[Snowmaker]

PSST!

Check out my sig.

 

[Wheezer]

That is cool. There is also a homemade video for Fireroses Dance from the same release..

Both of those videos are cool! I really enjoyed them.

This is by far my favorite release from anyone for quite some time. The newness has not worn off even after hundreds of plays. It reminds me of how I was with Operation Mindcrime. Yes, it is that good and is an instant classic. Gunter's work on this one stands out to me. I'm not a fan of keyboards at all but his work on this disc is pretty incredible to my ears. He's also a big part of the authoring of the music on the disc. Everyone else in the band more than holds up their end of the bargain. I've come to expect a lot of Stephen Lill and he delivered yet again.

 

[Bryant]

PSST!

Check out my sig.

Yep, Snowy I am going to head over there with some new guys. I am getting everyone primed up.


Bryant

 

[Bryant]

Both of those videos are cool! I really enjoyed them.

This is by far my favorite release from anyone for quite some time. The newness has not worn off even after hundreds of plays. It reminds me of how I was with Operation Mindcrime. Yes, it is that good and is an instant classic. Gunter's work on this one stands out to me. I'm not a fan of keyboards at all but his work on this disc is pretty incredible to my ears. He's also a big part of the authoring of the music on the disc. Everyone else in the band more than holds up their end of the bargain. I've come to expect a lot of Stephen Lill and he delivered yet again.

Great reply. I couldn't agree more with you.

I don't want to speak for the band because I don't know them very personally, but it is easy to see not only how well they work together as a unit, but that they respect each other and their creativity and technical abilities. Gunter is a machine. He has toured with Kamelot, played keys on a couple of Angra releases.... etc. etc. The list goes on and on, but on some VP songs he writes, the guitar is the prominant instrument. For example, he wrote "Nightwalker" from "Beyond Daylight" and it is certainly a guitar dominated track.
The same can be said for Stephan Lill. Stephan doesn't give you a whole lot of "shredding" like he did back on "Far off Grace" but he can still completely take over passeges whenever the song calls for it. He also has written songs that features keys as the predominant instrument.
Gunther, Stephan and Andy (who has been more involved in the music writing on this release) hasn't left Andreas and Torsten out to dry either. This is easily the best drumwork I have heard from Andreas and best basswork from Torsten as well. In fact, if there is one miniscule thing I could nit-pick about on this release is that there are a couple of times on this release wherde Andreas is absolutely putting on a drum clinic, but ends up a little too low in the mix.
Finally, Andy..... the guy has been doing all the Abydos and theater stuff and it has really given him another element to his vocals. I have always enjoyed his vocals, but now on the more melodic stuff, he is at an almost untouchable level. It is good to see him involved more in the music writing as well.
I hope this release really takes off and makes them some money/opens up bigger tours for them. It would be more than well deserved, but the music industry is not exactly fair in the first place. I guess we will have to wait and see. These guys deserve to be more famous though, that is for certain.


Bryant