Okay, I just put the review up, but I figured I'd post it here as well. To make it brief, this album is my pick for best melodic prog metal of 2006, and yes, it has surpassed their 2002 masterpiece Beyond Daylight.
Comments are welcome.
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Four years have passed since Vanden Plas' amazing album Beyond Daylight, by many considered their creative peak and most consistent release. The band have taken their time to write their new concept album Christ O (Christ-less), basing it on the story of The Count of Monte Christo. Yet again, it seems this may be Vanden Plas' best effort, as they continue to outdo themselves with each successive release, surprising their entire fanbase.
Christ 0 not only combines the band's traditional progressive metal leanings with the more theatrical work heard on Andy Kuntz' solo project Abydos, it also involves a 40-piece classic choir and a cleverly arranged full orchestra that contribute to the album's diversity. The result is nothing short of stunning. The production is mammoth, and the songwriting vivid. Beginning with great soprano vocals and a very symphonic arrangement, the title track features every single Vanden Plas characteristic they've trademarked over the years: hard-hitting guitars, slick arrangements, wonderful melodies, powerful drum and bass rhythms, and excellent keyboard work. The band's writing team again consists of guitarist Stefan Lill, vocalist Andy Kuntz, and keyboardist Gunter Werno, but as with all of their albums, there's room for every member, especially the band's unmistakable rhythm duo. As a matter of fact, Andreas Lill's drum sound may be the most prominent on any of the releases yet, while Torsten Reichert's bass mostly serves to fatten the guitars. That said, track five, "Shadow I Am", puts the focus on his growling bass lines, underneath Kuntz' infectious chorus and Werno's unconventional synth patch.
"Postcard to God" is arguably the heaviest song on the album, at times evoking Dream Theater circa Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (which is a great thing!) in the way that Reichert and Lill feed the piece with thundering syncopation that follows ethereal keyboard and piano melodies, stop-start guitar riffage, and excellent vocal harmonies before the female choir wraps things up. "Wish You Were Here" has a moody start that slowly develops into a passage with deeply snarling bass guitar, shifting tempos, and tasty backing vocals. The track embarks on a killer interplay between shredding lead guitars and analog synths, as the song slowly segues into the album's most powerful piece: "Silently". Slow piano notes, subtle keyboard effects, stomping drums all unite in order to create an almost dreamy, perhaps cinematic number. The chorus of the song is terrific, with Kuntz just singing over solo piano in the first part, and then a thickened string arrangement towards the end. The song runs through several movements, each equally riveting. Stefan Lill's guitar solo may be his most melodic on the album, whilst Kuntz lets out several high screams that would give the best guys a run for their money. Andreas' drums march amidst seas of symphonic textures, as Gunter Werno lays down a synth solo that may be the best I've heard from him ever, and the song concludes with a very unexpected acoustic guitar coda that is simply beautiful. "Silently" is the definitive Christ 0 track, as it envelops everything Vanden Plas stands for.
"Somewhere Alone in the Dark" feels like a leftover from the band's The God Thing sessions, perhaps because it was incomplete at the time of its recording. Very Dream Theater-inspired in some places, the track features a nice chorus, and heavy, thrash metal-like breaks. On the other hand, songs like "Fireroses Dance" and "Lost in Silence" document Kuntz' amazing vocal abilities, dripping with emotion and melody. The Middle Eastern touch on the former and Kuntz' harmonies on the latter are both sublime. "January Tree", the longest track, is the most orchestral piece, with beautifully composed theatrical moments that evoke Abydos and dark spoken vocals that had me think of the last song on Evergrey's The Inner Circle. However, it is Werno's piano and synth playing where he boldly extracts a million colours and shadings out of his instrument that qualifies "January Sun" as another standout on the album. "Gethsemane" is a great bonus track with no relation to the concept of the album. It is a successful interpretation from the Jesus Christ Superstar musical, dealing with schizophrenia in a very Vanden Plas meets Abydos way. A dark yet fitting finale for Christ Zero.
Sound engineer Markus Teske (Saga, Spock's Beard) has done an amazing job on the mix and the artwork is terrific. I don't have a single bad thing to say about this album and it has already become my early contender for melodic prog metal album of the year.
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Source: http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=3357
NP: Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance
Comments are welcome.
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Four years have passed since Vanden Plas' amazing album Beyond Daylight, by many considered their creative peak and most consistent release. The band have taken their time to write their new concept album Christ O (Christ-less), basing it on the story of The Count of Monte Christo. Yet again, it seems this may be Vanden Plas' best effort, as they continue to outdo themselves with each successive release, surprising their entire fanbase.
Christ 0 not only combines the band's traditional progressive metal leanings with the more theatrical work heard on Andy Kuntz' solo project Abydos, it also involves a 40-piece classic choir and a cleverly arranged full orchestra that contribute to the album's diversity. The result is nothing short of stunning. The production is mammoth, and the songwriting vivid. Beginning with great soprano vocals and a very symphonic arrangement, the title track features every single Vanden Plas characteristic they've trademarked over the years: hard-hitting guitars, slick arrangements, wonderful melodies, powerful drum and bass rhythms, and excellent keyboard work. The band's writing team again consists of guitarist Stefan Lill, vocalist Andy Kuntz, and keyboardist Gunter Werno, but as with all of their albums, there's room for every member, especially the band's unmistakable rhythm duo. As a matter of fact, Andreas Lill's drum sound may be the most prominent on any of the releases yet, while Torsten Reichert's bass mostly serves to fatten the guitars. That said, track five, "Shadow I Am", puts the focus on his growling bass lines, underneath Kuntz' infectious chorus and Werno's unconventional synth patch.
"Postcard to God" is arguably the heaviest song on the album, at times evoking Dream Theater circa Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (which is a great thing!) in the way that Reichert and Lill feed the piece with thundering syncopation that follows ethereal keyboard and piano melodies, stop-start guitar riffage, and excellent vocal harmonies before the female choir wraps things up. "Wish You Were Here" has a moody start that slowly develops into a passage with deeply snarling bass guitar, shifting tempos, and tasty backing vocals. The track embarks on a killer interplay between shredding lead guitars and analog synths, as the song slowly segues into the album's most powerful piece: "Silently". Slow piano notes, subtle keyboard effects, stomping drums all unite in order to create an almost dreamy, perhaps cinematic number. The chorus of the song is terrific, with Kuntz just singing over solo piano in the first part, and then a thickened string arrangement towards the end. The song runs through several movements, each equally riveting. Stefan Lill's guitar solo may be his most melodic on the album, whilst Kuntz lets out several high screams that would give the best guys a run for their money. Andreas' drums march amidst seas of symphonic textures, as Gunter Werno lays down a synth solo that may be the best I've heard from him ever, and the song concludes with a very unexpected acoustic guitar coda that is simply beautiful. "Silently" is the definitive Christ 0 track, as it envelops everything Vanden Plas stands for.
"Somewhere Alone in the Dark" feels like a leftover from the band's The God Thing sessions, perhaps because it was incomplete at the time of its recording. Very Dream Theater-inspired in some places, the track features a nice chorus, and heavy, thrash metal-like breaks. On the other hand, songs like "Fireroses Dance" and "Lost in Silence" document Kuntz' amazing vocal abilities, dripping with emotion and melody. The Middle Eastern touch on the former and Kuntz' harmonies on the latter are both sublime. "January Tree", the longest track, is the most orchestral piece, with beautifully composed theatrical moments that evoke Abydos and dark spoken vocals that had me think of the last song on Evergrey's The Inner Circle. However, it is Werno's piano and synth playing where he boldly extracts a million colours and shadings out of his instrument that qualifies "January Sun" as another standout on the album. "Gethsemane" is a great bonus track with no relation to the concept of the album. It is a successful interpretation from the Jesus Christ Superstar musical, dealing with schizophrenia in a very Vanden Plas meets Abydos way. A dark yet fitting finale for Christ Zero.
Sound engineer Markus Teske (Saga, Spock's Beard) has done an amazing job on the mix and the artwork is terrific. I don't have a single bad thing to say about this album and it has already become my early contender for melodic prog metal album of the year.
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Source: http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=3357
NP: Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance
