Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Vanden Plas
Label: Frontiers Records
Released: 2017
Runtime: 77:19
Rating: 4.5/5
Vanden Plas are standard-bearers of classic prog metal, hailing from Kaiserslautern. The long-lived champions of the German prog metal scene, formed in the late eighties, somehow remain unfairly overlooked, even though their studio albums are, every last one of them, the very definition of top-tier quality. Over the years the band has carved out its own sound and style, which it keeps nurturing and developing with age and experience, nudging the artistic bar of its own musical charisma higher and higher with every album.
Vanden Plas have been under the wing of the Italian label Frontiers Records for a while now. In September 2011 they played the traditional edition of the “ProgPower USA” festival in Atlanta (Georgia, USA). It was the period when they were promoting their then-current (and excellent) studio album »The Seraphic Clockwork«. This live release is more than welcome at a time when the band is seemingly quiet, even though it has confirmed a few sporadic shows this year. Still, we’re slowly waiting on a new studio album, though nobody knows yet when the band will get around to it.
»The Seraphic Live Works« is an excellent live album and the first real official live document since »Spirit of Live« came out in 2000, recorded in France on the »Far of Grace« tour. One thing Vanden Plas have over many other bands is that they’ve stuck with the original lineup the whole time. A quintet that hasn’t swapped out a single member in its entire career. The recording of the show Vanden Plas played on September 15, 2011 has just one serious flaw: the encore is missing. The band also played Rainmaker and Christ 0 at that gig. So the label decided to put the show out on a single disc and save some money, shortchanging the band and the real fans a little in the process. Shame. As the title of the live document already tells you, it mostly carries songs from the album »The Seraphic Clockwork«. Out of nine songs in total, four are older than »The Seraphic Clockwork«. The opening Postcard to God and the closing Silently come from the album »Christ O.« (2006), while the excellent power-prog ballad Cold Wind comes from the album »Beyond Daylight« (2002). The only song from the nineties on this live document is the cult title-track classic from the album »Far of Grace« (1999).
The band showed up at ProgPower USA in top form that day. You can hardly get a better performance. Vanden Plas just as we know them and as we demand from the sonic and performance perfection that has followed this band since its very beginnings. You can tell the sound is live, that the show is taking place at an open-air venue, but there are no wobbly gaps between the building blocks of the sound. The elements of the soundscape add up to a compact whole with exactly the balance you’d want, although the bass guitar gets the short end of the stick. Vocalist Andy Kuntz handled all his vocal duties in outstanding style that day. He nailed every register, while guitarist Stephan Lill remains a brilliant virtuoso, shredder and soloist, exactly what a classic prog metal band inspired by the legacy of Dream Theater could wish for. His brother Andreas remains an impenetrable drumming fortress, while the versatile, classically inspired keyboardist Günther Werno delivers an outstanding dialogue of crossfire solos between keys and guitar and adds that highly atmospheric touch, woven from symphonic elements, to the band’s sound and performance. Only bassist Thorsten Reichert is a bit less audible in the mix, but otherwise there’s nothing to complain about. Except, of course, for the already mentioned trimming of the material that was played.
The real fans will surely grab this album with both hands. Let’s also mention that the band played another show the next day, September 16, 2011, done in a strictly acoustic manner and with a completely different set list. Shame the band couldn’t reach higher, so we don’t get both shows on two separate live releases, in full, without cutting any material. However I look at it, something is better than nothing. And the fans know that all too well. Vanden Plas remain the epitome of top-notch performance quality and a true live attraction.
Vanden Plas – Rush of Silence (official video, live version, ProgPower USA festival, Atlanta (USA), September 15, 2011):
Lineup
Stephan Lill – guitar
Andreas Lill – drums
Günter Werno – keyboards
Andy Kuntz – vocals
Torsten Reichert – bass guitar
Production
Vanden Plas
Track list
Postcard To God
2. Rush Of Silence
3. Holes In The Sky
4. Far Off Grace
5. Scar Of An Angel
6. Quicksilver
7. Cold Wind
8. Frequency
9. Silently
