Vanden Plas The Seraphic Clockwork
by Franco Wissa
Staff Writer
There are 3 things that are musical fact. And no amount of argument is going to change it. For instance, fact number 1 – Jimmy Page is one of the greatest guitar gods of all time. Fact number 2 – The Beatles are one of the most influential bands in musical history, and fact number 3 – Vanden Plas is one of the great progressive metal bands of all time. And to solidify that is Vanden Plas’s latest The Seraphic Clockwork. From the opening refrains of the ball busting “Frequency,” to the closing live version of the mid tempo “Eleyson,” (sung completely in French,) Vanden Plas has done it once again.
The end result of The Seraphic Clockwork is exceptional. No song is out of place, every musical instrument is used to it’s fullest potential and the melodic, smooth vocal styling of Andy Kuntz perfectly adds warmth and a flowing effect to the hard rocking guitars, layers of keyboards and monster riffs coming from the drums.
The epic almost hypnotic intro to “Holes in the Sky,” that without warning breaks wide open into a colossal hard rocker with keyboards and guitars that are everywhere, but quickly take a soft back accompaniment during the choruses. The exquisite “Scar of an Angel,” the brooding “Sound of Blood,” is a headbanger if there ever was one, the tranquil acoustic guitars of “The Final Murder,” the perfect mix of bells, strings and piano of “Quicksilver,” the build up of the murderous sounding “Rush of Silence,” is a keyboard lover’s wet dream, and without question the CD highlight is the melodic “On My Way to Jerusalem,” with soaring vocals, luxuriant layers of keyboards and conspicuous acoustic guitars.
A comparison to Vanden Plas’s 2006 superb Christo O shows this to be a more layered, technical venture. The Seraphic Clockwork is extremely intricate in its delivery. Each note is exact and not in any place for the mere effect of having that particular note or word sung. The notes and music are there to highlight a certain passage, a certain sentiment or action. The prowess of the songwriting is tangible and orchestral hooks do an absolutely remarkable job in bringing finality to each track. In all the right places it is heavy as hell, melodious and the songwriting is as perfect as ever heard on any Vanden Plas release.
Each track is visual and one can feel of a particular storyline. During “Frequency,” one can picture that the world is being laid out before them, with all visible to see, and the music lays out a wondrous blanket of sound. The tick-tock effect of “Hole in the Sky,” lets the listener know that a change is coming, but not being sure of when, so when it does happen, an immediate reach of the volume knob is made, as one can feel their head begin to nod in time with the rocking beat. The same can be said for “The Final Murder,” as the opening line, “… hello my son, I am your healer… are you the one, who signed the agreement …” and with this comes the feel of a heartfelt discussion between a sinner and saint. The ominous, hard hitting drums add to the heart pounding emotion that this track deliciously becomes.
This is the release that all fans of Vanden Plas have been waiting for. No way around it, this will unquestionably make several 2010’s best of lists, for this is a complete knockout of a CD in every way imaginable. American fans can only hope and pray that the boys of Vaden Plas make their way to American soil so we too can revel in the sound, musicianship and talent that is Vanden Plas’s The Seraphic Clockwork.
Band:
Torsten Reichert – bass
Gunter Werno – keyboards
Andy Kuntz – vocals
Andreas Lill – drums
Stephan Lill – guitars
Track Listing:
1. Frequency
2. Hole in the Sky
3. Scar of an Angel
4. Sound of Blood
5. The Final Murder
6. Rush of Silence
7. On My Way to Jerusalem
8. Eleyson
Label: Frontiers Records
Website: www.vandenplas.de
HRH Rating 9.5/10