VANDEN PLAS-The Seraphic Liveworks

Frontiers Music srl

Am I wrong when I dare to say that Vanden Plas is by far the best progressive metal band that Germany has produced so far? Well, I have said it now and since the middle of the nineties these guys have backed that statement up with a bunch of fine albums like ‘The God Thing’, ‘Far Off Grace’, ‘Christ O’ and ‘The Seraphic Clockwork’ and there are a few more as well. This new release was recorded and filmed at the prestigious Prog Power Festival in Atlanta, Georgia in 2011. I have got no idea why Vanden Plas has kept this material on the shelves for close to six years. It is now being released in a DVD/CD format, containing songs from mainly their current CD they were promoting at the time ‘The Seraphic Clockwork’ and tracks that were featured on the albums ‘Christ O’, ‘Far Off Grace’ and ‘Beyond Daylight’. It is a pity that their older albums are not featured but it is understandable as you are performing on a festival where the playing time is a lot less as there are other acts to consider. Nevertheless ‘The Seraphic Liveworks’ delivers the quality that we are so used to receiving from Vanden Plas through the years. Excellent executed progressive songs that on stage really come to live through pure musicianship and a flawless vocal performance from Andy Kuntz. The set that the group treats the audience to is really mind blowing as the band has picked only strong songs like for instance ,,Cold Winds’’ (from the album ‘Beyond Daylight’) or the heavy nutcracker ,,Frequency’’, which is just showing all the elements that are so typical for this group. Fast and inventive, heavy yet controlled, melodic and sometimes a bit moody, it is all there for the taking. Not one moment of hesitation or weakness can be heard or seen on ‘The Seraphic Liveworks’. It took a while for this to be released, but is has been worth the wait. Yep, by far the best Germany ever produced in this genre!