Christ Φ

I like to borrow albums from friends of mine, as it’s a nice way to listen to music I would probably never take a chance on. Often this is due to the cover art, as in the case of the unappealing packaging that adorns this album by Vanden Plas. But as the old saying goes, you can’t always judge an album by its cover. Well, actually you can most of the time, but this is one of those exceptions that keep that rule of thumb from becoming principle. “Christ0” was far better than I expected, in fact one of the better progressive metal albums I’ve come across in a while.

Aside from the obvious comparisons to Dream Theater (which is unfortunately inevitable when discussing progressive metal of a symphonic nature), Vanden Plas have a fairly unique sound. Evoking sonic images of both the genre’s classic sound (Fate’s Warning) and its modern incarnation (Zero Hour), Vanden Plas sport a heavy guitar sound, only equaled by their heavy keyboard presence. Though the synthesizers are a bit intrusive at times (particularly during heavy parts that already have a lot going on, when the keyboards are clearly overwhelming), they do far more good than harm, complementing the guitars quite nicely, not to mention some immensely beautiful piano passages. They’re especially potent during the quieter parts, adding a lot of character to what would otherwise be very plain, mid-paced power metal. Indeed, Vanden Plas are not the most technical band out there, but the little touches of complexity in the drumming and guitar lines keep their songs from being even remotely boring, even when they tend to be lengthy (there’s a few tracks in the 8-10 minute range). The bass doesn’t get highlighted too often, but it shines when it gets the chance.

Another major plus for these guys is that vocalist Andy Kuntz does not suck. On the contrary, he’s magnificently expressive (see: “Silently") and brings some beautiful melodies to life throughout “Christ0.” The balance between vocals and instruments is perfect, which is something you don’t always get on these kinds of albums. Usually one of two things occurs: you either have a vocally-dominated album that plays out more like a pop record than a metal one (many of your loathed “flower” metal albums suffer from this misstep) or you have one where the instruments take the spotlight, often wandering off into extended segues (something Dream Theater and Ayreon are occasionally guilty of). This album emphasizes both while maintaining an even distribution of participation. Thus you get your catchy sing-along choruses and your instrumental exhibitionism rationed out in just the right amount.

The only downside to “Christ0” is its weak conceptual execution. As the liner notes suggest, the running story throughout the album is inspired directly by The Count of Monte Cristo, but man, you’d have a hard time of knowing it. As usual, the lyrics (despite the fact that they’re pretty extensive) are just too damn vague to follow the story without having read the liner notes prior to listening. Some would argue that this is an essential part of the concept album listening process, but I’m of the persuasion that the lyrics alone should be enough. Let the fans discuss the intended meaning afterwards (they’re going to anyway), just keep the plot comprehensible. Despite Kuntz’s passionate delivery, the lyrics just don’t stick for me. This is further hindered by the fact that the band’s native language is not English, hence song titles like “Wish You Where Here.”

But this is the only real flaw on an album that is compositionally worlds apart from its peers. Easily one of the finest progressive metal albums of the last few years, it would sit well in any such collection.

Vanden Plas
Christ.0 (2006)
Progressive Metal

Superlatives do not do justice when describing just how good this new offering from Vanden Plas is. The only album I have heard from this group before this one was “Beyond Daylight” and frankly, I have to this day never listened to that one from start to finish. It struggled to keep my attention. I always kept thinking about other bands and songs I could be listening to instead of that one.

But that’s not the case with this album. Talk about improvement. This album grabs you from the start and never lets go. Vanden Plas have perhaps achieved their zenith with this record. I have been pretty generous until now as far as ratings go and have thus made it a point to take longer to evaluate an album. Yet, I conclude every time that this one still deserves every single point. The others, except W.A.S.P.’s “The Crimson Idol”, might not. But this one sure does. This album has something for everyone. Heavy riff monsters would include the opening track and “Somewhere in the Dark”. “Silently” and “January Sun” represent the extended progressive epics and nicely take the listener through everything this band offers. “Fireroses Dance” and “Lost in Silence” are indicative of the ballads and slower sections of the album.

The album itself is inspired by the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas. The story, the band has said, has been changed substantially to update it to modern standards. For a good comparison, you could imagine something similar to what Kamelot did for their album “Epica” which was inspired by Von Goethe’s “Faust”.

The music itself fits the concept like hand in glove. Even if I didn’t appreciate their previous album “Beyond Daylight”, it was obvious that here was another progressive band which places emphasis on the songs; not on extended instrumental sections highlighting the ability of the people involved. And whenever an extended instrumental section makes an appearance on this album such as on “Silently” and “January Sun”, all you can do is listen with your mouth wide open, marveling at the sheer passion and talent on display.

At first glance, it might appear that this bunch is not as talented as say, DT. But that will soon change when you understand that they’re simply holding back. Andreas Lill, along with Torsten Reichart provide a solid back end for proceedings. Gunter Werno and Stephan Lill create some truly memorable moments, with a veritable show of mastery of their instruments. And when they let loose with the choir and orchestra, does it sound sublime! That is to say that this band has one of those strengths that many in this genre do not possess. Every note fits the story and the atmosphere. And the solos are so exceedingly brilliant that it won’t be long before you’ll rewind and want to hear it again.

To match the music, Andy Kuntz gives his best vocal performance to date. He has repeatedly been compared to James LaBrie of Dream Theater. In my opinion, this is really unfair to his own incredible talents. He may sound like LaBrie, especially when he hits the high notes, but again he has something which the latter does not; emotion. The story and songs take the listener through a gamut of feelings and states from depression, anger, vengeance and resignation. In each case, Kuntz delivers a killer blow.

The negative aspects of this record could be broken down into two. Although every song has its own highlights of some sort, some songs do seem to wander about without purpose and are not of the same high standard compared to the rest. Others could take a bit too long to really get going. But of course, when they do, you never cease to be amazed. Secondly, the lyrics are at times ‘crude’. You might feel another word or expression might have been a better fit on more than one occasion. Whether this can be attributed to English being a second language for the band, I cannot say.

In closing, Vanden Plas have a real winner on their hands here. The theme of Monte Cristo is handled with enthusiasm and passion. This album, although well-executed and well-written, may not redefine the genre or bring many new elements. However, it certainly is among the best concept and progressive metal albums to come out this year. Fans of either would do well to check this gem out.