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Vanden Plas > The God Thing > Reviews
Vanden Plas - The God Thing

Awe-inspiring blend of heavy metal fire and prog finesse - 87%

lukretion, July 1st, 2023
Written based on this version: 1997, CD, InsideOut Music

German prog metallers Vanden Plas made an incredible progression between their debut record and this sophomore album The God Thing. While their 1994 debut was a fairly middle-of-the-road metal affair, The God Thing is an entirely different beast that rightfully claims a seat in the halls of fame of progressive metal. There are a number of things that make this album this special.

First, it feels very fresh and genuine. The rawness of the guitar distortion, the hungry drive of the riffs, the frenetic drumming, the way vocalist Andy Kuntz sings his heart out song after song, even the slightly unpolished production are all too vivid to go unnoticed. This is one of those albums that, as soon as you hear a piece of it, you stop whatever thing you were doing and start paying attention. It is clear that the band poured everything they had in this album, with a sort of make-it-or-break-it attitude that totally paid off. The God Thing is exciting and gets your blood pumping, which isn’t something I can say about a lot of progressive rock/metal albums.

The second thing that stood out for me is the contrast between exquisite melodic intuition and unbashful aggression. Guitars and drums form an incredibly loud and heavy wall of sound that at times completely drowns out the keyboards. Elsewhere, however, things quiet down dramatically, leaving Andy Kuntz’s voice accompanied only by Günter Werno’s delicate piano. And even when the album is at its loudest, Andy’s vocal lines emerge from the heavy background infused with some incredibly catchy melodies that make instant impact on the listener. The contrast may be jarring at times, but it is also awe-inspiring. It reminded me of another German progressive metal band, Rough Silk, who on their earlier records followed a very similar approach in mixing the heavy and the sublime (hence their name). Other cotemporary acts that may provide a reference point are bands like Angra, Angel Dust or Time Machine.

Vanden Plas, however, carve their own path and are quite distinct from these other bands. One of the features that set Vanden Plas apart is Andy Kuntz’s exceptional talent. He is a portentous singer, with a beautiful voice that can be silky and delicate but also tremendously powerful. His tone is halfway between two sacred monsters of heavy metal, Damian Wilson and Geoff Tate. His delivery is passionate and theatrical, but never over the top. It wouldn’t surprise me if Andy has been scripted for roles in musicals, because he is exactly that kind of well-rounded talent that would be signed in a heartbeat by such productions. Stephan Lill’s and Günter Werno’s performances should also be mentioned, as they are both excellent musicians who combine technical proficiency with clever and tasteful playing.

The album contains excellent songs from start to finish, but the run between “Garden of Stones” and “Salt in My Wounds” is particularly spectacular. “Garden of Stones” starts like a piano ballad that makes you think of Dream Theater but then explodes in a terrific crescendo with heavy guitars, achieving a beautiful cathartic effect. “In You: I Believe” dials up the progressive influences, building on a great riff and showcasing a couple of interesting tempo changes. “Crown of Thorns” is instead an acoustic affair, written by Kuntz and arranged by Werno, and featuring a real cello and violin. Again the crescendo towards the song’s finale is breathtaking, delivering a dramatic effect. “We’re Not God” and “Salt in My Wounds” are slow, brooding affairs that hint perhaps at some ´Dio / Black Sabbath influences, before unleashing into proggy territories with their ever-shifting structures.

If you are a fan of melodic progressive metal in the vein of Threshold, Star One and Ayreon, but at the same time long for more power, heaviness and aggression, this album is made for you. The God Thing stands halfway between progressive metal and the German power/speed metal tradition, with an added dose of theatrical showmanship in the vocal department. The hybrid is spellbinding, achieving a great combination of spontaneous heavy metal fire and progressive finesse.

[Review written for the 11th Diamhea Memorial Review Challenge]