Spoo's Music Review....and other stuff too!: July 2012

Here it is, my first music review. Ever. :)

There are so many albums from which to choose to begin, and I’m not going to particularly choose in order as far as release date, though as I catch up, I might address recently released albums as they come out in a relatively real-time review. However, I decided that due to recent discovery, my first album review will be of Vanden Plas’ 2010 album, “The Seraphic Clockwork.” I may review their other albums here at a later date, but their most recent offering was over the top (in a good way!) and seemed the clear choice to begin with for me.

Vanden Plas is a progressive metal band from Germany. I only recently discovered them (this year!) thanks to Pandora radio, when one of their songs came on my Dream Theater “channel.” I wasn’t even watching the station rotate through the like-minded songs since I was doing work while it was on in the background, but one of their songs came on and caught my attention enough that I had to check back onto the station to find out “who the heck is this?” I realized I’d never heard of them, but decided right away I had to check them out. I can say that I now own all of their albums after a massive quest to obtain their discography, and though I’m late to the party, I’m so glad I found this lesser known band (at least in America) that should have much more worldwide notoriety.

Vanden Plas has been playing together since the 1980’s, but released their first album, “The Colour Temple” in 1994. Interestingly, most of their time playing and composing together is in the realm of musical theater/rock operas, where they have not only played in already created musicals (i.e., Jesus Christ Superstar, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Evita), but also created or arranged their own original rock operas with their local theater in Kaiserslautern (and other southern German theaters) including Ludus Danielis, Christ 0 (based on their 5^th full-length album), Abydos, and currently Blutnacht. Though elements of Dream Theater-ish styles are reminiscent in their music, I think their camaraderie in the theater experience largely influences their sound, especially as their most recent albums have become more conceptual in nature with the potential for stage performance in mind. Vocalist Andy Kuntz has performed the lead in many of these plays, and his growth and confidence keeps coming through in each consecutive album. Keyboardist Günter Werno is usually the musical director for their theater performances, and is a large writing force for the band along with Andy (vocal lines/lyrics) and guitarist Stephan Lill. Torsten Reichert holds down a solid bass presence while Stephan’s brother Andreas Lill mans the intricate drum duties. I believe that their notoriety is limited due to their extended theater schedules which don’t allow for lengthy touring, and when they do, they tend to remain in Europe. They have attended ProgPower in the States before, but this is my presumption why much of America is not aware of this talented group.

“The Seraphic Clockwork” is a concept album with a detailed story delineated in the opening pages of the liner notes. Essentially, a clockmaker named Tio is tasked to rebuild a clockwork that will launch him backwards through time from 15^th century Rome to 1^st century Jerusalem to complete an important mission. In this story, history is different than we know it – due to the devil tempting Judas NOT to betray Jesus Christ so that He wouldn’t die in order to bring salvation to mankind, the Bible was written differently where the apostles protected Christ, Judas did not betray Him, and therefore He did not die, and redemption and eternal life never happened. Tio is given the mission to time travel back to 33 AD to be the real “Judas,” to willingly betray Christ to the authorities so that He will die as God had planned to save mankind after all. It is kind of a mixture of science fiction and religion, but somehow it seems to work for this album. Each song ties this story together with a very powerful 13-minute culmination in the final song. Vanden Plas pulls out all the stops musically on this album. Overall, the album has a melancholic feel with mostly minor-keyed songs. The beginning songs are more straightforward metal with more standard time signatures, but as the album continues, more complicated arrangements and musical layering appear, reaching its height with the final song. Here I will review “The Seraphic Clockwork” track by track.

1. “Frequency”

This track starts off with a strong beginning with dissonant chords and double bass driving the background, in this particular case very reminiscent of Dream Theater’s “In the Presence of Enemies, Pt. 1 – Prelude/Resurrection.” However, it resolves to an energetic melodic theme with a driving 4/4 but loosens to a rhythmic cut time feel in the chorus with strong harmonies. At about 3:15, the solid riffing gives way to a piano and string interlude with flute, showing some of the musical softer side of the band that complements their strong metal roots as the dissonance re-enters about 3:45 and then segues into keyboard and guitar solos with a supersonic conclusion around 5:10. This song introduces the album with the part of the story where Tio reflects on the death surrounding him with the plague, and the start of setting into motion his destiny.

Rating: 9/10

Favorite Lyrics:

“On the day when the sun disappears

Then I see the lights

In a city of angels

And we’re watching this downfalling star

It reflects in a river of tears

On the day when the sun disappears”

2. “Holes in the Sky”

This song is featured in the band’s first music video. It is more commercially appealing from a musical standpoint, and could easily be heard on radioplay. It starts with a rhythmic clock ticking and an small orchestral beginning, which soon gives way to Stephan’s power chord riffing and Günter’s keyboard reflection of the song’s melody. Andy’s vocals come in with a relaxed introduction to the verse, which builds about halfway through, a pattern also reflected in the other verses. The soloing is comfortable and moderate, and gives way to some nice layering at 3:53, and there is an effective grand pause at 4:02 with only the clock ticking in the background before another powerful re-entry with the chorus. Another hallmark of this song is the strong harmonies of the vocals, which I believe is one of the band’s musical strengths and appeals. This is a generally less complicated, more straightforward song by the band. This is also the shortest song on the album at *only* 5:26. This song reflects the clockwork that Tio builds to time travel via “holes in the sky.”

Rating 9/10

Favorite Lyrics:

“I stay between the hours

And fill them with sand

My destiny’s time dust

Is stolen soil from Promised Land"

3. “Scar of an Angel”

This song starts softly, with only a piano and acoustic guitar intro that continues into the first verse. Strings gently add into the verse and following. One of the only complaints I have on this whole album is at this point in the track, the guitar abruptly begins the next portion of the song, which in my opinion was much too sudden. It seemed that the lovely intro line with the light beginning just got steamrolled before it finished. Now, I am not one to disagree with striking musical contrasts; on the contrary, Vanden Plas has shown to be a master at the combining of the soft and gentle juxtaposed with the heavy and chugging. However, this particular instance, I think could have been finessed a bit better. This song also features a guest female vocalist to reflect the part of Mia. There is an effect in her voice to perhaps make it seem more ethereal, but it seems to flatten her voice in comparisons to Andy’s and the instruments, so it seems slightly distracting to my ear. At 4:06 there is some nice progressive interplay with keyboards and guitar, and at 5:22, there is a pleasant bridge melody that improves the song overall from there until the end. Andy’s voice is strong, and in this song in particular, he shows his vocal prowess by holding lengthy phrases apparently effortlessly in one breath. In the storyline, this song related the appearance of Mia Ambrylight, who motivates Tio to continue and to complete the clockwork machine as he briefly protects her from the Death from whom she is trying to escape. This is probably my least favorite song on the album, but that still isn’t saying much. J

Rating 8/10

Favorite Lyrics:

“And then I speak a shallow prayer

We are going nowhere

Heal me – Save me

…..

Heal the world – Save me now

You’re the awaited sign

Heal the world – One last chance

For saving you – Ambrylight”

4. “Sound of Blood”

This song is a nice mixture of some progressive metal with syncopated rhythms and a bit of gothicness sprinkled throughout with the Latin choir in the background of the chorus. The song starts of strongly, but it does take a little time at 3:09 for a soft acoustic guitar interlude with piano joining, with a solid polyrhythmic drum foundation, and it builds as electric guitar and bass add a moving countermelody until it reaches the strong riffing again that it started with as the instrumental carries on for a good two and a half minutes until the single strong bass re-introduction to the vocals again at 5:42.

Rating: 9.5/10

Favorite Lyrics:

“Who are you sweet miricadium

Get off possessed premonition

Excise the thing

Like a nail out of my wound

Unsaintly inoculation

……

There’s a reflection in my iris

Christus – Sanctus – Me vocat (Christ – Holy – I call)

That helps me to hear the sound of blood

Scriptum – Divinum – Illuminat (Written – Divine – Illuminates)

Tears are the noeses of water

God’s distillation of the flood”

5. “The Final Murder”

This track starts the increasingly lengthier offerings on the album, clocking in at 9:54. It begins immediately with acoustic guitar and vocals, with a melancholy feeling creeping into to fabric of the music as a more regular occurrence, especially with the ominous sense starting around 1:00. The martial drumming starting around 1:35 continues to set the tone even as progressive rhythms take its place soon afterwards (it recurs again in the song at 3:09 and 8:16). The strong beat of the song gives way at about 4:31 for a singular guitar bridge with string and flute background, giving a brief melancholic break before the vocals and driving beats resume. It has an intriguing ending that fades into a string quartet along with a cathedral bell ringing into the background and into the next song as it begins. In the storyline, this track relates the part where Tio is led to the Hall of Sanctimony in the church of Sante Croce di Gerusalemme with the ancient, buried manuscripts that had been long hidden, where he discovers the real truth of the Christian story, that Jesus *was* betrayed by Judas, died on the cross, and resurrected to bring eternal life to mankind. There, Tio realizes he has to go back in time to change the events so that this would be sure to happen as planned. This is a song that builds as it unfolds, adding strong rhythms and harmonies, easily pulling the listener in along for the ride. I believe this song continuing through the second half of the album does a superb job of allowing the listener to become lost in the music and the story. Tracks 1-3 are a great introduction; Track 4 is a turning point; Tracks 5-8 are the punching gloves that grab your attention and really pull you into the brilliance of the album.

Rating: 10/10

Favorite Lyrics:

“When Samiel muted the voice of God on earth

He stole with an “ungiven kiss” the infinity of days

Tell me what is on the way

A forgotten savior

…….

Hear now savior – demons find their way

Hear now savior – they sing just for you

And I know in a few thousand sins

This, your kingdom falls

We’re awaiting the end of the world

Waiting for it – waiting for it

And waiting for you, waiting for you

Tell me what is on the way

To the final murder”

6. “Quicksilver”

The melancholic mood continues into the beginning of this song as the cathedral bell continues to toll and the piano solemnly introduces this song with a hauntingly beautiful melody, assisted by occasional strings and flute that embellish the downhearted tone communicated by this song. The vocals by Andy are strong as ever in the song, and show his range from the soft beginning and second verse, to his strong build through the latter part of the verses, bridges, and the chorus. The choral background in the middle of the song add gothic qualities to the song, right before a change of style at the 5:17 mark with dramatic drop to piano and acoustic guitar and the titular whispers of “Seraphic Clockwork” before it builds again into a power chord channel with frequent time changes. The chorus again reprises before the abruptly quiet ending with the strings and piano that had introduced the song. This song continues to relate the part of the story after Tio discovers the lost manuscripts and realizes his part where he needs to travel back in time through the Clockwork to be the Judas to betray Christ.

Rating: 10/10

Favorite Lyrics:

“Climb into the time – searching heaven

I hear the revelation cry

Searching Jesus – finding neverland

…..

Fireflies shine so faint and fragile

Neonizing a town with their nonlight

These sacred poetics

Are darkminded auguries

Let the circle of Tanakh

Revolve the old quixotic gear

…..

And soldiers gamble for a garment

They want to crucify His son

Inside of a manual “The Judas Revelation”

I read a prophecy that my yesterday will come”

7. “Rush of Silence”

The third longest song on the album, clocking in at 9:23, is another tour de force on the album. It has a strong intro that backs off briefly for the verse to begin, but then both instrumentals and vocals build strongly into the powerful chorus with a catchy (but not kitschy) melody. The song continues with strength until in typical Vanden Plas fashion it drops to a soft interlude at about 4:40 with only piano with countermelodies, strings, and light strumming acoustic guitar. At 5:04 a tender violin solo carries the melody through the rest of the interlude that slowly builds with the re-entry layering of instruments (multiple strings, flute, drums, bass, guitar) when the keyboards and guitar again push the power of the song at around 5:59 and Stephan’s guitar solo at 7:15 leading into the reprise of the chorus that continues strongly until the light piano outro with strings at 8:50. This song essentially relates the struggle that Tio goes through with the mission he knows he must complete, but appears to be ambivalent about doing it, perhaps even hoping it would be someone else chosen to do so.

Rating: 9.5/10

Favorite Lyrics:

“Turbid idols we adore

All distempers draw one scene

With a cross upon the hill

What a beautiful nightmare

Then I hear the rush of silence

And I know that I must save the world tonight

I fall into the rush of silence

Where are you

Let me save you now

Before you have to die”

8. “On My Way to Jerusalem”

My first statement about this song is that it simply is a musical masterpiece, in my opinion. The lengthiest song on the album, just shy of 13 minutes (12:51), Vanden Plas pulls out all the stops on this song musically, covering a wide range of dynamics, instrumental combinations and styles, and time and tempo changes. It begins with a music box-like keyboard melody with a gentle vocal entering courtesy of Andy. The minor, melancholy tuning of the song is very effective in communicating the emotion of the lyrics, even though there are some more light moments within the song. One of these places is at 1:50, where the increasing power of the song seems to drop to reveal what I call a “lounge music” verse…I don’t mean this in a derogatory way, but it’s what I think of with the style of Andy’s smooth vocalizing, Andreas’ easy beat, and Günter’s piano line in the background. It is a surprising change in the song, but it still appears to work effectively. But then Andy’s harmonies kick in and at 2:22 start another strong verse with more of a minor feel, and then returning to the lounge-style again from 3:10-3:39. Again they return to the powerful verse harmonies from 2:22, and leaving the “lounge style” far behind as they press ahead to give more musical styles through the rest of the track. The beat kicks up a notch at 4:08 and leads into a more chugging riff-style about 30 seconds later. Then, the listener is surprised again by a sudden change at 5:01 with what I call the “medieval segue,” which features a medieval or renaissance melody with a period flute and harpsichord sound, while Torsten’s bass counters with a tapping melody that somehow complements it despite its modern sound. This may be a musical allusion to Tio’s traveling back in time from the 15^th to the 1^st centuries. This slowly morphs with the entry of keyboards, drums, and then guitar as it carries this melody forward to a new vocal bridge with some time changes. At 6:30, this brings a dissonant “wind chime” section with acoustic guitar and then an amalgamation of vocalizations from male and female voices, leading into a major keyed section at 7:24 with piano and acoustic guitar, which again builds musically. A lighter section with multiple time changes interjects again at 8:18, then a return of the vocals with some strong double-bass kicking patterns forging ahead into the multi-harmonized chorus and continues to pick up speed. At 10:22, the music-box melody returns from the song’s intro and again Andy’s gentle vocals capture the emotion of the unfolding story in the lyrics. This for me encapsulates the heart of the song, the culmination of the storyline that Andy poignantly captures in the lyrics until the end. This song does not seem 13 minutes when I hear it. It seems to fly by, and then it is suddenly finished…and then beckons me to listen again.

Rating: 11/10 [is that possible? :)]

Favorite Lyrics:

“Hey you, are You waiting for the end

The Sanhedrin says You will die here today

But why me, why’s not anybody else

Finding the way out of time to Jerusalem

….

All kinds of details falling right out of the sky

‘Not Unimmortal’ if Your father let You die

God’s time levitation found a way

To make You a savior today

…..

Now You walk Your way all alone

To carry the sins of the world

I came to dethrone and to betray You

So they crucify You for another life

A better day to free the world

(God’s time levitator found a way)

To heal all kinds of things

(To make you a savior today)

And take all souls on board

(Me – the parallel Judas will burn)

You die to save us all”

9. “Eleyson” (Bonus Track)

This song is a bonus, and is a live audio recording of a solo Andy did in his lead as the prophet Daniel in their reinvention of the medieval (12^th century) play called “Ludus Danielis,” performed entirely in Latin. Most of the play is done with a company of singers, with several soloists throughout by the lead characters. This is the “soliloquy” that Daniel sings as he has just been thrown into the lion’s den. Vanden Plas’ modernizing this play into a rock opera – while maintaining the original melodies from the period instruments and the Latin lyrics – is nothing short of amazing in my book. Here you can see Andy’s vocal and emotive range as well – and his singing in Latin! This also gives you a good idea of what the band does in between recording albums. :)

Rating: 9.5/10

Favorite Lyrics:

“Hujus rei non sum reus (I am not guilty of this crime)

Miserere mei Deus (Have mercy upon me, O God)

Mitte Deus huc patronum (O God, send a guardian)

Qui refrenet vim leonum (to hold back the lions in their strength)

Eleyson Deus (Have mercy, O God) x3

Hujus rei non sum reus (I am not guilty of this crime)

Miserere mei Deus (Have mercy upon me, O God)

De profundis clamavi ad te Domine (From the deep I called you God)

A profundis clamavi (From the deep I called)

Eleyson Deus (Have mercy, O God) x6”

Here is a video of the song in live performance:

Overall Album Rating: 9.5/10

There is word that this album may also appear on the stage sometime in the near future…this is one performance that I would do everything within my means to attend if at all possible. This would be a very powerful story to be brought to the modern stage, and I can’t wait to see how it will be presented in a live format. If it is anything like Vanden Plas’ previous original or arranged theater works, it will be sure to be fantastic both visually and sonically. There are a lot of albums made in the world by a plethora of groups, bands, artists, ensembles, etc. and I listen to quite a few (though I still barely scratch the surface). I had high expectations when I finally got this album in the mail, but I think it far exceeded even what I presumed. I have listened to both religious and secular groups, and I definitely have come across albums that really grabbed my attention and made me take notice, both musically and lyrically. But I was surprised that this album struck me so much on a spiritual level that I didn’t expect – especially from a band that does not identify itself as Christian or otherwise – so that I had to take notice. The musical passion of the band, the lack of confinement of a particular genre label or category, the latent and manifest content of the lyrics, and even perhaps the spiritual beliefs of its members seem to be the variables that came together with this particular themed album to rise above even their previous offerings. I think ‘Christ 0,” their previous album, started this idea in its concept, and blossomed even further in “The Seraphic Clockwork.” My only hope is they are able to continue in this vein and somehow outdo themselves in subsequent albums – though I think that would be a tall order! My thanks to the band for creating such a poignant album that managed to awaken me audially as well as spiritually. Vielen Dank und gute Arbeit!

Spoo's Music Review....and other stuff too!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Alice chats live!

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Music Review: Vanden Plas - The Seraphic Clockwork (2010)

Welcome to Spoo's Music Review!