With The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things, German progressive metal band Vanden Plas have one of the finest albums of the genre you’re likely to hear.
It’s got the lot. Heavy, bombastic, melodic, symphonic, expert musicianship, technical yet easily accessible compositions all making an album which delivers on all levels.
For me it’s up there with anything the best likes of Dream Theatre, Symphony X etc. have done and that includes their acknowledged top-tier stuff such as Scenes from a Memory or Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence or for Symphony X – The Odyssey or New Mythology Suite.
Empyrean Equation has the first line-up change in the thirty year history of Vanden Plas. Original keyboardist Gunter Werno leaving with the incoming replacement being Alessandro Del Vecchio – perhaps given his involvement with the Frontiers label?
Del Vecchio puts in a fine stint throughout. He gets an immediate opportunity to make his mark on the opening title track, which is a bombastic eight minute instrumental. Well, there are six lines of lyric around half way through – though let’s say it is an instrumental.
The keyboard work is excellent from bits of gentle piano to all sorts of other swirls and sounds. Andreas Lil drums like a beast, Torsten Reichert thunders with his bass and Stephan Lil shows why he is such a fine guitarist playing with such dexterity, feeling and power. And as always Andy Kuntz blasts out the vocal with his monster voice.
A real attention-grabbing opener with each band member showing what they have setting their stall out for what is to follow.
My Icarian Flight has a more melodic feel to it though has the riff and the big mazy guitar runs and a huge vocal. Here’s the video:
Sanctimonarium is ten minutes of skilfully composed twisting and turning progressive metal of intensity notable for the interplay between guitar and keyboards during the instrumental parts.
The Sacrilegious Mind Machine thumps along driven by the machine gun drumming laying down a foundation for a sweeping number which ebbs and flows strongly with some interesting keyboard work and more guitar mastery from Stephan Lil
By this time the pace has been relentless and perhaps a bit of a breather is in order. They Call Me God gives us one – well, sort of. It starts with some gentle piano and soulfully emotional vocal giving the listener it is going to me a sensitive ballad with symphonic tenancies – though wait for the second half when the explosion happens and Lil cuts in with one of the finest solos you’ll hear anywhere with the keyboard swells adding more atmosphere. Stupendous.
Stupendous is an adjective which also applies to the fifteen minute closer – The March of the Saints. A remarkable progressive metal epic of jaw-dropping proportions. So many twist and turns amongst the bombast. In a similar way to the opener, The March of the Saints has the scope for each band member to shows their chops individually and collectively. It has to be heard to be believed how good it is.
That applies to the whole album – progressive metal of an incredibly high standard.
THE EMPYREAN EQUATION OF THE LONG LOST THINGS ON AMAZON
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