Vanden Plas - Chronicles of The Immortals: Netherworld II (2015)

Growing older comes with several down sides, one being the sensation that every year feels shorter and shorter, giving you the realization that you are closer to your demise. I still cannot believe that there has gone a full year since the Germans in Vanden Plas released "Chronicles of The Immortals: Netherworld (Path I)", and that they are now ready to unveil the second part of this massive saga, in which they created together with the German author Wolfgang Hohlbein. Oh, how time flies by...

Anyway, let us snap out of this depressive mood, because the first part was a fantastic experience, so naturally, the second part follows in the same foot steps, both musically and atmospherically. The music is still classic Vanden Plas, very epic with several heavy and melodic riffs thrown into it, creating a complex synergy that is hard to resist. And to aid the music, the band has certainly brought their A-game, especially the singer Andy Kuntz, whom I have always thought had a unique, but strange voice. Here though, his voice fits perfectly with the music and helps in creating a stunning mood. Andy has never sounded better than what he does in this album.

Another thing that has not changed since the first album is that the songs are called visions. This was one of few complaints I had on the first part, and my mind over it has not changed since, it looks so dumb that they are labeled as 11even, 12elve, 13teen, and so on. Please, just decide on if you want to use numbers or letters, do not compromise. I know that this critique is petty, but it still bugs me.

The album opens in a beautiful fashion with "In My Universe", a slow, epic tune that drags you in into the Netherworld and gives you a first person perspective of all that is happening here. the same tempo goes in the following song, "Godmaker's Temptation", before kicking it up a notch with "Stone Roses Edge", a heavier song that still contains the same amount of epic within it. These thrilling riffs makes my bones chill in an exciting way, the same thing happened when I listened to "Godmaker" in the first part.

Another highlight of the album is the grand epic "Blood of Eden (All Love Must Die)", a three part, 13 minute song where the band shows all of their skills. Even if it is easy to distinguish the three parts aside, they fit together nicely and creates a great epic piece that serves as the main part of the story. But my favourite part of the album comes in the same part in which some of my favourite movie scenes of all time takes place, which is the final battle. Cleverly titled "The Last Fight", this track mixes fast, frenetic riffing and keyboard loops with more soaring parts. Let us also not forget that it also have some of the best solos in the whole "Chronicles..." series. A well worthy climax to a fantastic concept.

So if you have not guessed it by now, the both parts are practically the same cup of tea, which I think is the biggest strength. Why fix something that is not broke? They are so similar that I think that none of them should be favoured over the other. Both albums could have easily been released as one, humongous entity, because there is no fillers on either albums, making this concept fluent and strong. Kudos to Vanden Plas and Wolfgang Hohlbein for making such an amazing double album experience.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Last Fight, In My Universe, Stone Roses Edge, Blood of Eden (All Love Must Die)

Rating: 9/10 Godmakers

Vanden Plas - Chronicles of The Immortals: Netherworld (Path 1) (2014)

The German progressive metal band Vanden Plas are no beginners when it comes to making an epic concept album, so it was no surprise that their seventh full-length album would be another epic saga. But this time, they have embraced the stories told by the German author Wolfgang Hohlbein (who happens to be a fan of the band) and put his writing into a more musical form. A project so big that it was not enough to fit in only one album (second album has no set release date yet).

"Chronicles of The Immortals: Netherworld (Path 1)" is a story about an immortal man and an evil god creator. The immortal man goes out on a quest towards Pantheon (under the influence of the god creator) to seize the throne against the old gods. But in order to do so, he has to give up his humanity. I am sure I would know the story even deeper if this tale would have been released in English or Swedish (almost all of Wolfgang's books has only been released in German), but what I can come across is that the story is really intriguing and unique. This story has also been portrayed in a theater play entitled "Bloodnight" that is made, and performed, by the band and has been displayed several times in the German town Kaiserslautern. (btw, the show has sold out around 25 times with an audience amount of 750 people per night).

But what really matters is if the band has succeeded in transforming this story into a Vanden Plas album. And I can assure you all that they have done just that. This album is Vanden Plas all the way through with its epic melodies and well constructed song structures. Well, except for "The King And The Children of The Lost World" that sounds more like a Dream Theater tune, but that does not stop me from liking this track a lot. But if you are well known with the band, then you will probably know what to expect from this release.

This album is best experienced in its entirety, but the band has also succeeded in making songs that can stand strong by themselves. One good example of just that is "Godmaker", a track that was released earlier this year together with an interesting video. It fits neatly together with the other tracks in this album, but it is even stronger on its own with its heavy riffs and ultra epic chorus. I loved this track the first time I heard it, and I still love it to this date. "Godmaker" stands out a little more because together with "Soul Alliance", it is the only song that puts its focus on the heaviness, while other tracks like "The Black Knight" and "New Vampyre" are more progressive and epic, which I think is more fitting for both the story and Vanden Plas's style.

And when it comes to the band itself, they do a really good job on their respective positions, but I am still a little two sided about Andy Kuntz's singing style. He is certainly unique, but is his voice good enough to lift the songs to its maximum potential? I am not sure of that, but he is far from the worst vocalist in the business, so I wont complain.

The second part of this saga will probably be released during 2015, which is a shame since I cannot wait for it to be released. This album is a very even album with no bad song anywhere in sight. It is instead a strong concept album that is definitely worthy of being a part of Vanden Plas's impressive discography. I am still baffled that this band has not gotten more recognition for their work, but I hope that more people will realize that this band is one of the top progressive acts in metal. But for the next album, please do not put Vision 1ne, Vision 2wo and so on in front of the tracks. It looks incredibly tacky for an otherwise professional and impressive album.

Songs worthy of recognition: Godmaker, The Black Knight, The King And The Children of Lost World, Soul Alliance

Rating: 9/10 Visions