Vanden Plas' 'The Empyrean Equation of the Long Lost Things' - Album Review

Considering how much I love progressive metal, it is perhaps surprising that it has taken me until my 12th year of reviewing new albums on this blog to cover a release by the German five-piece Vanden Plas. After all, the band have now released five studio albums since I wrote my first album review here in 2013 and I have covered many other releases from similar artists in that time. For some reason, though, Vanden Plas never really clicked with me. I am not sure why, as they generally play the sort of progressive metal that I like, but for some reason their material rarely stuck. Frontman Andy Kuntz has a fantastic voice and the lyrical guitar playing of principal composer Stephan Lill is always melodic and tasteful - but the melodies rarely cemented themselves in my brain. They tend to have all the ingredients, then, but the dish can sometimes be a bit off for my tastes - which I thought to be a shame given the band's love of concepts, some of which span multiple releases. All of that being said, though, over the past couple of years I have made more of an effort with the band's albums. I listened to 2006's Christ 0 and 2010's The Seraphic Clockwork a couple of years after the latter's release, and I did get the first of the Chronicles of the Immortals albums when it came out in 2014 - but I did not properly start listening to the band again until a couple of years ago, when I started at the beginning and slowly worked my way through their early albums. I cannot say that I have been fully converted to a big-time Vanden Plas fan - but I certainly appreciate the band's sound more than I did. Their lush and soundscape-esque sound is perhaps a bit laid back and lacking in heaviness for me at times, but the band certainly have a distinct sound of their own - and I have enjoyed the journey. There are still a few more of their albums I need to get, but given that a new one has just dropped I decided to jump on it whilst it was fresh - so I have been listening to their eleventh studio album The Empyrean Equation of the Long Lost Things (if that is not a prog metal album title then I do not know what is) quite a bit since it was released last month. It is an interesting album in the context of the band's history, too, as it is their first to be released without their long-standing line-up which had been in place since 1990 and had featured on everything they had released up to this point. Keyboardist Günter Werno left the band last year and was replaced by Alessandro Del Vecchio (Edge of Forever; Hardline; Eden's Curse; Voodoo Circle; Silent Force; Jorn) - which did raise alarm bells. Del Vecchio is certainly a fine musician, but his involvement in countless Frontiers Records copy-and-past melodic rock/metal projects has led me to treat anything he does with suspicion. He no longer seems to be working for Frontiers Records directly, though, so it seems that those days are over - and he has brought none of that baggage with him to Vanden Plas. Despite the change, and the loss of the band's secondary composer, Vanden Plas' core sound is very much intact here - with The Empyrean Equation of the Long Lost Things continuing on the distinct sound the band have been forging since the early 1990s.

I am not sure if the album is a concept album or not, as I have not delved into the lyrics, but with six lengthy songs totalling 55 minutes it would not surprise me if this was the first part of a new concept suite. The opening title track, which is largely instrumental save for a short vocal-led part around halfway through, also suggests that it is setting up something grander than just this album - and it feels like a real building overture, with a gentle piano intro to introduce Del Vecchio before Stephan and his brother drummer Andreas Lill crash in with a punchy riff. This opening crash is quite staccato in nature, and a bit crunchier than is sometimes typical for the band, but there is still plenty of their trademark keyboard backing - whilst the bass from Torsten Reichert provides a solid grounding. Following this riffy intro, the first solo section takes over - which is started by Stephan, shredding away furiously, before Del Vecchio takes over for a more melodic synth run. Again, this solo section is perhaps more cutting than the band's usual melodic approach - but it works nicely, and there are plenty of more downbeat moments in the piece which return to the opening piano melodies and a more dramatic, atmospheric approach. During one of these slower moments, Kuntz starts to sing and the band swells around him - launching into a chorus which will somewhat be reprised in the album's closing track. The vocal section here is not long at all, and it is not long before a slow-burning and lyrical guitar solo takes over - but the brief introduction of Kuntz seems to really set the tone for what is to come. The instrumental continues on for quite a bit longer, too, moving into another very riffy section which again ups the heaviness and drama. This is the last movement of the song and, following another solo, the album segues into lead single My Icarian Flight - a much more typical song for Vanden Plas. The heavier nature of the previous instrumental is pulled back somewhat and the band proceed over a mid-paced rhythm with some soaring Stephan guitar leads - before a crunchy verse takes over which focuses on Del Vecchio's piano. There is plenty of weight throughout the verses despite the focus on the piano, as Stephan and Reichert lay down a muscular groove alongside Andreas - whilst Del Vecchio creates a strong melodic piano base for Kuntz's vocal hooks. I have always liked Kuntz's voice, even when I was not as much into the band, and he really delivers here. His voice has not really changed at all throughout the band's 30-plus year career - and his smoothness and gentle tone is a good contrast to the crunchy rhythms throughout. The chorus retains a similar groove, albeit with a hookier melody, and it is perhaps the album's most accessible moment overall. It soars in typical prog metal fashion, despite the relaxing vibes, but the band soon shake things up with some Hammond organ roars and a busy solo section featuring the skills of both Stephan and Del Vecchio. The song is quite similar to Vanden Plas singles of the past, with the combination of big guitar leads, a simple groove, and warm vocal hooks bringing the best out of everyone involved here.

Sanctimonarium, at just over 10 minutes, is the second-longest song on the album - so it is unsurprising that it feels more involved than the previous track. It opens with a lengthy instrumental intro which is busier than anything in the previous song - with plenty of organic keyboard stabs circling hooky guitar riffs and some off-kilter drumming from Andreas. Vanden Plas have never been as technical and flashy as a band like Dream Theater, but there are moments on this song's intro which do flirt with such a style - particularly a handful of unison guitar/keyboard runs which are very typical of the 1990s/2000s prog metal scene. Once Kuntz starts to sing, though, things slow down. The early parts of the verses are very low key, with melodic clean guitar melodies and a relatively punchy drum groove backing the vocals - but the verses grow in stature as they move along, speeding up in places with a much heavier and more urgent sound. Given how the verses build up, it is unsurprising that the chorus which follows feels much bigger. This is certainly a song which builds towards each chorus rendition nicely - and it is clear that the band feel that the hooks within the chorus are particularly strong. Whilst it might not be as immediately accessible as the chorus from the previous song, it has a real grandness thanks to Kuntz's slower vocal lines and a plentiful keyboard backing. This slower pace, following the punchy verse endings, allows the chorus to have a really anthemic and majestic sound - which elevates the piece above the simpler arrangement of the previous song. Given the longer runtime of this piece, too, there is a lot more time dedicated to instrumental movements. Del Vecchio uses a lot of retro Hammond organ sounds throughout this album alongside more atmospheric synths, and the organ is put to good use during parts of this song - swelling up the introduce a fast-paced Stephan solo, before taking over a little later for a rather pompous, Deep Purple-esque keyboard driven section. The main instrumental section is lengthy and varied, then, but when a few more tasteful guitar leads herald Kuntz returning the song reaches an emotional climax with a final chorus and a riffy closing moment. The Sacrilegious Mind Machine is faster paced than the previous track, and it opens with some barrelling guitar riffing which harks back to the heavier sections of the opening instrumental. There is certainly a heaviness throughout the whole song, but that does not mean that the more atmospheric side of the band has been lost - as the lengthy intro, as well as the riffing, also contains some melodic guitar hooks reminiscent of the previous song. In general, though, this song is much crunchier. Del Vecchio's Hammond is used again here for a metallic depth, whilst the main verses feel much tougher with a strong bass presence and plenty of palm-muted guitar riffing. Kuntz perhaps feels more at home with an atmospheric backing, but he also handles the heavier passages well. Despite his excellent voice, he is not the most diverse of singers. He does not really have a harsher edge which would boost the band's heavier passages further - but he does feel a bit snappier during the verses here. The fact that this song is a bit heavier than some of the others means that the track is perhaps not as memorable vocally. I do not feel that the song's chorus really pops like the previous two and the parts of this track which I tend to enjoy the most are actually the instrumental moments - in particularly a great riff-led section around two-thirds of the way through.

They Call Me God is the album's ballad, so it really reins in the heaviness of the previous song to instead focus on dense keyboard textures, gentle piano melodies, and some slow-burning guitar passages. It opens slowly, with the piano dominating, before Kuntz starts to sing over this paired back arrangement. Kuntz always shines in front of a more atmospheric and melodic backing - and his smooth voice soars above the piano and string arrangement, his warm tones fitting the mood of the piece nicely. The chorus is a bit more involved, as Stephan's guitar joins the fray - adding slow, mournful leads over the piano backing from before. The chorus vocal hooks pop, too, and the song continues in this manner for two verse/chorus cycles - before the rest of the band crash in and Stephan launches into a fantastic, soaring guitar solo which fuses David Gilmour-esque note choices with shreddier and more metallic passages. The rest of the song is heavier from that point on, but it generally focuses on the lengthy guitar solo as well as a final chorus rendition which feels much meatier this time. The song can somewhat be seen as two parts, then, but I like how it has been put together as there is a good sense of light and shade. The album then comes to a close with the 15-plus minute epic March of the Saints - which opens with a busy guitar melody before launching into another meaty riff-based section which really stood out from the off. This intro melody/riff combination resurfaces throughout the song and each time it comes in it really hits the mark. It is just a very memorable motif which really grounds the lengthy piece - but there is plenty else here to get stuck into. The early portion of the song is typical of the album's core sound, with a memorable verse/chorus cycle which places a lot of emphasis on the latter. There are hookier choruses here but it still very much gets in the brain thanks to its majestic mid-paced groove and bombastic keyboard backing. Kuntz shines as always, his vocal hooks bright, whilst a lengthy keyboard solo pulls these early moments together nicely. A lengthy piano-led section later adds warmth and allows Kuntz a bit more a chance to spread out vocally. He really dominates this mid-section and even when the heaviness returns somewhat as the rest of the band join in the arrangement remains vocal-focused - and the song is not as explosive instrumentally as it could be given its length. There is certainly plenty of great playing throughout, with an expanded version of the intro melody later repurposed as its own instrumental section, but Kuntz is never too far away - and this is especially true as the song moves into its closing section, which builds on the vocal section of the title track. Motifs and melodies from that song are reused here and the brief chorus which was hinted at before is deployed in full this time - and it makes up the entire final portion of the song. It is a good way to bring the album full circle and it further fuels my suspicions that the album is a concept album with a sequel to follow - but it also allows for some excellent closing guitar moments, with Stephan really taking the song out with lots of tasteful leads under the vocals which then morph, Neal Schon style, into an epic closing solo which is full of character and melody. It is a great way to end the album and it is easily the best guitar solo here. I have enjoyed getting more acquainted with Vanden Plas over the past couple of years and topping off such with The Empyrean Equation of the Long Lost Things makes it better. I have enjoyed immersing myself in this latest release recently and I feel like I have somewhat turned a corner with the band. I will look to complete my collection soon, but for the meantime I can see this album getting some more plays over the coming months.

The album was released on 19th April 2024 via Frontiers Records. Below is the band's promotional video for My Icarian Flight.