Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld (Path One)

Germany's Progressive/Power Metal band Vanden Plas has been at this music thing since 1986, though their first proper album, Colour Temple, wasn't released until 1994. Still, they've flown under my radar until 2014's Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld (Path One). If you think I'm typing that full title any more during this review, think again.

Chronicles... is big with plenty of keyboard out front and crunchy guitars in a supporting role. The melodies and song structures are not nearly as esoteric as some Progressive bands making them quite accessible. The vocals are clean and wide-ranging as they tell a fantasy-based story based on stories by German author Wolfgang Hohlbein, who collaborated with the band for the album's writing. Everything on Chronicles... is crystal clear, well played and sounds terrific. It also sounds a hell of a lot like the recent albums from Mob Rules. The same mid-tempo pacing, vocal lines (especially on the choruses), quiet interludes and serious, yet fanciful lyrics are here just like they are on Radical Peace or Cannibal Nation. Not that there's anything wrong with that sound, but I literally felt like I'd "heard this album before" every time I listened to Chronicles...

So there you have it; if you like the recent releases from Mob Rules, you're going to like Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld (Path One) (I didn't lie, I cheated by copying and pasting). I don't think Vanden Plas have equaled the work of their countrymen but your mileage may vary.