Vanden Plas - The God Thing - review
Vanden Plas - The God Thing - review
Tracklist
01. Fire Blossom02. Rainmaker
03. Garden Of Stones
04. In You: I Believe
05. Day I Die
06. Crown Of Thorns
07. We're Not God
08. Salt In My Wounds
09. You Fly
10. Combien De Larmes [bonus]
11. Spanish Rain [bonus]
12. Days Of Thunder [acoustic version] [bonus]
13. Raining In My Heart [bonus]
A review by
Dream Taster September 02, 2003
These five musicians are influenced by prog bands like Dream Theater while very versed in Heavy Metal. The guitar lines of Stephan Lill are heavy, complex, made for head-banging and beautiful at the same time. Singer Andy Kuntz has a unique voice that is emotive and powerful when need be. The phenomenal Günter Werno on keyboards shows us how to create haunting atmospheres while Torsten Reichert on bass guitar and Andreas Lill (yes, Stephan's brother) on drums provide a rock-solid rhythm foundation to work with.
"Rainmaker" is the standout track on album. It personifies the band's sound to the T: heavy, fluid, creative and bombastic. You may also enjoy the splendid ballad called "Crown of Thorns" with its beautifully created guitar solo fading ending. The other great song on 'The God Thing' is "You Fly". You must hear this one to be someone pretending to know progressive metal. It's simply grandiose.
There is still room for improvement though. Some songs are a little rough around the edges and production could have been more balanced. While some songs are truly remarkable, I get the feeling that the band has not yet reached its full potential in terms of song-writing.
One side of their music that impressed me the most is their ability to render a track heavier and more spellbinding by slowing down the pace at a moment's notice and layering it progressively.
This album stands on its own. Yes, some definite influences from other bands are here. However, the overall sound has a special stamp all over it. Halfway between blinding power and compelling melodies, The God Thing deserves your undivided attention.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 7 |
Written on 02.09.2003 by
Written on 02.09.2003 by
Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as:"A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?"
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Comments
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| JohnDoe
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JohnDoe
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One of my favourite progressive metal albums; although the Dream Theater influence is noticeable, this is such an enjoyable listening! 
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Posts: 1361
One of the reviews I like on metal storm...Good album and the songs you mentioned are the ones I like...
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Posts: 1342 Written by Mountain King on 08.05.2013 at 20:41 Thanks, it was one of my first reviews ever. I still enjoy this album after so many years.
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Posts: 5630 Written by BlankFile on 31.07.2025 at 20:01 Too long?! The original album, without the bonus tracks is just 55 minutes long. I would not call that long. One of my favorites from the band.
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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Posts: 929 Written by John_Doe on 01.08.2025 at 07:07 In some parts it feels a little bit long and redundant, but it´s a great álbum anyway. Not on my top 3 Vanden Plas, though.
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