VANDEN PLAS — Far Off Grace (review)

VANDEN PLAS — Far Off Grace album cover Album · 1999 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Stephen
Explaining Vanden Plas' "Far Off Grace" is quite easy. Imagine a big jar of boiling water, you add a portion of Dream Theater especially from the "Awake" era and stir it up with Dokken's "Dysfunctional" and a bit of their classic touch, and finally you spiced it up with Evergrey's power and dark ambience. The problem with this album is basically on the songwriting foundation. It's pretty raw, unoriginal, and could have done better. The whole "Far Off Grace" affair reduced the progressive element, added a lot of heavy metal touch, but I found at times too modern, or maybe, too alternative.

Tracks like "I Can See" or "Far Off Grace" both have a heavy grungy element and to be honest, not a very good starter. "Where's The Man" is full of dull moment, probably their worst track here. "Into The Sun" is better with its dark riffs led by a dominant keyboard, but at times sounded monotonus and chorus just doesn't fly.

I must admit that Andy Kuntz' voice is gorgeous, even reminds me of Don Dokken's prime era when he can easily explored the high register. Stephan Lill's guitar seems to drowned deep and dominated by Gunter Werno's keyboard flair. For a progressive metal band, I think it's important to keep the balance between all instruments, and that's another weakness I discovered with "Far Off Grace".

My best pick of the album came in the middle, started with "Inside of Your Head", a more straight-forward hard rock with bombastic chorus and lethal keyboard solos. "Fields of Hope" has an interesting Arabian sparks on the intro and a stunning performance to hear when it evolved with a doomy rhythm. "Iodic Rain", definitely their best, an uptempo tune with deadly guitar intro. The chugging riffs reminds me of Dream Theater's "Metropolis" and another outstanding keys delivery by Werno here.

Two ballads included here are acceptable as well. "I'm With You" has a good combo of keys/guitar and again, a dark one, similar with "Don't Miss You", a moving pain-and-agony ballad, driven by piano, could be an excellent song to send to your most-hated ex-girlfriend, especially with the heartbroken wail of Kuntz on the lines of "don't miss you, don't even love you, I wish you die in my arms".

The album is closed with "Kiss of Death", one of Dokken's greatest track, nothing's wrong with this one, but the added keyboard sound at the start is provoking. I'm waiting for a magnificent keys interlude to replace the part when George Lynch started to shred, but it just never came, so it kinda disappoints me.

Overall, "Far Off Grace" is a decent effort of the band, might be a let-down album for the progressive camps, as nothing's original and the important one is, not very prog. For heavy metal/hard rock fans, if you like a modern/grungy era or gloomy touch, you might like it.
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