Günter Werno – Metal Express Radio

VANDEN PLAS – The Ghost Experiment: Illumination

December 6, 2020 Daniel Waters

Restraint and control are the hallmarks of Vanden Plas on their new album The Ghost Experiment: Illumination. The first volume of The Ghost Experiment, Awakenings, came out in 2019; Illumination picks up the narrative and musical threads. Vanden Plas’s mindset and high level of musicianship makes them an easy RIYL association with fellow progsters Dream Theater; the long compositions and cerebral fantasy-tinged lyrics here are unlikely to untether them from such comparisons. Sporting song titles like “The Lonely Psychogon” and “The Ouroboros”, the narrative appeal of The Ghost Experiment: Illumination is an esoteric one, reserved for aficionados or practitioners of alchemy, mythology, and mysticism. Listeners who are willing to wade through the dense lyrical content will be rewarded with some excellent Progressive Metal performances, however. Andy Kuntz is one of those vocalists who makes hitting those high, sustained notes effortless, without any sign of stretch or strain. Kuntz’s crack band make very complex passages appear equally effortless. Günter Werno on keyboards is especially adept on this volume of The Ghost Experiment, dropping swirling keyboard runs and solos complementing Stephan Lill’s equally incendiary guitar solos. Lill’s brother Andreas anchors the sound with a very precise, full-kit approach; bassist Torsten Reichert shifts equally well in syncing with either Lill brother depending on the desired goals of the songs. Lead single “When The World Is Falling Down” is perhaps the most approachable of the cuts on the album, with a multiple guitar solos to feast on in between the soaring, catchy choruses. The song is also one of Andreas Lill’s finest percussive performances of the album. The song is a great start, but the rapid-fire quick pace is somewhat misleading considering the songs that follow, most of which start of with a slower, melancholic tone. “Under The Horizon” begins this way, eventually bringing a low heat …READ MORE

SECTION A – The Seventh Sign

April 21, 2003 Guest Writer

Section A does that sound like a name of a new Heavy Metal band, or a quadrant of a pie chart? Well, you’d be right either way, but in this case, Section A is a band that has released their debut CD called The Seventh Sign, and it’s damn good. You’ll just have to forgive the name. Section A is the brainchild of Danish guitarist Torben Enevoldsen, who has recently released instrumental CDs but wanted to add vocals on his new project for a change of pace. Before he found the vocalist, he acquired the drumming of Andreas Lill (Vanden Plas.) But then, he made the best move he could make — asking ex-Lion Share voice Andy Engberg to join the fray. If you are not familiar with Engberg’s work, you should be, and there are no excuses. The guy is a major talent. Derek Sherinian and Günter Werno also add their skills to this mix. The CD begins with song almost 9 minutes long, called “The Seventh Sign.” You’ll hear dreamy keyboards, wind, and then some knife-like guitars ripping into the calm. It culminates in a scream by Engberg, which is a feral, “I’m back!” to everyone that missed him. And he was missed. The song blows up, and then finds serenity again, with a melodic keyboard part and a guitar solo. Strange to have a solo at the beginning of the song, but hey, deal with it. When Engberg starts singing, you’ll be brought back to the sound of Lion’s Share, but it quickly passes. After all, this is Section A. It’s a heavy song, with exceptional vocals. The second song, “Riot,” highlights some aggressive drumming by Lill but Enevoldsen is the one who shines here. His solos are so succinct and clear, but it doesn’t sound like …READ MORE