Vanden Plas - AcCult


Year of Release: 1999
Label: InsideOut
Catalog Number: IOMCD020/SPV 076-28672CD
Format: CD
Total Time: 41:56:00

All I can say is, when Vanden Plas plays, I listen ..... and this disc is no exception ....... If it isn't great enough that I get their newest disc in, and its a killer, I also get in their "unplugged" acoustic set of songs called AcCult ..... A 10-song track, 42-minute EP .... when was the last time a band put out a 42-minute acoustic set? This band continues to blow my mind........

To sum up this disc, it is a showcase for who has now become one of my of all-time favorite singers, Andy Kuntz.... After listening to the new disc, The God Thing, it was apparent to me that Andy is in a class by himself .... I did not fully realize the potential of this man until I heard The God Thing .... it was clear to me that he either held back on Colour Temple, or the music didn't call for his full abilities .....

Enter AcCult .... a 10 song acoustic set, featuring songs acoustically played from Colour Temple, cover songs of "Kayleigh" by Genesis [um...Marillion? or sarcasm? -ed.], "Spanish Rain," and a French song in which Andy sings it entirely in French ..... The range, style and ability of Andy is simply amazing..... there are sides to his voice that I have only now discovered by hearing this disc .... if you know how beautiful the song "Kayleigh" is, wait until you hear Andy sing it with acoustic guitars and piano playing behind him .... this is no easy feat, yet Andy sings like he has been doing it forever..... the beauty of this disc is mind boggling, even for an all acoustic set.....

The production on this disc is stellar.... since there are very little drums on the disc, and mostly singing, the recording makes it sound like Andy is right in your living room singing live ..... the acoustic guitars and piano interludes are gorgeous ...... there is also an instrumental called "Days Of Thunder" and once again, the talents of Stephan Lill show up in stellar fashion ..... I have so much respect for this band after putting out discs like this, it is great to see bands sticking to their guns and just doing what they do best, playing the music they love and grew up on ..... it is also great to see bands, particularly heavy bands like Vanden Plas reaching back to songs that have nothing to do with their style and playing them as if they had been since they were first released......

Any doubts about the talent level of this band had been erased by The God Thing ..... with this disc, it shows a different side of that talent, allowing us to see exactly what a musician is made of underneath...... if you can't imagine Vanden Plas singing acoustic songs like "Kayleigh," think again .... I cannot describe the beauty of this phenomenon......

I had loved this band since I grabbed the Colour Temple disc way back when ..... after hearing The God Thing and AcCult, I have the utmost respect for this band .... I also have a new hero, and his name is Andy Kuntz .......


Tracklisting:
Pelekanov (0:34) / My Crying (4:54) / Theme From 'Pseudo Silk Kimono'* (0:41) / Kayleigh (4:56)* / Father (5:03) / Georgia On My Mind (5:04)* / How Many Tears (7:09) / Des Hauts, Des Bas (4:18)* / Bonus tracks (Japan and France): Days Of Thunder (4:39) / Fire (5:18) / Bonus Tracks (Elsewhere): Spanish Rain** (7:15) / Days Of Thunder (4:39) and Raining In My Heart (4:38)

* original recordings by Marillion, Ray Charles, and Stephan Eicher, respectively ** Saigon Kick

Musicians:
Stephan Lill - guitars
Torsten Reichert - bass
Andreas Lill - drums
Andy Kuntz - vocals
G?nter Werno - keyboards

Discography:
Colour Temple (1994)
Accult (1996)
The God Thing (1997)
Far Off Grace (1999)
Spirit Of Live (2000)
Beyond Daylight (2002)
Colour Temple/AcCult (special edition) (2002)
Christ 0 (2006)
The Seraphic Clockwork (2010)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin DE

Added: July 1st 1999
Reviewer: Larry "LarryD" Daglieri

Artist website: www.vandenplas.de
Hits: 2821
Language: english

  

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