VANDEN PLAS guitarist Stephan Lill is featured in a new interview with SeaOfTranquility.com discussing the band's new album, The Seraphic Clockwork. An excerpt is available below.

Q: The Seraphic Clockwork is slightly heavier than your previous album Christ O, was that a conscious decision?

Lill: "We didn´t make a decision like 'The next CD has to be heavier than the previous ones.' However, I like heavier stuff and think that´s the influence which created the slight change in our music."

Q: The Seraphic Clockwork is a hugely intricate concept piece, that is amazingly cohesive, how hard is it fitting the music to the words, or do you work on the lyrics first?

Lill: "This is a question we´ve been asked a lot of times, but I don´t have a real explanation as to why it works so well. The way we usually compose is that we write the basic versions of the music first and then write the lyrics once we know those songs. It's hard to say why it works, maybe it's because we've known each other for such a long time."

Q: There was a four year gap between Christ O and The Seraphic Clockwork, however the band have been far from idle. Very unconventionally for a metal band, you have been heavily involved in stage shows and theatres. With everything from a stage show for Christ O, the Abydos and Ludus Danielis shows and producing versions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair! How did all that come about?

Lill: "We have all been involved in theatre productions since 1992, which was the first time we played Jesus Christ Superstar. The people from the theatre liked the way we performed the music, so we got other engagements for Little Shop Of Horrors and The Rocky Horror Show and so on. After a while we were experienced enough to realize musicals on our own, and it was a success. This helped us a lot for developing our own style, which was a great bonus."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Vanden Plas recently released the trailer for their new album, The Seraphic Clockwork. Watch the video below:

The album was released on June 4th in Europe and on June 22nd in North America via Frontiers Records.

According to a press release, The Seraphic Clockwork is a fascinating concept album, which not only shows the quintet’s exceptional technical skills, but also highlights their impressive development as songwriters. The new album sounds more multi-layered, progressive and metal-oriented than any previous Vanden Plas release.

“I think that my penchant for music of the tougher persuasion shines through more than ever before on this album,” comments guitarist Stephan Lill, who – together with keyboardist Günter Werno and vocalist Andy Kuntz – make up the group’s creative triumvirate.

He adds: “Hard riffs, elaborate keyboard and orchestral arrangements plus catchy hooklines come together in a perfect symbiosis which marks Vanden Plas’ own style. I feel that we were much more adventurous on with The Seraphic Clockwork than ever before.”

The Seraphic Clockwork includes the following tracks:

'Frequency'

'Holes In The Sky'

here

'Scar Of An Angel'

here

'Sound Of Blood'

'The Final Murder'

'Quicksilver'

here

'Rush Of Silence'

'On My Way To Jerusalem'

More on Vanden Plas at this location.