BravePicks 2020 - VANDEN PLAS' The Ghost Xperiment: Illumination #29
December 3, 2020, 4 years ago
If there was any year that music was a true saviour, it was 2020. The ultimate diversion, as the world sits in virtual stagnation waiting anxiously for a fix. We will keep it brief here with the COVID commentary. Let’s let the music speak for itself. It is time to unveil our annual BravePicks countdown, where the devout scribes at BraveWords cast their votes at the hits and misses of the year! So who will be our #1? You’ll find out as we count down the BravePick Of 2020 each day in December!
Everybody has an opinion and it’s time for ours! And stay tuned in January for the writers’ individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY), Top 5 Brave Embarrassments (a fan favorite!), What/Who Needs To Stop In 2021? and Metal Predictions For 2021. Sadly no concerts. But all will be showcased come the New Year!
This virus can go to hell! Let’s let the Top 30 releases of 2020 rock your world!
BravePicks 2020
29) VANDEN PLAS - The Ghost Xperiment: Illumination (Frontiers)
One of the “perks” of working in the music business is access to music before they are unveiled to the masses. In this case, Vanden Plas’ The Ghost Xperiment: Illumination is set to haunt the world tomorrow, December 4!
The second part of their two part concept album, the Germans continue their dynamic progressive metal with inventive songwriting and intriguing storytelling. “Black Waltz Death” is a breathtaking 13 minute epic and once the dust settles, listeners will be blown away and thrilled with this masterpiece.
"For years, I've felt driven by the idea of writing a ghost story that casts a different light on the genre, and... at the end leaves the audience with a plausible explanation," author and Vanden Plas lead vocalist Andy Kuntz elucidates. As for his inspiration for the story, Kuntz came across the Phillip-Experiment, an authentic and credibly documented investigation of necromancy... literally, conjuring dead spirits. "I knew immediately that I had found the basis for the story that I had been seeking for so long."
While the orchestral arrangements in the first album in the saga had been reduced compared to the two previous Chronicles Of The Immortals series, this time the progressive aspects of the band’s sound are even more apparent. Along with the band's brilliant musicians, Stephan Lill (guitar), Günter Werno (keyboards), Andreas Lill (drums), and Torsten Reichert (bass), prestigious guests also add to this incredible showing. Alea from the leading German medieval rock band Saltatio Mortis joins Kuntz for a duet on the bonus track "Krieg kennt keine Sieger", Snow White Blood singer Ulli Perhonen shines in "Black Waltz Death" and "The Ghost Engineers", and the backing vocals team is made up of longtime musical colleagues including Oliver Hartmann from Avantasia and Herbie Langhans from Firewind.
BravePicks 2020 Top 30
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29) VANDEN PLAS - The Ghost Xperiment: Illumination (Frontiers)
30) GREEN CARNATION - Leaves of Yesteryear (Season of Mist)
