Vanden Plas is a German progressive metal band, based in Kaiserslautern and… Read Full Bio ↴Vanden Plas is a German progressive metal band, based in Kaiserslautern and founded in 1986. The band surrounding vocalist Andreas Kuntz have succeeded in making a name for themselves on an international level, enjoy almost cult status in France, have been touring all over Europe with established acts like Dream Theater, Savatage or Angra and can point to a number of impressive releases, among them seven studio albums, a live cut, an unplugged recording, and several EPs.

Since the late Eighties, when the band first got together, Vanden Plas never lost sight of their ambitious goal: expressive music with emotional depth and a melancholy prog metal corset. Starting off with their debut album Colour Temple (1994), the band continued to gather an ever-increasing following with their versatile, intuitive and always unbridled lust for playing. Two years later, in 1997, Vanden Plas brought out their epic bombast successor The God Thing, which was praised by renowned magazines like Metal Hammer, Rock Hard, Burrn!, Aardschock and Flash. A six week tour with Dream Theater followed, like a sort of knighthood conferred on the highest level. The group went on to bring out the unplugged EP AcCult, on which the fascinating aspects of their compositions came to fruition in all their purity. Each Vanden Plas release shows the great musical diversity of the five band members, who have all repeatedly been involved in theatre projects and rock musicals like 'Jesus Christ Superstar', 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', 'Little Shop of Horrors' or 'Evita'. In September 1999, Vanden Plas returned to the limelight with Far Off Grace, which had been recorded by Pink Cream 69 bassist/producer Dennis Ward at the House Of Audio. The band presented themselves in an even more compact and determined style, remaining melodic and innovative at the same time.

Spring 2000 saw Vanden Plas recording a concert in front of enthusiastic fans at the Elysée Montmartre in Paris, releasing the cuts on their Spirit of Live album, which also featured a duet by vocalist Andy Kuntz and Don Dokken on the Dokken cover 'Kiss Of Death', and a breathtaking duel between guitarist Stephan Lill and his French colleague Patrick Rondat - over 73 minutes of intense live atmosphere which speak of the band's unbridled enthusiasm for their music. The same enthusiasm comes across on Beyond Daylight, combined with a determination to link past, present and future.

They have since released three more albums (Christ 0, The Seraphic Clockwork and Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld (Path 1)).

The band's line-up is formed by Andy Kuntz (vocals), Stephan Lill (guitars), Andreas Lill (drums), Günter Werno (keyboards) and Torsten Reichert (bass).

Side-projects include:

Abydos, a rock opera by Andy Kuntz and Andreas Lill among others.

Missa Mercuria, a metal opera by Stephan Lill, Günter Werno and DC Cooper (DC Cooper, Silent Force among others), among others, released in 2003.

Consortium Project III - Terra Incognita (The Undiscovered World). Featuring Stephan Lill on guitar, this project of Elegy vocalist Ian Parry was released in 2003.

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Note that "Vanden Plas" are different to "The Vanden Plas" which is a British electronic act.

Kiss of Death
Vanden Plas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A brief encounter
Like wind through the trees
It came so suddenly
But then it was gone
Like it had never been
How could I have ever seen
A lost heart
Will take your soul

How could I have known
How could I have known
As she took me in her arms
And brought me to an end
With the kiss of death
The kiss of death

She promised paradise
As she lied upon her bed
Like a fallen angel
With the devil's charm
She promised paradise
With the kiss of death

I tried to stop
As she held out her hand
But the fire was burning inside
She knew what i wanted
She gave it and more
But now I must pay the price
We were strangers
Passing in the night

How could I have known
How could I have known
As she took me in her arms
And brought me to an end
With the kiss of death
The kiss of death

She promised paradise
As she lied upon her bed
Like a fallen angel
With the devil's charm
She promised paradise
With the kiss of death

As she took me in her arms
I felt the devil's charm

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Kiss of Death" by Vanden Plas speak of a brief and intense encounter that ended in tragedy. The singer meets a woman who promises him paradise with the kiss of death, but it all comes at a price. Despite feeling the fire burning inside, he tries to stop but can't resist her devilish charm. They were strangers passing in the night, and he could never have foreseen what was to come. The woman took him in her arms, and he felt the devil's charm. The kiss of death promised paradise, but all that's left is a lost heart, taking away his soul.

The song denotes the theme of temptation leading to destruction. The singer's desires lead him to his downfall. He falls prey to a woman who is both alluring and dangerous. The lyrics portray how easy it is to get caught up in temptation and make decisions we might later regret. The warning in the song is to be cautious about what we're willing to sacrifice for a momentary thrill.

Line by Line Meaning

A brief encounter
An insignificant meeting

Like wind through the trees
Quick and fleeting

It came so suddenly
It happened abruptly

But then it was gone
Ended as quickly as it started

Like it had never been
Vanished without a trace

How could I have ever seen
I could never have predicted

A lost heart
A person with a broken heart

Will take your soul
Can lead to a loss of identity or purpose

She promised paradise
She made enticing promises

As she lied upon her bed
As she reclined in a deceptive pose

Like a fallen angel
Similar to a heavenly creature that has lost its way