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.
***
Note that "Vanden Plas" are different to "The Vanden Plas" which is a British electronic act.
Phoenix
Vanden Plas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To leave the empire
And something was sent to protect us now
Reborn by the fire
And when the ashes are falling
On a December morning
Let the sunlight rise again
And the sunlight shines again
Let a freedom cross these minds
When the phoenix is going to rise
And the sunlight shines again
This was in 639
December the 7th
The end for the "kingdom of a thousand years"
Was sent out from heaven
There are too many souls who had lost their way
And many too many are passing by
When we're looking into the darkest of all
Nights
There is something every time
But nothing will restrain - a tiny light from shining
When the phoenix is going to rise
And the sunlight shines again
Let a freedom cross these minds
When the phoenix is going to rise
And the sunlight shines again
"Phoenix" by Vanden Plas is a powerful song about renewal and freedom. The lyrics convey a sense of hope and optimism despite the darkness and turmoil in the world. The opening lines, "All the kings horses are coming down, To leave the empire," suggest a fall from grace, but the next line offers a glimmer of hope: "And something was sent to protect us now, Reborn by the fire." This suggests that a new beginning is possible, and that even in the midst of destruction and chaos, there is a chance for rebirth and growth.
The song specifically references a historical event that took place in 639 AD on December 7th, when the Islamic prophet Muhammad sent a letter to King Heraclius of the Byzantine Empire, inviting him to Islam. This event marked the decline of the Byzantine Empire, which had lasted for a thousand years. The lyrics suggest that this event was a necessary step towards freedom and change, and that even the downfall of a great empire can lead to new beginnings.
Line by Line Meaning
All the kings horses are coming down
The downfall of the empire is imminent
To leave the empire
The horsemen have abandoned the sinking empire
And something was sent to protect us now
A new protector has emerged to save the people
Reborn by the fire
The new protector has been reborn through a trial by fire
And when the ashes are falling
Amidst destruction and chaos
On a December morning
During a somber, winter day
Let the sunlight rise again
Hope for a better future
When the phoenix is going to rise
The new protector is on the rise
And the sunlight shines again
The hope for a better future is realized
Let a freedom cross these minds
The people are freed from tyranny
This was in 639
Historical context of the events
December the 7th
Date of the event
The end for the 'kingdom of a thousand years'
The end of a long-standing empire
Was sent out from heaven
The new protector was divinely sent
There are too many souls who had lost their way
The people have lost their hope and way of life
And many too many are passing by
Many are unable to see the hope for the future
When we're looking into the darkest of all nights
During the bleakest moments of despair
There is something every time
There is always hope, no matter how small
But nothing will restrain - a tiny light from shining
No darkness can extinguish hope
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Motor Songs GmbH
Written by: ANDREW POWELL, DAVID TURNER, MARTIN TURNER, STEVE UPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dominon92
All the king’s horses are coming down to leave the empire
And something was sent to protect us now, reborn by the fire
And when the ashes falling
on a December morning
Let the sunlight rise again
When the phoenix going to rise
and the sunlight shines again,
let a freedom cross these minds
(Fly to the sun)
When the phoenix going to rise
and the sunlight shines again
This was in 639, December the 7th
The end for the "kingdom of a thousand years" was sent out from heaven
There are too many souls who had lost their way
and many too many are passing by
When we're looking into the darkest of all nights
There is something every time
But nothing will restrain a tiny light from shining
When the phoenix going to rise
and the sunlight shines again,
let a freedom cross these minds
(Fly to the sun)
When the phoenix going to rise
and the sunlight shines again
And when the ashes falling
on a December morning
Let the sunlight rise again
When the phoenix going to rise
and the sunlight shines again,
let a freedom cross these minds
(Fly to the sun)
When the phoenix going to rise
and the sunlight shines again
Artefakto. 9 years ago
Underated band
porschetm
has anybody seen or heard this song live version...