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.
Rainmaker
Vanden Plas Lyrics
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Never be stopped by the dawn
Now we are living on signs of a man
Nothing is real
Hiding the fears
Hiding the love
Never be stopped by believing
Never let it go
Listen to the rain
Listen to the rain
When we listen to the rainmaker story
Then we listen to a song that never ends
When we listen to the rainmaker story
We're in the end only points on a scale for the rainmaker
Hypnotisation is one kind of freedom
A two colour paint by a drug
Some of the answers requested by reason
Better believe
Better believe it
Blood out of soul
Sold out of blood
He taints the flesh of the poor ones
And we bite the tongue of ourselves that we never be faithful
Better let us go
You better let us go
Listen to the rain
Wash us all away
When we listen to the rainmaker story
Then we listen to a song that never ends
When we listen to the rainmaker story
We're in the end only points on the scale for the rainmaker
The lyrics of Vanden Plas's song Rainmaker carry a deep sense of melancholy and despair, emphasized by the repetition of the line "Never be stopped". The first verse hints at the power of imagination as a way to cope with sadness, even if it means living in a world of illusion. The second verse speaks of hiding both love and fear, not allowing oneself to feel nor to trust in others. The "son of a sun" could be interpreted as someone powerful, perhaps even a god-like figure, who can unite people and make them feel less crazy. However, the chorus begs for the listener to not let go of hope, symbolized by the rain, urging them to listen to the story of the rainmaker who brings everlasting music.
The second half of the song takes on a more cynical and critical tone, with hints of social commentary. The rainmaker is described as someone who can manipulate people by giving them a false idea of freedom, using drugs and fake reasons to seduce them. The line "Blood out of soul, sold out of blood" could refer to both physical blood and metaphorical blood, suggesting that in the end, everyone is just a tool to the rainmaker's profit. The line "bite the tongue of ourselves that we never be faithful" implies that people are aware of the corruption around them but choose not to speak up. The chorus repeats, but now with a more desperate tone, almost as if there is no hope left. The song ends on a bleak note, with the realization that everyone is just a point on a scale for the rainmaker.
Line by Line Meaning
Some illustrations are fiction of sadness
Some depictions are invented representations of sorrow
Never be stopped by the dawn
Do not let the morning halt your progress
Now we are living on signs of a man
We currently survive on a person's indications
Nothing is real
Everything is an illusion
Hiding the fears
Concealing the anxieties
Hiding the love
Concealing affection
Never be stopped by believing
Do not let faith hinder progress
Son of a sun our confession unties our madness
Our confession loosens the insanity we inherited
Never let it go
Do not relinquish it
Listen to the rain
Hear the sound of the rainfall
When we listen to the rainmaker story
When we hear the narration of the rainmaker
Then we listen to a song that never ends
Then we hear a never-ending melody
We're in the end only points on a scale for the rainmaker
Ultimately, we are merely measures of worth for the rainmaker
Hypnotisation is one kind of freedom
Being hypnotized is a form of liberation
A two-color paint by a drug
A drug-induced two-tone painting
Some of the answers requested by reason
Some of the solutions rationality seeks
Better believe
You had better believe
Blood out of soul
Soul being drained of its vitality
Sold out of blood
Trade blood for something of value
He taints the flesh of the poor ones
He contaminates the bodies of the indigent
And we bite the tongue of ourselves that we never be faithful
We bite our own tongues so that we will not be trustworthy
Better let us go
You had better allow us to leave
Listen to the rain
Hear the sound of the rainfall
Wash us all away
Cleanse all of us
When we listen to the rainmaker story
When we hear the narration of the rainmaker
Then we listen to a song that never ends
Then we hear a never-ending melody
We're in the end only points on the scale for the rainmaker
Ultimately, we are merely measures of worth for the rainmaker
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREAS KUNTZ, STEPHAN LILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind