Classic Rock Start Page Album Review
ABYDOS - Abydos
1. The Inhabitants Of His Diary 1:12
2. You Broke The Sun 5:39
3. Silence 6:55
4. Far Away From Heaven 5:32
5. Coppermoon (The Other Side) 5:09
6. Hyperion Sunset 4:46
7. God's Driftwood 6:10
8. Radio Earth 5:38
9. Abydos 7:25
10. Green's Guidance For A Strategy Adventure Game 1:17
11. Wildflowersky 8:28
12. A Boy Named Fly 12:03
© 2004 InsideOut Music
Andy Kuntz e-mail: Vanden.Plas@t-online.de
Andy Kuntz website: www.vandenplas.de
Andy Kuntz, already known as a musicalstar for about 20 years now (Jesus Christ Superstar, Rocky Horror Show, to name a few), is also the frontman of the German progressive rockgroup Vanden Plas. After the year 2003, which was one of the darkest years in his life (his father and three other close people died), he tried to reorientate his life. Trying to deal with the mourning, he decided to wrote a conceptalbum, named ABYDOS. So his first solo-album was born.
With the help of some excellent musicians (Andreas Lill, Stefan Glass and Michael Krauss) he made an album that is outstanding! Beautiful vocals, fine keyboardwork, heavy-metal guitarriffs and -solo's, powerful drums: it's all present on ABYDOS.
From "The Inhabitants Of His Diary", to "A Boy Named Fly" Kuntz takes you on a trip to progrock-heaven. You have to listen to the album to know what I mean, this is a must if you like conceptual albums, based on the 70's symphonic rock-history.
Surprising is the Beatlesque "You Broke The Sun", with a rather heavy bridge, but streaming out to a beautiful choral sung end.
Another fine one is "Far Away From Heaven", with undoubtedly musical-influences. The entire song lets you look as if you were in a theatre, watching a musical.
A powerful song is "God's Driftwood", a rhythmic tempo with some heavy guitarwork. gives the album its name.
And a song with, in my opinion, single-aspirations is "Radio Earth". A nice song, that'll stand in your memory.
Then there is the titlesong "Abydos", a little rock-opera itself, that reminds me of Supertramp's Fool's Overture.
The short "Green's Guidance For A Strategy Adventure Game" (listen to Pink Floyd's Animals!) brings us to the great "Flowersky", which has everything in it: powerful guitars, heavy keyboards, stunning drumwork, fast as well as "easy" songparts, progmetal in optima forma!
Brings me to the final song, "A Boy Named Fly", a masterpiece! Just listen to it, and enjoy. The music speaks for itself!
Abydos is an album that is of high quality. If you are a fan of Vanden Plas there is no doubt about it: you have to have this one!
Review by: Clemens Steenweg, October 2004