2014

Incredible! This complete album has been played by one man only! Erik de Beer, who released with his Life Line Project some nine albums, is playing flute, all guitars, basses, keyboards, drums and a number of rare plucked instruments, like the ukulele, chitarrone, lute and mandolin.

If you listen to the dynamics and the power of the songs, you would never guess that you had to do with a one man band. The drums sound really great! It appears, that Erik has started most of the recordings, by playing the drums, without the use of midi or click-track. It is rare, that one musician has mastered all these different instruments so well.

Most of the album is instrumental and you get solid symphonic melodic rock compositions, filled to the brim with great guitar leads (a beautiful guitar sound), fantastic analogue keyboard parts, subtle flute parts and a huge bass guitar sound (throughout the album the bass parts are remarkable). Most compositions are up temp pieces, played over a very solid sounding rhythm section. Even the two acoustic pieces are as solid as a rock and show us Erik's virtuosity on all instruments. More introverted songs are "Ao Amanhecer Na Floresta" and the very beautiful "Hot Summer Night Walk" (a great symphonic guitar lead and a virtuoso baroque harpsichord part).

A short re-appearance is made by original 1983 Zoundworks singer Ankie Jansen in a cheerful short song "Injustice". A beautiful ballad is sung by Marion Brinkman in "The Hole", one of the most beautiful titles on the album. A sort of musical joke is provided with "Cantata" in which a complete choir, consisting of lots of Eriks and Marion, Mieke Meijer and Heleen Vos, is alternated with short Moog intermissions and a vituoso Mike Oldfield-like guitar solo, but maybe not everyone's cup of progressive tea.

I loved listening to this exuberant and cheerful music and I can advise it to those who love well- arranged and perfectly played melodic prog with a tad bit of folk influence.

VintageST