20 YEARS AFTER

This week I bought the latest album of Life Line Project. I think the title refers to two things: The title track '20 Years After' refers to the Alexandre Dumas novel of the same name, but this album also contains the definite recording of 'The True Tale Of Duplo The Equivalent'. In the early nineties there circulated a demo cassette tape under the name 'DUPLO', but here we have the fully arranged and new 2012 recording of this progrock epic that takes more than one hour.

Before this epic starts, there are first two shorter tracks to enjoy. The album starts with a short instrumental in which Erik de Beer displays all his keyboards, only accompanied by the bass and drums of Iris Sagan & Ludo de Murlanos. Then you get one of the finest tracks on the album, the fully acoustic 'Worries', beautifully sung by Marion with a beautiful chorus and with some subtle use of the flute, oboe and bassoon in the interlude parts. I also loved the piano part a lot. The title track is a solid piece of symphonic rock with a concluding melodic guitar solo, that is so characteristic for the sound of LLP.

On this album Erik seems to have opted for Marion Brinkman-Stroetinga as a sole lead singer and I think that this was a wise decision, because the use of too many vocalists, like on some previous LLP albums, damages the sound of the band a bit. Now the voice of Marion has become an integral part of the LLP-sound and I am very pleased with that. 'Morning In Equivalesia' is beautifully sung, accompanied only by the grand piano and a bit of acoustic guitar. The song is preceded by a subtle introduction, performed on the oboe, so beautifully played by Dineke Visser and so essential for the sound of the band. Parts like 'It's Fun To Obey' and 'Working On The Mountain', in which the life in a somewhat silly country, called Equivalesia is described give us a fully unchained progrock band, playing lots of tempo and character changes and displaying some great keyboard & guitar solo's all done by Erik de Beer, because guitarist Jody van der Gijze seems to be A.W.O.L. on this album. The strength of the LLP sound has fortunately remained unaltered.

Again one of the band's trump cards, the excellent section consisting of flute,oboe, clarinet & bassoon, is played in several interludes (Evening Thoughts & the beautiful introduction to Unica) and again the sound is enriched by ancient instruments like the harpsichord, the lute, the mandolin & the chitarrones.

On this album the piano has obtained a larger role, as you can find out in the bluesy 'The Guy Is Cool' with a rolling piano solo, or in the Finale with a great concluding piano solo. Highlights in the Duplo epic are in my opinion the extremely symphonic 'Happiness', 'Same Old Song' and 'Move Out' parts, both in vocal and in instrumental regard impeccable and overwhelming.

Again, as we can expect on most LLP albums, 20 Years After concludes with the adaptation of an ancient folk tune. This time 'La Mantovana', a 16th century Italian folksong is taken. There is even a string section (2 violins, viola & violoncello) added to the mandolin, lute & harpsichord ensemble. As with their other folk excursions, the band end their album in a sonic orgy, improvising over this charming folk theme.

The cd-booklet is well looked after, with a complete story line and the full lyrics. LIFE LINE PROJECT have struck again and I can advise this album to everyone who likes his symphonic rock very melodic and larded with folk elements.

Theo Schop