TIME OUT

This album is the successor of "Beyond Time" by the Dutch LIFE LINE PROJECT, a project in which all instruments are played by one man. This time he is accompanied by singer Marion Stroetinga, a talented singer who fits in with the music perfectly. As on "Beyond Time", it's hard to believe that all instruments are played by one man only, because the music sounds so very much alive. The album was recorded in 1995 on 8 analogue tracks, but that is hard to tell, because the sound is great and dynamic. Erik plays all guitars, keyboards, basses, flutes, lute, mandolin and the drums (electronic & acoustic). The album is a 2010 reissue of a 1995 album with added bonus tracks from a previous unedited album. TIME OUT is clearly divided into two parts, a vocal first half and a completely instrumental second half. After a short instrumental overture we get the over 8 minutes lasting "Don't Turn Your Back" maybe not the best choice to start an album, but it has some very beautiful symphonic themes in store. "How I Miss You More" is an AOR-song with impressive vocals by Marion and a great symphonic solo on the lead guitar. "All You Need Is Bluff" is one of the best tracks on the album. The vocals are excellent and the music is brilliant and dynamic, full of tempo changes and with an unforgettable synthesizer solo at the end. I liked the harmony vocals a lot. "Just A Thought" sounds very jazzy with a great acoustic guitar solo in the m iddle and once more Marion proves her talents as a great singer. "Suzy" is in my opinion the weakest and least interesting song, while the single version of "Don't Turn Your Back" sounds solid and has a great metal guitar solo. After the short title track "Time Out" whith a subtle flute part, it's time for the magnum opus on the album "Behind The Curtain Of Your Mind", the wet dream of every true symphonic rock lover. A cascade of beautiful themes, performed both on lead guitar and synths, is interwoven with more dynamic sections with Iron Maiden like twin guitar-solos and more quiet an dreamy acoustic parts. I have seldom heard such an intense composition, over 23 minutes full of brilliant musical ideas! The album concludes with another long instrumental (over 10 minutes) "Across The Lines", which has a virtuoso Spanish guitar solo in the middle. This song ends the album with a reprise of the stunning synth solo of "All You Need is Bluff". A great album and the four stars are well deserved! Whistler.