Fans of symphonic prog with a hard-rock layering will be treated to a genuine feast on August 4th, 2023, when the grand old man of Dutch prog, Edward Reekers, is releasing his first solo album in 15 years. Entitled “The Liberty Project,” the album comes out via Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group and it is a gargantuan double-album offering with a grand total of seventeen tracks; it is a science-fiction-themed rock opera, a prog musical, and a concept album all wrapped up into a sprawling story about a parallel world birthed by a second Big Bang. For the international prog community, Reekers is probably best known for his vocal contributions to the legendary Dutch outfit, KAYAK, from 1978 until the split in 1982 and, later, fronting in the reunion from 2005 to 2014, as well as from his collaborations with AYREON from the mid-1990s onward. Stylistically, Reekers’ take on progressive rock is very similar to that of Arjen Lucassen‘s, so much so that you could dub them prog soulmates of sorts. So, if hard-rock-tinted prog in any way tickles your fancy, here’s an album that must not slip through your fingers.
The journey begins with a brief instrumental intro, “Out of the Past (Prologue),” which lays down the appropriate cinematic flavor; the flute motif is also nicely reminiscent of the “Snow Goose”-era CAMEL. The intro bleeds seamlessly into “The Present Day,” which throws in a bit of hard-rock in the spirit of TRANSATLANTIC, THE FLOWER KINGS, and SPOCK’S BEARD. I’ve seen the term “hard prog” thrown around with these and I think it’s quite an apt description; after all, this sort of conduct is pretty far from the abrasive and polyrhythmic aesthetics of modern prog metal.
That said, “The Disease” sports such banging guitar riffs and delicious Hammond swells that the song would have fit quite easily on, say, DREAM THEATER‘s latest album. While still not flirting with djenty rhythm origamis, the riffs do pack such a prominent punch that I would reckon they meet the expectations of even the most quality-conscious metalheads with prog as their guilty pleasure. Arjen Lucassen plays the guitar and bass parts – and drops quite an inspired guitar solo. The powerful lead vocals are delivered by John ”Jaycee” Cuijpers. As an insufferable prog nerd, I obviously found the song’s septuplet meter highly infectious right off the bat.
“Good Citizens,” in turn, is a synth-driven earworm featuring vocalist Damian Wilson, who used to sing in THRESHOLD up until 2015, and renowned session musician Mark Bogert on guitars. For me, the song came off resonating thick with the air of JOURNEY, showcasing the best virtues of the somewhat more radio-friendly branch of vintage hard rock.
The conceptual approach soon becomes apparent with the introduction of ballads and cabaret numbers; the album also features quite a lot of guest musicians, as seems to be the case with these sorts of prog endeavors these days. Damian Wilson contributes vocals also to “Never Again” and Cindy Oudshoorn of KAYAK features vocals on the ballad, “As Good As Any Goal,” as well as on the more up-tempo riff-cabaret, “Patients, Have Patience.” Then, a longtime collaborator from quite a few AYREON efforts, Joost Van Den Broek, features keyboards on the instrumental mood piece, “Remember the Fallen, Celebrate Life.” What might pique the interest of many a vintage-prog aficionado, especially, is the fact that Steve Hackett drops some of his signature guitar chops on “The Clash of Belief,” a song that begins as a choir piece and then peaks in the brief guitar solo. Then, Mark Lennon of VENICE takes care of the lead vocal duties on “Turn to Us, Learn from Us,” while “Two Lifetimes” features Cindy Oudshoorn on lead vocals once more and Harry Sacksioni on guitar.
Fans of ”hard prog” are really being spoiled this summer. First, Lucassen‘s new endeavor SUPERSONIC REVOLUTION dropped a killer album in May. Now, his fellow countryman follows suit with an offering that further proves Dutch prog has never felt better. Mixing old-school prog, hard rock cabaret, and banging riffs “The Liberty Project” is a genuine cornucopia of class-A progressive rock.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Out of the Past… (Prologue)
- The Present Day
- Two Lifetimes
- The Disease
- Good Citizens
- Liberty
- Patients, Have Patience
- The Break Up
- Turn to Us, Learn From Us
- The Clash of Belief
- Money
- We Live to Die
- Remember the Fallen, Celebrate Life
- Onwards and Forwards
- Never Again
- As Good As Any Goal
- …Into the Future (Epilogue)
Lineup
Edward Reekers – vocals
Damian Wilson – vocals on tracks 5 and 15
Arjen Lucassen – guitars, bass on track 4
Joost Van Den Broek – keyboards on track 13
Cindy Oudshoorn – vocals on tracks 3, 7 and 16
Steve Hackett – guitars on track 10
Harry Sacksioni – guitar on track 3
Mark Lennon – vocals on track 9
Mark Bogert – guitars on track 5
John ”Jaycee” Cuijpers – vocals on track 4
Label
Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group
