Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Kayak
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2018
Running time: 60:00
Rating: 4/5
»Seventeen« is the seventeenth studio album from the cult Dutch prog veterans Kayak, who since 2017 have been running with a completely overhauled lineup under the leadership of keyboardist Ton Scherpenzeel, the only original member left. The best-known newcomers are Swedish bassist Kristoffer Gildenlow (ex-Pain of Salvation) and drummer Collin Leijenaar (ex-Neal Morse, Affector), while guitarist/singer Marcel Singor and vocalist Bart Schwertmann, who stepped in for longtime Kayak singer Edward Reekers, were relative unknowns right up until »Seventeen« came out. Gildenlow wasn’t an official member yet while »Seventeen« was being recorded and played on just one track, with Lean Robbemont handling the drums.
No need to panic despite the radical shake-up, because »Seventeen« is right up there with the classic Kayak albums, which means it’s got Scherpenzeel’s lush symphonic arrangements, melodic guitar harmonies, rich rhythmic nuances, slippery time changes and mostly epic-leaning vocals. Some tracks also have that typical pomp that marked a few of their most beloved moments in the past.
On »Seventeen«, one of the better releases of 2018 from bands of prog rock’s golden age, Kayak keep serving up a very agreeable brand of melodic symphonic prog rock, this time, after the extremely ambitious predecessor »Cleopatra: The Crown of Isis« (2014), without the concept seasoning but no less interesting for it. New singer Schwertmann, with his falsetto leaps in the choruses, shines already on the opener »Somebody« and proves he’s more than a worthy successor to Reekers. His voice is thoroughly eclectic, and the tone of it would suit plenty of other genres too, heavy metal for example. The same could be said of new guitarist Singor, who every now and then surprises with punchy, metallic passages, only to turn, a few moments later, into an exceptionally subtle weaver of melancholic harmonies.
»Seventeen« also holds two magnificent symphonic prog epics, »La Peregrina (She Wanders Alone)« and »Walk Trough Fire«, which with their ambient beauty, epic harmonies and sweeping arrangements will delight most of the longtime fans. On »Ripples on the Water«, Kayak are joined by special guest Camel guitarist/singer Andy Latimer, once Scherpenzeel’s boss in that legendary English prog band, with a distinctive guitar solo. Scherpenzeel, who mostly swears by the piano on »Seventeen«, is still the main engine driving this band, which gets rather overlooked compared to its more famous countrymen Focus and Golden Earring. On an album that’s highly intense in its atmosphere and tailor-made for the longtime faithful, there isn’t a single weak moment. The only thing you could hold against it is the absence of a bigger dose of experimental adventurousness, since some of the tracks could have turned out even better.
With »Seventeen«, Kayak have made a pretty catchy, likeable album stuffed with symphonic prog rock gems, and it’s solid proof that even the new version of the band is working at a high level of arranging, songwriting and playing, worthy of their rich legacy. The crystal-clear, ‘polished’ production isn’t for every taste, but it still fits the songwriting and arranging approach of »Seventeen« extremely well. Alongside the Italian prog legends PFM, Kayak are one of the more prominent prog rock names that recently joined the well-known German label Inside Out. Unlike PFM, though, Kayak didn’t leave their fans in the lurch with »Seventeen« and instead made a studio record that’s ‘just the way it should be’.
Lineup
Bart Schwertmann – vocals
Marcel Singor – guitar
Ton Scherpenzeel – keyboards, bass guitar, backing vocals
Lean Robbemont – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Andy Latimer (Camel) – electric and acoustic guitar (6)
Izak Boom – banjo and ukulele (9)
Rens Van Der Zalm – whistle (10)
Kristoffer Gildenlöw – bass guitar (11)
Nico Outhuijse – percussion, backing vocals
Production
Ton Scherpenzeel
Tracklist
1. Somebody (3:04)
2. La Peregrina (11:42)
3. Falling (3:08)
4. Feathers and Tar (3:14)
5. Walk Through Fire (10:23)
6. Ripples on the Water (3:40)
7. All that I Want (3:47)
8. X Marks the Spot (1:58)
9. God on Our Side (3:30)
10. Love, Sail Away (3:12)
11. Cracks (8:50)
12. To an End (3:32)
