01	Angling Feeling						06:43
	02	The Glorious Silence Within						07:15
	03	The Fleeting Existence of Time						12:34
	04	Pulsation						04:01
	05	Liquid Holes in the Sky						04:42
	06	Solitary Pathway						04:06
	07	Broken Chords						06:24
	08	Path of Humbleness						09:29
	09	Where's the Captain						04:24
	10	This Ship of Life						04:39

Since reforming at the beginning of the decade Kaipa have remained fairly active with this their fourth album release. Originally part of the 70Тs prog boom the reformation followed a reuniting of the bands two leading lights keyboardist Hans Lundin and guitarist Roine Stolt. With the albums Notes From The Past, Keyholder and Mindrevolutions in the can Roine has since departed to concentrate fully on all things Flower Kings related. Hans remains at the helm, joined once again by Morgan ?gren drums, Jonas Reingold bass, Patrik Lundstrцm vocals and Aleena Gibson vocals. StoltТs replacement Per Nilsson joins the band from Swedish metal merchants Scar Symmetry with a guitar technique thatТs just as melodic and skilful as his predecessor. Adding a touch of Swedish folk to several tracks with recorders and whistles is guest Fredrik Lindqvist, LundstrцmТs band mate from Ritual. Interestingly, apart from Lundin himself all members remain musically active in other outlets with Kaipa being very much a secondary role. Not surprising then that in addition to keyboards Lundin is responsible for writing all the material and the production.

One thing that struck me was the remarkable parallels between Kaipa and The Tangent. Both bands are dominated by a keyboardist and composer influenced by 70Тs prog rock, especially Yes. Both had Roine Stolt in the line-up until the most recent release and both include fellow Flower King Jonas Reingold on bass. They can also both boast the most evocative album artwork this side of Roger Dean. Regular Kaipa artist Jan TernaldТs vivid digital cover provided the inspiration for the title song. Angling Feelings includes an array of tricky time signatures with Nilsson impressing from the start with fluid guitar lines that blend seamlessly with LundinТs keys. Reingold remains as inventive as ever reaffirming my belief that he is the best bassist around at the moment ably supported by ?grenТs busy drum work. The re-occurring line Into The Heart Of The Sunrise should strike a chord with all Yes fans.

The Glorious Silence Within includes one of the catchiest instrumental hooks IТve heard this side of any Flower KingsТ album. Stolt would have been proud of this one. LundstrцmТs acrobatic vocals are easily the best I can recall from any Kaipa release. Nilsson caps things nicely with a guitar break that soars over Lundin and LindqvistТs symphonic soundscape. The Fleeting Existence Of Time is possibly the bands finest twelve and half minutes ever. The first section features AleenaТs stirring vocal melody offset with stunning interplay between rippling guitar and LundinТs gritty sounding Hammond. At the half way mark it develops into a jazzier affair with excellent ensemble playing delivered with rapid fire precision.

The song orientated Pulsation is the albums least successful piece for me and despite a memorable swing rhythm it lacks the expansive quality of the proceeding track. IТm also not sure about the abrupt ending which equally affects Liquid Holes In The Sky. This song works much better however thanks to a strong chorus and stately vocal delivery from Aleena augmented by lyrical guitar and synth. Solitary Pathway is a departure for Kaipa featuring a driving guitar riff and excellent word play between Lundstrцm and Gibson. On Broken Chords Lundstrцm manages to sound uncannily like Freddy Mercury with Reingold providing stylish fretless bass joined by exceptional drumming from ?gren. The coda featuring NilssonТs liquid guitar together with meticulous vocal harmonies is an absolute joy.

Path Of Humbleness finds the band in an almost Celtic landscape thanks to LindqvistТs beautiful recorder overture. The view soon changes with drums and Hammond leading a military march. It develops into an uncharacteristic shuffle rhythm where distorted guitar lines are underpinned by an infectious keys riff. It makes for a brilliant piece of music for driving, take my word for it. The complex structure of WhereТs The Captain? draws out virtuoso performances from all concerned. The doubled guitar parts provide a rich harmonic tone and only the cacophonic ending with Lundstrцm going overboard lets it down. The sublime This Ship Of Life provides a sweet sounding album closer with NilssonТs restrained and melodic guitar bringing vintage Focus to mind. Reingold shines once more on fretless bass with a suitably romantic sounding duet from Lundstrцm and Gibson.

ItТs fair to say that this release marks a huge leap forward for Kaipa. Whilst the richly symphonic Keyholder improved upon Notes From The Past in every way, Mindrevolutions in my opinion progressed hardly from its predecessor. Angling Feelings on the other hand sees the band redefining their style of melodic progressive rock and taking a few risks along the way. The influences are less obvious than before with the band sounding more cohesive and with more than the occasional moment of sheer musical brilliance. LundstrцmТs characteristic vocals are normally an acquired taste but here they sit far more comfortably within the sonic soundstage. Vocal duties are also split more evenly this time round allowing Aleena to demonstrate her dynamic and passionate vocal skills to the full. The material is certainly some of the strongest ever from Ludin and the production is as clear as glass demonstrating that the absence of Stolt is not an issue. ThatТs unless of course you miss the extra fifteen minutes of playing time that he would have almost certainly have added! Highly recommended and destined to be one of my top albums of 2007 for sure.

Conclusion: 9 out of 10

GEOFF FEAKES